104 Backstage Pass with Dory - ”Training Jedi & Bringing Toys to Life: Justin Aldridge’s Story”

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en
00:00:00.230 --> 00:00:12.990
[Music]
00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.150
welcome to backstage pass the podcast
00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:18.470
that gives you an all access ticket
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.509
behind the magic with the people who
00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:23.870
make Disney truly special it's cast
00:00:23.880 --> 00:00:27.029
members I'm Dory your host and fellow
00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:30.269
Disney fan here to share firsthand stor
00:00:30.279 --> 00:00:32.269
from the cast members who bring the
00:00:32.279 --> 00:00:35.430
parks to life from heartwarming moments
00:00:35.440 --> 00:00:38.150
to behind the scenes Secrets we're
00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:40.910
uncovering the magic together so grab
00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.810
your Mickey ears it's time to step
00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:52.389
[Music]
00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:55.830
backstage welcome to another episode of
00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:58.229
Backstage Pass I hope you've been
00:00:58.239 --> 00:00:59.990
enjoying the guests and stories that
00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.549
we've had so far and we've been sharing
00:01:02.559 --> 00:01:06.270
and this one is extra special for me now
00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:07.950
before we talk about our guest I want to
00:01:07.960 --> 00:01:10.510
share a magical moment from one of our
00:01:10.520 --> 00:01:14.510
listeners Lacy here's what she wrote my
00:01:14.520 --> 00:01:16.710
little boy suffered a near fatal dog
00:01:16.720 --> 00:01:19.710
attack a few years back he has severe
00:01:19.720 --> 00:01:22.550
facial scarring and was scared to leave
00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:24.990
the house for people staring at him we
00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:26.749
took him to Disney once he was healed
00:01:26.759 --> 00:01:29.749
enough to have a fun time when we were
00:01:29.759 --> 00:01:33.190
there there Megan and Jay and Jay went
00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:35.990
out of their way to help him to meet all
00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:38.789
of his favorite superheroes Jay made him
00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:41.789
laugh and made him feel seen and not
00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:44.830
just for his scars Jay did a photo shoot
00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:47.510
with him and the Captain America shield
00:01:47.520 --> 00:01:51.109
and even got him on the Spider-Man ride
00:01:51.119 --> 00:01:53.910
Megan helped him go around and have a
00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:56.190
special time with the characters we have
00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:58.109
gone back multiple times each year to
00:01:58.119 --> 00:02:01.069
Disney and all three of them always
00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:04.029
remember our whole family my kids to
00:02:04.039 --> 00:02:08.150
this day call all of the aunti Megan
00:02:08.160 --> 00:02:11.390
Uncle Jay and Uncle Jay and they are all
00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.470
so special to my family I hope they
00:02:14.480 --> 00:02:16.390
really know how much they've changed my
00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:19.190
family's life for the better for having
00:02:19.200 --> 00:02:20.430
them in
00:02:20.440 --> 00:02:24.790
it I mean I hope these cast members
00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:27.949
understand how they completely change
00:02:27.959 --> 00:02:30.550
not only Our Guest experience
00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:33.190
but they could make a pivotal difference
00:02:33.200 --> 00:02:36.229
in our lives outside of the Disney
00:02:36.239 --> 00:02:39.790
bubble as well just amazing thank you so
00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:43.430
much for sharing this Lacy and if you
00:02:43.440 --> 00:02:45.949
have a story that you want to share
00:02:45.959 --> 00:02:49.149
please share it with us I cannot wait to
00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:51.350
hear it you can check the show notes and
00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:52.869
that will give you all the details of
00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:56.470
how you can submit your own stories of
00:02:56.480 --> 00:03:00.350
amazing cast members
00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:02.550
now let's talk about our guest today
00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.750
Justin Aldridge or as my family calls
00:03:05.760 --> 00:03:07.470
him Jedi
00:03:07.480 --> 00:03:10.229
Justin Justin has worked at Disney since
00:03:10.239 --> 00:03:13.630
2016 as an actor he was a Jedi master in
00:03:13.640 --> 00:03:16.550
the Jedi Training Academy opened the
00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:19.789
galactic star Cruiser and has become
00:03:19.799 --> 00:03:22.270
very good friends with Sarge from Toy
00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:25.309
Story he has been in commercials TV
00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:28.030
shows movies and on stages across the
00:03:28.040 --> 00:03:30.910
country he has ALS also kept the magic
00:03:30.920 --> 00:03:34.589
alive in the post pandemic world still
00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.949
offering Jedi and lightsaber training to
00:03:37.959 --> 00:03:42.710
aspiring jedi young and old now our
00:03:42.720 --> 00:03:45.670
family first met Justin several years
00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.390
ago he was featured on the Facebook
00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:50.630
group ear for each other which was set
00:03:50.640 --> 00:03:52.630
up during the pandemic in order to help
00:03:52.640 --> 00:03:55.309
cast members who had red reduced work
00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:57.550
hours or had been laid off during the
00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:01.710
shutdown and for years my son had dreams
00:04:01.720 --> 00:04:04.390
of being called up on stage to be a part
00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:07.949
of the Jedi training academy and fight
00:04:07.959 --> 00:04:10.069
Darth Vader I mean he had these these
00:04:10.079 --> 00:04:11.670
massive dreams of what it was going to
00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:14.149
look like and sadly by the time we were
00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:16.229
able to take our first trip they didn't
00:04:16.239 --> 00:04:19.550
offer that anymore but we got to do
00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:21.550
something a little bit more personal
00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:25.550
with Justin and we hired him to come to
00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:30.189
our Resort Courtyard and we got to have
00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:31.870
a private
00:04:31.880 --> 00:04:34.950
lightsaber experience he taught my kids
00:04:34.960 --> 00:04:39.270
how to use lightsabers and how to fight
00:04:39.280 --> 00:04:42.749
um there right before our entire trip it
00:04:42.759 --> 00:04:47.510
was so magical and so much fun and from
00:04:47.520 --> 00:04:51.270
there we have been huge fans of Justin
00:04:51.280 --> 00:04:54.790
and just getting to see the
00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:58.110
different things that he has done within
00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:00.590
the Disney parks and just cheering him
00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:02.710
on throughout all of this I know I'm not
00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:04.749
alone I know that there are so many
00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:07.670
families who have gotten the experience
00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:10.909
to work with Jedi Justin and so when it
00:05:10.919 --> 00:05:13.629
came to actually having this podcast I
00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:16.430
knew I wanted to talk to him because to
00:05:16.440 --> 00:05:20.749
be able to go from experience exp to
00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:23.070
experience and these are iconic
00:05:23.080 --> 00:05:26.830
experiences he's been able to have to be
00:05:26.840 --> 00:05:30.350
able to do that for almost 10 years I
00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.590
just cannot wait to talk to him to find
00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:36.469
out behind the scenes information and
00:05:36.479 --> 00:05:41.230
just celebrate him because so many of us
00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:43.830
have seen him or have gotten a chance to
00:05:43.840 --> 00:05:46.590
work with him and I just think he needs
00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.230
to know how awesome he is so with that
00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:55.710
here is my interview with
00:05:55.720 --> 00:05:59.710
Justin here we go there thank you thank
00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:01.550
you so much for agreeing to do this
00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:04.590
happy to do it very happy to do it so
00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:06.230
I've done a few this is the first I've
00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:08.510
done in a little bit though so awesome
00:06:08.520 --> 00:06:10.909
when I told my kids that we were that I
00:06:10.919 --> 00:06:13.230
was going to be talking to Jedi Justin
00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:16.390
they were like oh my yes they were so
00:06:16.400 --> 00:06:19.029
excited oh hold on let me get my Jedi
00:06:19.039 --> 00:06:22.469
Mickey hold on oh good he's
00:06:22.479 --> 00:06:24.710
hidden which I could sell on eBay for
00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:27.430
like $400 oh my gosh because they don't
00:06:27.440 --> 00:06:30.110
make them anymore no
00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:33.070
oh because I have I have to tell you um
00:06:33.080 --> 00:06:34.870
part of when I was doing the intro I was
00:06:34.880 --> 00:06:38.390
just kind of bragging on you and um we
00:06:38.400 --> 00:06:39.870
we found out about you through ear for
00:06:39.880 --> 00:06:42.909
each other and I mean I'm sure most
00:06:42.919 --> 00:06:48.189
people do and um my my son especially
00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:49.990
because I don't think I ever told you
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.550
David dreamed of doing Jedi Academy that
00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.909
was like his lifelong goal
00:06:56.919 --> 00:07:00.510
was and when that wasn't possibility he
00:07:00.520 --> 00:07:02.869
was heartbroken and then you came along
00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:04.990
and were able to offer these sessions to
00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:08.309
kids and it was so special because that
00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:10.950
was what started our Disney trip and it
00:07:10.960 --> 00:07:13.270
was our first Disney Tri and then of
00:07:13.280 --> 00:07:15.510
course we have
00:07:15.520 --> 00:07:18.309
gone too many times to count and you
00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:21.270
know annual pass from Virginia and it's
00:07:21.280 --> 00:07:23.710
it's a you know a lifelong love but you
00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:27.029
really planted that seed of the magic
00:07:27.039 --> 00:07:29.629
and so good I just I want you to know
00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:31.710
that that you just you know that's how
00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:34.550
you've touched good that makes me brings
00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.909
me joy to hear so I like that thank you
00:07:36.919 --> 00:07:39.909
for sharing that good awesome awesome
00:07:39.919 --> 00:07:42.990
okay so now that I've buttered you up
00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:46.670
um all right you ready to jump in sure
00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:50.589
okay perfect so Justin I want to start
00:07:50.599 --> 00:07:54.070
by finding out about kid Justin what
00:07:54.080 --> 00:07:57.629
were your early memories of
00:07:57.639 --> 00:08:00.790
Disney so my early memory so we I grew
00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:03.469
up in New Orleans um but I had family
00:08:03.479 --> 00:08:06.629
who lived here um very I think they
00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:08.869
moved here when I was like six or seven
00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:10.710
um first my aunt and uncles my cousins
00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:12.029
they moved here and then a little later
00:08:12.039 --> 00:08:14.950
my grandparents also moved here and so I
00:08:14.960 --> 00:08:16.589
started coming here for spring break in
00:08:16.599 --> 00:08:17.749
the world ones you get two Spring Breaks
00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:19.029
you get Marty gr break and then also
00:08:19.039 --> 00:08:21.309
spring break which is great nice um I
00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:22.830
didn't realize that wasn't a thing until
00:08:22.840 --> 00:08:25.070
I moved here myself in high school um I
00:08:25.080 --> 00:08:29.070
was very disappointed but um we would
00:08:29.080 --> 00:08:31.950
come here and and the earliest I think
00:08:31.960 --> 00:08:35.230
it was was he five or six and it's back
00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:37.509
when MGM was still fairly new and my
00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:39.750
earliest memory was they had the you had
00:08:39.760 --> 00:08:41.990
a meet and greet with the Ninja Turtles
00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:45.590
they had like a street party and uh you
00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:47.910
got to hang out with the like you
00:08:47.920 --> 00:08:50.949
know the Ninja Turtles from the movie
00:08:50.959 --> 00:08:53.269
you know with I don't know who I don't
00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:54.590
know if I talked or not but I remember I
00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:56.990
have pictures of it and the same it was
00:08:57.000 --> 00:08:58.389
in the uh I think it in Muppets
00:08:58.399 --> 00:08:59.790
Courtyards where they were at least
00:08:59.800 --> 00:09:01.710
that's how memory works for me then you
00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:04.350
could also go meet um hermit and Miss
00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:06.949
Piggy and those two were I was over the
00:09:06.959 --> 00:09:09.870
moon as far as that goes I I don't
00:09:09.880 --> 00:09:11.470
remember any for for the most part any
00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:13.310
of the rides I remember meeting the
00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:16.509
Ninja Turtles in Kermit misspig and that
00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:18.350
was kind of and then you know I got
00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:19.670
older then it
00:09:19.680 --> 00:09:21.550
became uh you
00:09:21.560 --> 00:09:23.670
know got a ride Rock and roller coaster
00:09:23.680 --> 00:09:24.829
not long after it open and stuff like
00:09:24.839 --> 00:09:27.910
that and he was like yeah so that's
00:09:27.920 --> 00:09:30.030
awesome yeah
00:09:30.040 --> 00:09:31.670
and of course Disney movies were always
00:09:31.680 --> 00:09:33.829
the biggest thing which I Robin Hood was
00:09:33.839 --> 00:09:36.030
my favorite growing out that's a good
00:09:36.040 --> 00:09:38.630
one yeah Robin Hood has always been my
00:09:38.640 --> 00:09:41.230
favorite I love it a good strong classic
00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:44.750
cool yes um so so it started young for
00:09:44.760 --> 00:09:48.269
you and yeah then what did your
00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:50.150
childhood look like were you because I
00:09:50.160 --> 00:09:52.389
know you're an actor now and you're
00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:55.870
playing I mean truly I characters in in
00:09:55.880 --> 00:09:59.829
the Disney Experience but where
00:09:59.839 --> 00:10:03.750
where did that kind of start for you
00:10:03.760 --> 00:10:08.230
um as an adult so as a kid that was I
00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:10.310
got into acting completely almost on
00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.990
accident yeah um as a kid it was all
00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:16.790
about baseball okay um I loved loved
00:10:16.800 --> 00:10:19.190
baseball played and not just baseball as
00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:20.430
was a kid I played every sport I
00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:21.870
possibly could from you know baseball
00:10:21.880 --> 00:10:25.110
basketball football whatever um golf
00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:28.949
pingpong volleyball whatever uh at the
00:10:28.959 --> 00:10:30.949
same time time I still grew up I acted
00:10:30.959 --> 00:10:32.870
in in little things here and there you
00:10:32.880 --> 00:10:35.870
know I was encouraged to kind of uh U
00:10:35.880 --> 00:10:39.470
cultivate my own creative interests um
00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:40.949
parents were great with let me just kind
00:10:40.959 --> 00:10:43.590
of find what I wanted to do so I did
00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:45.069
like a children's choir the New Orleans
00:10:45.079 --> 00:10:47.190
Children's Choir I did that I did all
00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:51.030
kinds of little plays at church um I did
00:10:51.040 --> 00:10:52.750
uh speech and debate in middle school
00:10:52.760 --> 00:10:54.190
and I was really successful with that
00:10:54.200 --> 00:10:56.550
and then just uh sto doing it just
00:10:56.560 --> 00:10:58.509
because all right did that was
00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:01.710
successful let's move F try something um
00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:04.670
that's what it was yeah um and then I
00:11:04.680 --> 00:11:06.910
did High School choir W up having to
00:11:06.920 --> 00:11:08.550
leave because I couldn't make rehearsals
00:11:08.560 --> 00:11:10.230
because I had baseball games and they
00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:11.790
were like no you have to choose one I
00:11:11.800 --> 00:11:15.550
said okay see you later um and went to
00:11:15.560 --> 00:11:17.310
baseball in fact so then I played
00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:18.750
college baseball played professional
00:11:18.760 --> 00:11:22.470
baseball um but the biggest thing that I
00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.590
enjoyed or the thing I enjoyed most with
00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:25.870
professional baseball is just getting to
00:11:25.880 --> 00:11:27.710
interact with people it was more the
00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:29.910
show aspect of it
00:11:29.920 --> 00:11:31.629
like after games you'd go and you'd sign
00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:34.590
autographs and give away baseballs and
00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:36.350
they'd have me do all kinds of little
00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:38.710
you know community events I was the one
00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:40.150
they would kind of go to hey we got to
00:11:40.160 --> 00:11:41.590
have somebody to go meet with this boy
00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:43.110
scout troop or we have to have someone
00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:46.190
go and make an appearance that this you
00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:48.590
know business opening yep I'll do
00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:50.430
it
00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:53.629
so after baseball ended after my second
00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:56.710
knee surgery um went and fought
00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.430
wildfires for a summer uh I came came
00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:02.350
home from just randomly when I came home
00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:05.230
from uh from Northern California wa wa
00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:08.790
pause this you you had
00:12:08.800 --> 00:12:12.389
injury and you went to fight wild so I
00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:16.389
mean I had oh man inside of
00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:18.790
my what two ankle surgeries I need a
00:12:18.800 --> 00:12:21.430
third one uh shoulder got five T in my
00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.030
left shoulder I have a thumb surgery and
00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:25.230
then my right knee has been completely
00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:30.590
redone um twice so and then I had to
00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:32.750
find something to do and I had no idea
00:12:32.760 --> 00:12:35.269
what to do and so somehow I I wound up
00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:37.350
deciding I needed to go fight wildfires
00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:41.629
and so I applied to like 130 different
00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:46.310
um stations and one guy was like you can
00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:48.189
swing a baseball you can swing an axe go
00:12:48.199 --> 00:12:50.189
ahead and he brought me out to waville
00:12:50.199 --> 00:12:52.710
California the Shasta trenity National
00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:55.310
Forest uh and it was it was an
00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:58.790
experience wow I had no idea what I was
00:12:58.800 --> 00:13:00.750
doing
00:13:00.760 --> 00:13:03.350
um the biggest thing I did at the time
00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:04.870
my accent was a lot thicker than it is
00:13:04.880 --> 00:13:05.949
now I've had to learn how to kind of
00:13:05.959 --> 00:13:08.870
kill my accent as an actor and so uh
00:13:08.880 --> 00:13:10.470
they would make me talk on the radio all
00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:12.910
the time like writing this is W Bal we
00:13:12.920 --> 00:13:14.430
have a smoke and they said please say
00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:18.069
that again like you understood me
00:13:18.079 --> 00:13:20.629
but then I leaned into it a little
00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:22.670
little aggressively too but you know why
00:13:22.680 --> 00:13:25.310
wouldn't you yeah so yes I did that for
00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:27.910
it was like five six months uh came home
00:13:27.920 --> 00:13:30.470
uh Into Fire season end of
00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:33.269
September and was just
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:36.230
bored and was like well what do I do now
00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.430
I didn't the fire s was great I would do
00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:39.790
it again for the first time I don't need
00:13:39.800 --> 00:13:43.670
to do it a second time uh I go coach
00:13:43.680 --> 00:13:46.230
baseball I don't like coaching baseball
00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.590
um drives me
00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:51.189
nuts what do I do and uh somewhere along
00:13:51.199 --> 00:13:54.670
the way someone suggested that I uh you
00:13:54.680 --> 00:13:56.310
know go audition at Disney like all
00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.230
right sure so first one I go to was the
00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:00.269
kind of cattle call Edition for the for
00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:04.030
the princes and such and and uh I got
00:14:04.040 --> 00:14:07.710
put into the pool like the so you say
00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:09.430
all right we have we want you for
00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:11.269
something we don't know what kind of I
00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:12.470
don't remember exactly how the process
00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:14.470
works it's been that was in like
00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.949
20 15 2016 something like that early I
00:14:17.959 --> 00:14:19.310
don't remember exactly how it works I'm
00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:20.590
probably
00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:22.949
not but along the way I realized oh
00:14:22.959 --> 00:14:24.829
there's differences in how this works
00:14:24.839 --> 00:14:26.790
and so the next audition I went to was
00:14:26.800 --> 00:14:29.590
for Jedi and I was like
00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:31.350
oh this is what I want to
00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:34.550
do got it went all the way to the end of
00:14:34.560 --> 00:14:37.230
the audition and got cut I like it's
00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:40.509
awful so the show opens that was when
00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:42.350
they were redoing they had the original
00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:43.870
Jedi training this is you know this is
00:14:43.880 --> 00:14:46.790
now the new show Trials of the of the
00:14:46.800 --> 00:14:48.949
temple they had the second round of
00:14:48.959 --> 00:14:50.350
auditions for the second you know they
00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:53.550
had open in it was October have the
00:14:53.560 --> 00:14:55.949
second round uh of of cast members come
00:14:55.959 --> 00:14:57.910
in I go to audition I'm like Yep this is
00:14:57.920 --> 00:14:59.509
going to be i' I've become better actor
00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.829
I've gotten I went to class you know I'm
00:15:01.839 --> 00:15:03.389
much better now this is this is going to
00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:07.150
be what I'm going to do and I got cut
00:15:07.160 --> 00:15:09.269
first first round
00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:12.670
gone was devastated this was in like uh
00:15:12.680 --> 00:15:15.749
I don't know early January and I go home
00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:17.350
and I'm just sitting there like I I
00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:18.990
don't know what to do then I I had put
00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:21.350
in so much kind of stock into
00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.629
this um go online and realize they're
00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:27.110
having auditions uh in New York two days
00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.870
later
00:15:29.880 --> 00:15:31.629
all right I'm gonna fly to New York so I
00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:34.470
did I got a ticket uh flew to New York
00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:35.710
um didn't
00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:37.749
have I'd been to New York before like
00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:40.629
when I was 10 or 11 this is first time
00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:42.949
you know as an adult I had no idea how
00:15:42.959 --> 00:15:45.350
to I just got in a cab and said hey I
00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:47.470
think I have to go here I don't they
00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:48.550
knew what they were doing so that was
00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:50.829
fine uh no hotel room no anything no
00:15:50.839 --> 00:15:53.430
flight back just flew up there walk into
00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:54.870
the audition room and the casting
00:15:54.880 --> 00:15:57.230
director um
00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:00.189
goes didn't what are you doing here I
00:16:00.199 --> 00:16:03.110
was like you know I could tell you I was
00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:05.350
just the neighborhood or whatever
00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:09.790
but truth is what this was the best
00:16:09.800 --> 00:16:12.150
option I saw as to getting this job and
00:16:12.160 --> 00:16:16.550
he goes huh all right well I know go
00:16:16.560 --> 00:16:18.590
ahead and so I did did it made it to the
00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:21.150
the call back and whatever and honestly
00:16:21.160 --> 00:16:23.590
as far as that went I was happy with
00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:25.710
with that is as that was good enough for
00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:27.710
me in the sense of I did something that
00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:29.550
I knew that I needed to do just to kind
00:16:29.560 --> 00:16:32.110
of you know conquer whatever that was
00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:34.269
inside of me and so if I had never got a
00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:36.069
phone call I would have been just fine
00:16:36.079 --> 00:16:39.430
kind of living in that um in that space
00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:40.350
for
00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:43.150
myself however uh they did give me a
00:16:43.160 --> 00:16:45.790
call and I got um hired as as a sub um
00:16:45.800 --> 00:16:48.309
and I had no idea how out of my depth I
00:16:48.319 --> 00:16:50.829
was until I showed up for the first day
00:16:50.839 --> 00:16:52.110
and we're going around introducing
00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:54.069
ourselves it was like I don't know 700
00:16:54.079 --> 00:16:55.509
people that auditioned and there was
00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:57.949
seven of us that got cast in my role oh
00:16:57.959 --> 00:16:59.829
wow and everyone ucing themselves like
00:16:59.839 --> 00:17:01.749
one person's been on Broadway one person
00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.069
was a backup dancer for Michael Jackson
00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:05.669
one person is this one person is that
00:17:05.679 --> 00:17:07.429
and it getes to me and I go this is my
00:17:07.439 --> 00:17:08.990
first acting
00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.390
job
00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:14.590
and it was um a little intimidating for
00:17:14.600 --> 00:17:16.829
a little while
00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:19.110
until we get into rehearsal and all of a
00:17:19.120 --> 00:17:21.510
sudden you're like you know what yeah
00:17:21.520 --> 00:17:23.549
this is actually I'm where I'm supposed
00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:27.630
to be and I took the kind of the the the
00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:29.830
doubt and the the Ure syndrome and I
00:17:29.840 --> 00:17:31.590
said you know what I can't get the
00:17:31.600 --> 00:17:33.669
resume that they have what I can do is I
00:17:33.679 --> 00:17:35.630
can be the best at this I can I learned
00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:38.710
how to fence uh learned how to use a
00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:42.630
actual saber um and got very good just
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:44.430
with having a lightsaber in my hands and
00:17:44.440 --> 00:17:47.070
feeling very confident that that you
00:17:47.080 --> 00:17:49.029
know that was was something I could do
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:50.789
to make myself feel like I was at least
00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:52.789
where I should be on par with the rest
00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:55.029
of these people you know you have one
00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:57.110
who'd been at Disney for 25 years one
00:17:57.120 --> 00:17:59.230
person had been a stunt man on the you
00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.430
know in Hollywood for like 20 years he
00:18:01.440 --> 00:18:03.430
was on the The Dark Knight trilogy doing
00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:05.830
all kinds of fight sequences and you
00:18:05.840 --> 00:18:08.029
like man this is cool yeah and that's
00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:10.870
where it started and then from there
00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:14.950
uh everything else happened what was it
00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:16.230
like the first day because you were
00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:19.630
hired as a sub so what was the first day
00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:23.149
that you that you went on was it just oh
00:18:23.159 --> 00:18:25.190
man it was cool so the way especially
00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:29.470
that show what you would do is um it the
00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:31.830
so our stage borders um the star tour's
00:18:31.840 --> 00:18:35.470
ride and we so our entrance is where at
00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:38.110
the time we had to change later because
00:18:38.120 --> 00:18:43.070
of um incidences but you would walk in
00:18:43.080 --> 00:18:44.870
as the other people are walking up so
00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:46.390
you have The Robe on you have the you
00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:47.669
know you're in full costume and you're
00:18:47.679 --> 00:18:50.870
walking down the uh Express or the
00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.789
lightning Lane I guess now um Fastpass
00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:56.070
line and so you would walk right by the
00:18:56.080 --> 00:18:57.590
people and at time the music's already
00:18:57.600 --> 00:18:59.190
going and you know people going it's a
00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:01.510
Jedi whatever and I remember doing it
00:19:01.520 --> 00:19:02.870
for the first
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:05.029
time either you have the overnights
00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:06.549
which is you know you're in full costume
00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:07.830
it's you know 3 o'clock in the morning
00:19:07.840 --> 00:19:09.630
in the park when the one's there and
00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:11.350
that's a that's a pretty cool experience
00:19:11.360 --> 00:19:13.990
it's pretty surreal but it's not the
00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:17.070
same is that like a rehearsal is that
00:19:17.080 --> 00:19:17.950
just to make sure that you're
00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:20.789
comfortable with it the so and I'll top
00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:23.390
it too like you you got to use the stage
00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:24.789
it's never going to be the same as it is
00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:26.110
when you're in the rehearsal we have
00:19:26.120 --> 00:19:28.789
like you put tape down yeah and so you
00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:31.630
have you have the stage on the floor um
00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:32.630
especially at that point you're
00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:34.830
rehearsing the same place they like they
00:19:34.840 --> 00:19:36.830
rehears for home Home Improvement here
00:19:36.840 --> 00:19:40.350
you're like oh cool that's weird you
00:19:40.360 --> 00:19:41.870
know stuff like that like the rehearsal
00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:43.070
space is really neat you've had all this
00:19:43.080 --> 00:19:44.909
like crazy Hollywood and and Theater
00:19:44.919 --> 00:19:46.549
history that's Happ you in these same
00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:48.950
places and you feel really like you're
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:50.430
you know doing something important and
00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:52.950
cool but when you walk in it's a totally
00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:54.909
different everything and all a sudden
00:19:54.919 --> 00:19:56.990
you know that the music hits It's the
00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:59.270
the iconic Star Wars music and
00:19:59.280 --> 00:20:02.870
you know the Jedi Order is gone whatever
00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:05.830
comes over the top and you have to catch
00:20:05.840 --> 00:20:08.390
your breath just kind of
00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:10.710
that all right this is real we're doing
00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:11.909
this this is going to be cool and you
00:20:11.919 --> 00:20:13.270
look out there's all these people that
00:20:13.280 --> 00:20:14.870
are just kind of looking at you and all
00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:16.590
these you know these these you know 30
00:20:16.600 --> 00:20:18.549
kids that are just widey
00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:21.230
and you know and then you launch into
00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:22.909
this your your your monologue about the
00:20:22.919 --> 00:20:24.230
force and everything that's happening
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:25.270
and it's
00:20:25.280 --> 00:20:28.789
like especially the Jedi show it's a
00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:31.630
it's a in in all reality it's a silly
00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:33.909
kids show but at the same time these
00:20:33.919 --> 00:20:35.549
kids are getting something that they
00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:37.310
will remember a bunch of them for the
00:20:37.320 --> 00:20:38.270
rest of their lives and you're getting
00:20:38.280 --> 00:20:39.710
these pictures and not just that but
00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:41.310
you're you're teaching them that they
00:20:41.320 --> 00:20:43.350
are stronger than they know that they
00:20:43.360 --> 00:20:47.029
are capable um that when they do face
00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.190
the dark side of life that they can
00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:50.710
defeat it and they can fight against it
00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:52.390
and that is an incredibly important
00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.350
thing right and and it's one the things
00:20:55.360 --> 00:20:56.830
easy to forget when it's the middle of
00:20:56.840 --> 00:20:59.510
July and early August and it's 5 degrees
00:20:59.520 --> 00:21:01.750
and wearing you know corduroy pants and
00:21:01.760 --> 00:21:05.470
three layers on top but at the same time
00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:06.870
it's an incredibly special thing and
00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:09.149
that first time you're just splited with
00:21:09.159 --> 00:21:11.310
it and I remember the first like two or
00:21:11.320 --> 00:21:13.029
three minutes you're just trying to like
00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:14.990
I've got to get through these lines
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:18.029
without getting emotional and also like
00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:19.149
all those things at the same time
00:21:19.159 --> 00:21:21.669
because if I do that this is a 24 minute
00:21:21.679 --> 00:21:23.510
show it's going to become 45
00:21:23.520 --> 00:21:26.510
minutes right so it was the neatest
00:21:26.520 --> 00:21:28.350
thing and just being able to sit there
00:21:28.360 --> 00:21:30.190
with and look at these kids and be like
00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:31.990
yeah the family was there they they came
00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:33.870
and saw you know so it was just really
00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:37.230
neat experience wow okay were there ever
00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:41.710
any times that you you just had a an
00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:46.390
oops moment or that oh goodness yes it I
00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:49.190
was a sub but I was there at least twice
00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:53.750
a week for years um that's why even I I
00:21:53.760 --> 00:21:55.430
continue being a sub because I would
00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:56.950
just take people's shifts whenever they
00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:58.269
and those shifts every week you had to
00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:00.310
take
00:22:00.320 --> 00:22:02.310
um so yes there were lots of moments
00:22:02.320 --> 00:22:04.990
where something um happens uh the
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:08.909
lightsaber we had um you had to the
00:22:08.919 --> 00:22:10.230
little tiny screws that would hold the
00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:11.789
blade in place and if you didn't tighten
00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:15.029
those you go the start and that blade
00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:18.070
would go flying that happened not often
00:22:18.080 --> 00:22:20.909
but once or twice
00:22:20.919 --> 00:22:23.870
um oh man
00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:27.870
uh RI my pants uh and the pants ripped a
00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:29.710
lot but you usually it wasn't in a way
00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:31.549
that I mean they ripped once a month but
00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:33.310
usually it was in a way that you know
00:22:33.320 --> 00:22:36.230
nobody else knows until you have I mean
00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:38.190
the worst one the full-blown pants blow
00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:40.190
out and you're like you look over at
00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:41.750
little sound booth and go hey guys we
00:22:41.760 --> 00:22:44.750
got to go but uh you drop lines you
00:22:44.760 --> 00:22:46.630
forget lines you you skip five minutes
00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:48.190
ahead in the show and then realize oh no
00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:49.990
what did I just do yes and you got to
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:51.590
find a way to get back and you look down
00:22:51.600 --> 00:22:54.310
and you're you know nris The Apprentice
00:22:54.320 --> 00:22:56.149
characters laughing at you because he
00:22:56.159 --> 00:22:58.950
knows what just happened uhhuh um
00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:02.190
I will say the worst one however is
00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:05.909
uh the the tip of a saber
00:23:05.919 --> 00:23:10.070
broke and they were like a hard plastic
00:23:10.080 --> 00:23:11.470
very like very hard plastic they were
00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:14.149
very durable um they did a great job
00:23:14.159 --> 00:23:15.390
making those and making them look the
00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:18.510
way but they it just broke off somehow
00:23:18.520 --> 00:23:20.149
and so I go and there's the tip on the
00:23:20.159 --> 00:23:21.350
ground I go and I pick it up off the
00:23:21.360 --> 00:23:23.549
stage and i stuff it into my boot like I
00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:25.029
put it in the boot and I smash it down
00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:28.669
with my thumb and then I go to reach I
00:23:28.679 --> 00:23:30.390
touch every kid that's why part reason
00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:33.350
why you know got killed during Co yeah
00:23:33.360 --> 00:23:35.269
but I go to reach out to bring him into
00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:37.590
the little circle and my entire hand is
00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:40.710
bright red from blood the the way it had
00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:42.909
cut it had sliced my thumb from here to
00:23:42.919 --> 00:23:46.750
here and I just freeze for a second I
00:23:46.760 --> 00:23:49.390
just hold my hand up to show and I go
00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:51.909
and you know I can't yeah that was that
00:23:51.919 --> 00:23:54.669
was the worst one oh my gosh so that was
00:23:54.679 --> 00:23:57.870
the worst like oh no um and that you
00:23:57.880 --> 00:24:01.950
slip you fall those things happen uh I
00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:03.549
remember hitting my so you had a little
00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:05.549
thing called it's it's a demonstration
00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:06.990
of weapon proficiency you have to spin
00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:08.909
it around like crazy and I remember
00:24:08.919 --> 00:24:10.710
hitting myself so loud that the whole
00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:14.669
crowd goes and you go no need to be
00:24:14.679 --> 00:24:17.510
alarmed I am okay the rest the show you
00:24:17.520 --> 00:24:19.350
then you like your next line is the
00:24:19.360 --> 00:24:20.990
voice is the energy con next I'm very
00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.269
somber and serious after I've just just
00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:26.310
whacked the snot out of myself so you
00:24:26.320 --> 00:24:29.110
know those things happen yeah
00:24:29.120 --> 00:24:31.430
oh you have you know kids that hit each
00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:35.830
other you know yeah hit H themselves
00:24:35.840 --> 00:24:37.870
yeah uh when inv Vader comes out they go
00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:40.110
screaming and flying you know off the
00:24:40.120 --> 00:24:43.710
stage that happened almost every day oh
00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:47.630
go okay so I had told you that my son
00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:50.950
David really wanted to do this because
00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:54.590
he had this Grand Vision of he was going
00:24:54.600 --> 00:24:57.190
to not only defeat Darth Vader but he
00:24:57.200 --> 00:25:01.389
was gonna like he was be the one so did
00:25:01.399 --> 00:25:04.310
you how do you re the kids in when they
00:25:04.320 --> 00:25:07.950
decide to go very Off Script so you have
00:25:07.960 --> 00:25:10.669
two you have two kind of uh pendulum
00:25:10.679 --> 00:25:13.269
swings of that you have that or you have
00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:15.029
the one where they bow down to Vader and
00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:16.950
do this thing and then invariably within
00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:18.149
like three seconds they look over if
00:25:18.159 --> 00:25:20.710
their dead and they go yeah and the dad
00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:25.549
goes okay um you're that family yeah
00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:26.950
like you know you've surrendered to the
00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:29.230
dark side and
00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:30.669
one one of somebody got in trouble for
00:25:30.679 --> 00:25:31.630
something they said once it was
00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:33.470
something like now the dark side down
00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:35.070
the street at the other Park like no you
00:25:35.080 --> 00:25:37.870
can't say
00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:41.269
that um but usually you go would you
00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:42.389
like to
00:25:42.399 --> 00:25:44.470
fight if you don't you can get in the
00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:47.230
back of the line okay let's go uh you
00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:49.269
know yes I still want to fight okay
00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:54.830
let's fight um but the ones who go
00:25:54.840 --> 00:26:01.269
crazy uh it would depend on
00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:04.389
uh uh trying to think how to how to
00:26:04.399 --> 00:26:06.830
phrase it depends on the form of Darth
00:26:06.840 --> 00:26:08.630
Vader you get in a particular day the
00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:11.430
way they would prefer you handle it okay
00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:14.110
um let's just put it that way uh some of
00:26:14.120 --> 00:26:16.710
them have have been at some people have
00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:19.070
been at Disney for 20 30 years and just
00:26:19.080 --> 00:26:20.909
don't have any patience for things
00:26:20.919 --> 00:26:23.590
anymore other ones have little kids who
00:26:23.600 --> 00:26:25.149
think it's funny when you know and
00:26:25.159 --> 00:26:27.230
they're used to it
00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:30.350
um part of the the fun thing about doing
00:26:30.360 --> 00:26:31.669
what I did at the beginning with
00:26:31.679 --> 00:26:33.389
learning how to actually use saber is
00:26:33.399 --> 00:26:35.470
that if I want if I wanted to for the
00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:38.190
most part I can disarm a small child
00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:41.669
pretty pretty easily um and so what you
00:26:41.679 --> 00:26:43.269
would do for the most part is you would
00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:46.190
kind of hook the saber and pin it
00:26:46.200 --> 00:26:49.110
down or if I wanted to you would flip it
00:26:49.120 --> 00:26:50.909
and try to catch their saber and if that
00:26:50.919 --> 00:26:53.230
worked out the whole crowd goes whoa
00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:54.789
that is a Jedi and that was always a
00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:57.630
cool moment yeah um but the biggest
00:26:57.640 --> 00:26:59.110
thing especially with that is you have
00:26:59.120 --> 00:27:00.830
to realize that you know these this it's
00:27:00.840 --> 00:27:02.389
real for these kids and so you're not
00:27:02.399 --> 00:27:03.750
trying to shame them you're not trying
00:27:03.760 --> 00:27:05.669
to embarrass them not trying to hurt
00:27:05.679 --> 00:27:08.630
them uh you're trying to kind of
00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:10.990
encourage the excitement but also make
00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:13.669
sure no one gets hurt right so usually
00:27:13.679 --> 00:27:16.549
you would hand on the back your focus
00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:20.190
determines your reality um let's try
00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:22.430
this again yeah you know and try and get
00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:24.389
them rained in a little bit although
00:27:24.399 --> 00:27:25.669
sometimes you could tell this kid's not
00:27:25.679 --> 00:27:28.590
getting rained in right po is going to
00:27:28.600 --> 00:27:31.789
get killed right right you know so those
00:27:31.799 --> 00:27:34.389
you would just kind of oh the force is
00:27:34.399 --> 00:27:35.870
especially strong with this one
00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:38.110
excellent work I think he said enough
00:27:38.120 --> 00:27:39.310
here we
00:27:39.320 --> 00:27:42.470
go so couple too many funnel cakes
00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:43.909
before getting on
00:27:43.919 --> 00:27:46.149
stage yep and we had to deal with that a
00:27:46.159 --> 00:27:48.549
lot too um kids would throw up on the
00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:51.389
stage that happened a
00:27:51.399 --> 00:27:55.230
lot I have been a mother for 11 years
00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:59.070
and uh I I can't vomit I just that's not
00:27:59.080 --> 00:28:01.990
my thing
00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:04.549
and
00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:10.230
others excuse me SP on speaking
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:13.630
of we would never see it coming the
00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:16.310
parents would uhuh so you would have
00:28:16.320 --> 00:28:19.630
this mom going hey hey hey hey and
00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:21.190
pointing at their kid and trying to rush
00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:22.350
the stage and they would stop her and
00:28:22.360 --> 00:28:24.389
she's like no no you need to let me on
00:28:24.399 --> 00:28:26.389
yeah that what happened yeah and as
00:28:26.399 --> 00:28:28.669
either kids doing the pp dances their
00:28:28.679 --> 00:28:29.870
you know
00:28:29.880 --> 00:28:31.630
moms
00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:36.789
yep yep which uh vomit that's Showdown
00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:38.389
no matter
00:28:38.399 --> 00:28:40.789
what if they pee it depends on where
00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:45.190
they pee um and you could keep us change
00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:48.630
just you just not go over there yeah um
00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:49.630
yeah
00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:56.029
so so so you were there from 2016 until
00:28:56.039 --> 00:28:58.630
the pandemic pic you years you were
00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:00.269
doing the show do you have any idea how
00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:04.549
many shows you ended up doing no
00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:07.230
um and I remember we did the math at one
00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:08.549
point because during the pandemic what
00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:10.149
else do you have to do
00:29:10.159 --> 00:29:13.190
um it was thousands yeah uh because
00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:15.110
you're doing it especially again even
00:29:15.120 --> 00:29:16.669
especially during the the
00:29:16.679 --> 00:29:19.590
summer the way our our contract our
00:29:19.600 --> 00:29:21.950
Union kind of Contra excuse me contract
00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:23.590
Works
00:29:23.600 --> 00:29:26.710
um if you find a show to do you can
00:29:26.720 --> 00:29:28.789
leave and do it yeah and so especially
00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:30.389
some of the ones who are a little um
00:29:30.399 --> 00:29:32.549
more tenur theyd like I'm going to do a
00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:36.149
show in Wisconsin see you all later and
00:29:36.159 --> 00:29:38.750
is it who wants to you know work
00:29:38.760 --> 00:29:41.269
throughout July and
00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:44.070
August happily we'll do yeah and so they
00:29:44.080 --> 00:29:45.630
do I would take I'd be there five days a
00:29:45.640 --> 00:29:46.789
week for most of the summer and then
00:29:46.799 --> 00:29:48.590
also during Christmas I would be there
00:29:48.600 --> 00:29:51.990
you know be five days a week at least um
00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:54.789
so you're doing five shows a day uh so
00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:56.870
thousands
00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:59.669
um and every single day there was
00:29:59.679 --> 00:30:01.470
something new and fun and unique Captain
00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:04.350
which is the fun part too so yeah well
00:30:04.360 --> 00:30:07.710
and I mean as as so I grew up in the
00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:13.070
theater I was a performer and okay so I
00:30:13.080 --> 00:30:17.230
absolutely love what Disney does because
00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:19.389
it is not only the Performing aspect but
00:30:19.399 --> 00:30:22.269
there is so much of the reality and the
00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:24.590
creation of this other world and
00:30:24.600 --> 00:30:26.669
inviting other people so I feel like
00:30:26.679 --> 00:30:29.269
it's the hardest of acting not only is
00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:31.990
there the adlib and The Improv but
00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:34.750
there's the storytelling and then you're
00:30:34.760 --> 00:30:39.750
in Star Wars which has its own Mega fans
00:30:39.760 --> 00:30:42.029
and and they will call you out on
00:30:42.039 --> 00:30:43.870
anything and everything you do
00:30:43.880 --> 00:30:46.110
absolutely especially at the star
00:30:46.120 --> 00:30:49.549
Cruiser but I think um the other aspect
00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:51.470
is just from a purely from a theater
00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:54.549
acting standpoint is the endurance of it
00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:57.990
um if you can if you can act at Disney
00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:00.549
doing this five days a week five times a
00:31:00.559 --> 00:31:04.470
day um doing Sarge it was seven times a
00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:07.070
day and it's all you know so if you can
00:31:07.080 --> 00:31:09.310
do that you can you can you can do
00:31:09.320 --> 00:31:10.789
Broadway you can do any of those things
00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:13.029
for the most part um just from just from
00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:14.149
an endurance standpoint from the
00:31:14.159 --> 00:31:15.669
emotional endurance from my physical
00:31:15.679 --> 00:31:17.629
endurance if you can do that and not get
00:31:17.639 --> 00:31:20.230
burned out not get yeah you're good if
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:21.789
you can find ways to make it new and
00:31:21.799 --> 00:31:24.669
fresh and fall in love with it every day
00:31:24.679 --> 00:31:27.430
here you can do it there right um it's a
00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:29.990
it's a wonder F kind of moving ground as
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:32.149
far as that goes
00:31:32.159 --> 00:31:35.470
um which is something that I think
00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:37.870
because Disney exists in a weird space
00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:40.230
um in the theater world uh I think it's
00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:42.830
gotten better uh over the last decade or
00:31:42.840 --> 00:31:45.149
so but there was a point
00:31:45.159 --> 00:31:48.470
where just kid shits whatever at the
00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:50.470
same time there is nowhere else in the
00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:52.070
world where you can make a living as a
00:31:52.080 --> 00:31:54.269
full-time actor the way you can hear
00:31:54.279 --> 00:31:56.070
which is there's something to be said
00:31:56.080 --> 00:31:58.629
about that it's pretty special
00:31:58.639 --> 00:32:02.710
yeah so then the pandemic hits
00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:04.710
everything happens and you completely
00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:05.950
PFF
00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:09.350
it did again not on purpose yeah it just
00:32:09.360 --> 00:32:11.789
kind of happened that way in fact I was
00:32:11.799 --> 00:32:12.830
again I was
00:32:12.840 --> 00:32:17.230
bored uh I so i' had been in New York uh
00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:19.789
living living I lived in New York for I
00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:21.190
would travel home once a month to do a
00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:23.470
show for about about a year I moved to
00:32:23.480 --> 00:32:25.950
New York to try and um kind of continue
00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:27.870
the acting thing do TV do uh
00:32:27.880 --> 00:32:30.710
commercialist due theater with some
00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:32.590
success nothing nothing crazy but enough
00:32:32.600 --> 00:32:33.710
success that it was like all right I'll
00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:38.430
keep doing this uh and then uh about two
00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:40.070
days before everything shut down I went
00:32:40.080 --> 00:32:43.190
I need to go home now you kind of felt
00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:44.590
because they started calling you know
00:32:44.600 --> 00:32:46.029
state of emergency here and there my
00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:48.389
apartment was like the size of it was
00:32:48.399 --> 00:32:50.389
smaller than the room I'm in right now
00:32:50.399 --> 00:32:51.990
um this little you know studio apartment
00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:53.750
I need to go home so I did came home and
00:32:53.760 --> 00:32:55.590
then you're just kind of like
00:32:55.600 --> 00:32:58.310
well now what do I do because again
00:32:58.320 --> 00:33:01.590
there's nothing really to do as an actor
00:33:01.600 --> 00:33:04.070
at that point and so uh ear for each
00:33:04.080 --> 00:33:06.389
other uh the Facebook group that has
00:33:06.399 --> 00:33:10.110
been a absolute Lifesaver for for so
00:33:10.120 --> 00:33:13.990
many different people um uh I was like
00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:16.389
you know what I'm I'm bored I'm going to
00:33:16.399 --> 00:33:18.470
uh try to give baseball lessons that's
00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:21.509
something I can do um you know so I
00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:24.669
throw that out there uh but on a for
00:33:24.679 --> 00:33:25.789
each other you have to kind of introduce
00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:27.389
yourself say you know what you did at
00:33:27.399 --> 00:33:29.310
Disney here's why I'm allowed to post on
00:33:29.320 --> 00:33:30.789
this page because it was just for you
00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:33.750
know furload cast members and so I post
00:33:33.760 --> 00:33:35.310
a couple pictures of what I had done at
00:33:35.320 --> 00:33:37.149
Disney say what I you know this is my
00:33:37.159 --> 00:33:39.629
experience at Disney and everyone
00:33:39.639 --> 00:33:41.269
without fail could not have cared less
00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:43.909
about baseball they kind of went
00:33:43.919 --> 00:33:47.149
hey can you do the Jedi
00:33:47.159 --> 00:33:52.070
stuff now serendipitously like earlier
00:33:52.080 --> 00:33:54.990
that month I had um helped out someone
00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:56.789
in kind of a Sim who they desperately
00:33:56.799 --> 00:33:58.190
wanted to do J training remember like
00:33:58.200 --> 00:33:59.190
yeah I'll come to the hotel and we'll
00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:01.509
just play with lightsabers and they had
00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:04.269
taken pictures i' gone to the Swan and
00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:07.350
Dolphin and in fact one of our uh uh
00:34:07.360 --> 00:34:09.669
theater texts or our you know stage
00:34:09.679 --> 00:34:12.230
stage techs had reached out to to a
00:34:12.240 --> 00:34:13.230
group of us said hey what anybody we
00:34:13.240 --> 00:34:14.669
will to go do this I was like absolutely
00:34:14.679 --> 00:34:16.669
sure but it didn't click that that was
00:34:16.679 --> 00:34:19.310
something I could do so instead I say
00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:23.069
baseball sure um done before sounds like
00:34:23.079 --> 00:34:26.109
something to do again nobody cared and I
00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:29.389
was like yes I I would much prefer do
00:34:29.399 --> 00:34:32.349
that than than baseball anyways and next
00:34:32.359 --> 00:34:35.109
thing I knew it was a full-time job
00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:38.869
right um and it was still probably the
00:34:38.879 --> 00:34:40.710
best as far as Jobs go best job I've
00:34:40.720 --> 00:34:44.310
ever had yeah it was incredible um going
00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:47.149
to hotels and resorts and homes and just
00:34:47.159 --> 00:34:50.149
teaching and not just kids but like fact
00:34:50.159 --> 00:34:51.990
I still think the most memorable um Jedi
00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:54.190
training session I've ever had was for a
00:34:54.200 --> 00:34:58.069
woman's 70th birthday party we had it it
00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:00.710
was so much fun oh that's great um I
00:35:00.720 --> 00:35:02.310
think in fact we're still in contact me
00:35:02.320 --> 00:35:04.470
and all the whole group of them are
00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:06.950
still in contact on Facebook
00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:09.230
so but yeah that's what I was do I went
00:35:09.240 --> 00:35:11.750
and it's I would teach kids how to use
00:35:11.760 --> 00:35:14.910
the Force and and and use lightsabers
00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:16.829
and and try
00:35:16.839 --> 00:35:19.550
and take some of that magic and put it
00:35:19.560 --> 00:35:23.910
into individual form and so yeah yeah
00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:26.430
and I've been doing it ever since not in
00:35:26.440 --> 00:35:28.710
the same capacity CU you know certainly
00:35:28.720 --> 00:35:31.270
it slowed down after a while M uh which
00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:33.430
is probably okay considering you know
00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:35.270
I've gone back to Disney and gone back
00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:38.550
to work and I have two kids that I've
00:35:38.560 --> 00:35:40.109
gotten to see you know grow up right in
00:35:40.119 --> 00:35:43.430
front of me so cool well then how did
00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:47.069
that when did the star Cruiser enter
00:35:47.079 --> 00:35:49.750
were you and part of the original group
00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:53.349
yes I was I was a part of so you had the
00:35:53.359 --> 00:35:55.230
very first cast which was the workshop
00:35:55.240 --> 00:35:57.150
cast they were there for about a month
00:35:57.160 --> 00:35:59.470
and then that was just one of each role
00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:01.589
and then I joined uh right after they
00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:06.069
did so original original cast um that
00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:07.950
was the neat in fact that audition
00:36:07.960 --> 00:36:11.589
process was was really cool um just
00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:14.230
because it was so
00:36:14.240 --> 00:36:16.990
long so you had you had to submitted a
00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:20.069
video online and then you had a a zoom
00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:22.030
session then you had a in-person session
00:36:22.040 --> 00:36:23.670
then you had another in-person audition
00:36:23.680 --> 00:36:25.710
so I mean it was like almost
00:36:25.720 --> 00:36:28.109
like that's kind of how movie auditions
00:36:28.119 --> 00:36:30.950
kind of work you so and so I was like
00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:32.430
man they're taking this very very
00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:35.230
seriously which they needed to right um
00:36:35.240 --> 00:36:37.109
did you know the extent of what it was
00:36:37.119 --> 00:36:38.230
going to
00:36:38.240 --> 00:36:41.150
be I don't think anyone I don't think we
00:36:41.160 --> 00:36:42.550
did when we
00:36:42.560 --> 00:36:45.230
started least to a point I I think you
00:36:45.240 --> 00:36:47.710
had an idea but
00:36:47.720 --> 00:36:50.510
like it was impossible to understand
00:36:50.520 --> 00:36:52.950
just what it was especially at that
00:36:52.960 --> 00:36:55.030
point at least from our perspective
00:36:55.040 --> 00:36:57.829
because you know you're limited in that
00:36:57.839 --> 00:36:59.790
was it's it's the next evolution of
00:36:59.800 --> 00:37:01.309
immersive theater in general no one had
00:37:01.319 --> 00:37:03.150
ever done something like that right you
00:37:03.160 --> 00:37:05.190
know and so you had an idea in your head
00:37:05.200 --> 00:37:06.910
but in your head it's still I'm
00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:10.589
performing you are watching yes you know
00:37:10.599 --> 00:37:13.710
not we are all performing and we're all
00:37:13.720 --> 00:37:15.230
watching and it's this thing we're going
00:37:15.240 --> 00:37:16.390
to do together we're going to
00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:18.109
collaborate with the guests and they're
00:37:18.119 --> 00:37:19.230
going to collaborate with us and it's
00:37:19.240 --> 00:37:20.670
going to be this this really magical
00:37:20.680 --> 00:37:23.829
thing um and how do you audition for
00:37:23.839 --> 00:37:25.990
that like how do you host an audition
00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:27.870
for that in a way that really C captures
00:37:27.880 --> 00:37:30.270
what it is and it's you can try there's
00:37:30.280 --> 00:37:32.390
ways you can kind of you know fake it a
00:37:32.400 --> 00:37:35.190
little bit but which is why it took so
00:37:35.200 --> 00:37:37.109
long you to make sure that what you saw
00:37:37.119 --> 00:37:39.309
the first time was actually what you saw
00:37:39.319 --> 00:37:42.309
right so to speak because anybody can
00:37:42.319 --> 00:37:45.750
can kind of
00:37:45.760 --> 00:37:48.190
just make it happen once and it just
00:37:48.200 --> 00:37:49.589
kind of a flick somehow you know you
00:37:49.599 --> 00:37:51.910
just especially with improv you get
00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:54.349
something that you just know like oh I
00:37:54.359 --> 00:37:56.030
got this and there you go but then you
00:37:56.040 --> 00:37:57.710
have anything else in the world it's
00:37:57.720 --> 00:37:59.470
like I don't know this at all so I can't
00:37:59.480 --> 00:38:00.910
do it anymore so you have to kind of you
00:38:00.920 --> 00:38:03.630
know take time right do you think that
00:38:03.640 --> 00:38:05.510
it helped you at all that you had done
00:38:05.520 --> 00:38:08.910
so many years and performances oh
00:38:08.920 --> 00:38:11.589
goodness yeah and the the Jedi training
00:38:11.599 --> 00:38:13.670
the ear for each other oneon-one
00:38:13.680 --> 00:38:17.030
helped because my goodness kids say some
00:38:17.040 --> 00:38:20.190
weird stuff and you're just like what
00:38:20.200 --> 00:38:23.829
they ask some weird questions and to and
00:38:23.839 --> 00:38:26.589
to pull back the curtain a little bit um
00:38:26.599 --> 00:38:28.230
I don't know everything about Star Wars
00:38:28.240 --> 00:38:29.510
but I have an answer for every question
00:38:29.520 --> 00:38:31.550
you asked me
00:38:31.560 --> 00:38:35.630
yeah it may not be um Lucas film um
00:38:35.640 --> 00:38:37.870
Canon whatever but it's a good answer
00:38:37.880 --> 00:38:39.470
and it's going to sound great when I say
00:38:39.480 --> 00:38:44.230
it um and that that helped uh certainly
00:38:44.240 --> 00:38:45.670
helped especially with the character
00:38:45.680 --> 00:38:48.430
that I did there which was you never
00:38:48.440 --> 00:38:49.950
know if he's telling the truth or not so
00:38:49.960 --> 00:38:53.270
that was that was helpful right um so
00:38:53.280 --> 00:38:55.150
yeah did anyone ever call you out
00:38:55.160 --> 00:38:56.829
because I know that there were super
00:38:56.839 --> 00:38:59.670
fans that would do the star Cruiser so
00:38:59.680 --> 00:39:01.069
did anyone ever
00:39:01.079 --> 00:39:04.390
say now hold on no the cool thing about
00:39:04.400 --> 00:39:07.150
the star Cruiser is for the most part
00:39:07.160 --> 00:39:08.790
there's always exceptions but everyone
00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:12.150
who did it really wanted to do it yeah
00:39:12.160 --> 00:39:13.870
and so like when they get in they paid
00:39:13.880 --> 00:39:15.430
enough so they
00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:18.230
should like when they got in there they
00:39:18.240 --> 00:39:20.910
were so ready and willing to play that
00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:24.630
it wasn't them trying to I found the you
00:39:24.640 --> 00:39:26.710
know I found the the the you know
00:39:26.720 --> 00:39:28.990
mechanisms make this thing work or you
00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:31.829
know break apart everyone wanted it to
00:39:31.839 --> 00:39:32.790
work that was one of the things that
00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:34.950
made it as special as it was is that
00:39:34.960 --> 00:39:36.710
when you went there you went there with
00:39:36.720 --> 00:39:38.470
the full idea that you were going to
00:39:38.480 --> 00:39:40.390
immerse yourself in it and if you didn't
00:39:40.400 --> 00:39:41.630
you were at least there to watch other
00:39:41.640 --> 00:39:43.349
people immerse themselves in it which I
00:39:43.359 --> 00:39:44.309
probably where I would land if I'm being
00:39:44.319 --> 00:39:46.510
completely honest and I think it might
00:39:46.520 --> 00:39:49.150
be more fun just to watch other adults
00:39:49.160 --> 00:39:51.390
be children right gives you permission
00:39:51.400 --> 00:39:53.710
to to kind of feel the things you need
00:39:53.720 --> 00:39:56.309
to feel as an adult
00:39:56.319 --> 00:39:58.589
so you know there's different levels to
00:39:58.599 --> 00:40:00.030
it in fact there's some people that were
00:40:00.040 --> 00:40:02.309
just outrageously wealthy who's who had
00:40:02.319 --> 00:40:03.670
didn't know anything about Star Wars at
00:40:03.680 --> 00:40:04.870
all and their travel agent just said hey
00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:06.270
you want to do this yeah sure fine
00:40:06.280 --> 00:40:08.470
whatever and they would show up and they
00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:09.870
had the most fun of anyone around there
00:40:09.880 --> 00:40:12.349
just kind of going look at these bunch
00:40:12.359 --> 00:40:14.349
of idiots this is wonderful and you're
00:40:14.359 --> 00:40:16.470
like yeah you know and you'd ask him to
00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:19.109
do something they'd go yeah why not you
00:40:19.119 --> 00:40:20.190
know and next thing you know they're
00:40:20.200 --> 00:40:22.710
playing for like the dark side the sages
00:40:22.720 --> 00:40:24.710
and this and they're like who didn't you
00:40:24.720 --> 00:40:27.910
align yourself with oh be blessed inuve
00:40:27.920 --> 00:40:34.589
I said yes you know so um so not no not
00:40:34.599 --> 00:40:36.990
really no one ever was like yeah well
00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:39.950
what about this and the cool thing too
00:40:39.960 --> 00:40:42.550
with that is none of outside of of the
00:40:42.560 --> 00:40:44.950
two there were really no licensed
00:40:44.960 --> 00:40:47.990
characters and so it's kind of like I
00:40:48.000 --> 00:40:49.589
don't know if you were to ask me who the
00:40:49.599 --> 00:40:53.150
Secretary of State in 1867 was I don't I
00:40:53.160 --> 00:40:57.309
don't know and so if you asked race Cole
00:40:57.319 --> 00:40:59.990
you know some like obscure Star Wars
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:01.870
question I have no idea what are you
00:41:01.880 --> 00:41:03.630
talking about who is that he wouldn't
00:41:03.640 --> 00:41:05.710
know so I don't have to know everything
00:41:05.720 --> 00:41:07.309
yeah the Temptation that everything is
00:41:07.319 --> 00:41:09.030
is taken away and you don't have to guys
00:41:09.040 --> 00:41:11.190
far about oh I love it that's a great
00:41:11.200 --> 00:41:14.030
perspective yeah you know you're not a
00:41:14.040 --> 00:41:15.950
Star Wars expert you're the character
00:41:15.960 --> 00:41:19.510
just character so that's awesome I you
00:41:19.520 --> 00:41:20.670
know what I never would have thought of
00:41:20.680 --> 00:41:23.190
that because um we never got a chance to
00:41:23.200 --> 00:41:25.470
do the star Cruiser we wanted to and
00:41:25.480 --> 00:41:27.589
just our kids were little and just
00:41:27.599 --> 00:41:29.230
wasn't going to be a thing and then it
00:41:29.240 --> 00:41:33.349
was over yeah and so quick oh my gosh I
00:41:33.359 --> 00:41:34.910
know I I remember I reached out to you
00:41:34.920 --> 00:41:38.270
when it happened and um just because
00:41:38.280 --> 00:41:42.190
like as a a Disney fan I felt gutted and
00:41:42.200 --> 00:41:44.150
I could only imagine what you all
00:41:44.160 --> 00:41:48.349
felt I think the biggest thing for me I
00:41:48.359 --> 00:41:50.550
mean is it my favorite thing I've ever
00:41:50.560 --> 00:41:54.430
done uh no uh but I think the biggest
00:41:54.440 --> 00:41:57.230
thing for me is it was for other people
00:41:57.240 --> 00:41:59.030
it was incredibly special to other
00:41:59.040 --> 00:42:00.829
people it was became a part of their
00:42:00.839 --> 00:42:03.190
their being um and so losing that was
00:42:03.200 --> 00:42:05.150
like losing a you know a family member
00:42:05.160 --> 00:42:07.069
to a lot of them I think the biggest
00:42:07.079 --> 00:42:10.750
thing too is the fear was and still is
00:42:10.760 --> 00:42:12.790
that that Disney took this massive swing
00:42:12.800 --> 00:42:14.349
at something and it didn't work out the
00:42:14.359 --> 00:42:17.069
way they wanted it to and so are you
00:42:17.079 --> 00:42:19.670
still going to be as aggressive you know
00:42:19.680 --> 00:42:23.190
creatively as you were with this right
00:42:23.200 --> 00:42:25.150
and because if it was a massive success
00:42:25.160 --> 00:42:26.630
if it you know then you're like all
00:42:26.640 --> 00:42:28.309
right let's try other stuff let's let's
00:42:28.319 --> 00:42:30.069
let's innovate let's keep pushing the
00:42:30.079 --> 00:42:32.109
envelope and moving
00:42:32.119 --> 00:42:35.230
forward and so the fear is again was and
00:42:35.240 --> 00:42:38.230
still is maybe they're very good at what
00:42:38.240 --> 00:42:39.549
they're what they're very good at they
00:42:39.559 --> 00:42:41.910
know that and they are so let's just do
00:42:41.920 --> 00:42:44.630
more of that well no let's let's yeah
00:42:44.640 --> 00:42:46.270
forward you
00:42:46.280 --> 00:42:50.349
so the same I think um kind of empirical
00:42:50.359 --> 00:42:51.750
evidence suggests that they are going to
00:42:51.760 --> 00:42:54.190
continue to innovate um just maybe not I
00:42:54.200 --> 00:42:55.630
mean just even financially you can't
00:42:55.640 --> 00:42:56.790
necessarily push things forward when you
00:42:56.800 --> 00:42:58.190
take
00:42:58.200 --> 00:43:00.549
that kind of a risk but just from what
00:43:00.559 --> 00:43:02.349
I've seen they are continuing to it's
00:43:02.359 --> 00:43:04.349
not just all right let's just uh do the
00:43:04.359 --> 00:43:05.750
same all same old they are still doing
00:43:05.760 --> 00:43:07.870
new stuff which is in fact I think the
00:43:07.880 --> 00:43:09.589
biggest evidence of that was jollywood
00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:11.510
nights in this last around Christmas
00:43:11.520 --> 00:43:13.630
time they completely redid it from the
00:43:13.640 --> 00:43:15.829
year before and it was absolutely
00:43:15.839 --> 00:43:19.829
incredible it was so good yeah yeah a
00:43:19.839 --> 00:43:21.750
little biased however yes because you
00:43:21.760 --> 00:43:24.390
got to be a part of it I was yeah all
00:43:24.400 --> 00:43:26.109
right so let's let's kind of move into
00:43:26.119 --> 00:43:28.030
that that next phase of your your life
00:43:28.040 --> 00:43:30.309
with Disney what happened after the star
00:43:30.319 --> 00:43:33.230
Cruiser shut down so after star Cruiser
00:43:33.240 --> 00:43:36.510
uh nothing I did I did nothing uh Disney
00:43:36.520 --> 00:43:38.630
wise I just kind of was working
00:43:38.640 --> 00:43:40.230
Universal doing a little little this
00:43:40.240 --> 00:43:44.430
little that over there uh which Disney
00:43:44.440 --> 00:43:46.270
very much they they that's fine they
00:43:46.280 --> 00:43:47.870
allow you to you you double dip that's
00:43:47.880 --> 00:43:50.109
no no problem at all uh in fact most
00:43:50.119 --> 00:43:55.589
people do um but out of nowhere I got a
00:43:55.599 --> 00:43:57.349
uh call saying hey would you be
00:43:57.359 --> 00:43:59.309
interested in coming in and reading I
00:43:59.319 --> 00:44:01.910
had done uh the green arm patrol before
00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:04.349
that also got killed during the pandemic
00:44:04.359 --> 00:44:07.150
um our job was primarily to kill time
00:44:07.160 --> 00:44:09.510
until the drummers came back out um
00:44:09.520 --> 00:44:11.750
those dudes are best in the business at
00:44:11.760 --> 00:44:15.190
what they do that shows so good yeah
00:44:15.200 --> 00:44:17.630
then call said hey um come this audition
00:44:17.640 --> 00:44:20.150
we're gonna do we we need Sarge I was
00:44:20.160 --> 00:44:21.270
like
00:44:21.280 --> 00:44:24.030
sge absolutely yes I get to use my I get
00:44:24.040 --> 00:44:26.510
to use my accent I get a I get a yell
00:44:26.520 --> 00:44:28.109
encouraging things that people all day
00:44:28.119 --> 00:44:30.589
let's do it so showed up went to the
00:44:30.599 --> 00:44:32.829
audition which was literally just
00:44:32.839 --> 00:44:34.750
basically just that just to make up some
00:44:34.760 --> 00:44:37.910
stuff they had a little um had a script
00:44:37.920 --> 00:44:40.349
from the old show you had to do but also
00:44:40.359 --> 00:44:42.630
make it your own and so just you know
00:44:42.640 --> 00:44:44.829
use the arle Army voice and yell at
00:44:44.839 --> 00:44:46.910
people and say encouraging and wonderful
00:44:46.920 --> 00:44:48.069
fun
00:44:48.079 --> 00:44:50.510
things yep I'm made for that let's do it
00:44:50.520 --> 00:44:52.190
so sure enough you know I got to do it
00:44:52.200 --> 00:44:56.589
at five days a week for um the Christmas
00:44:56.599 --> 00:44:59.950
season up until New Year's um we're
00:44:59.960 --> 00:45:01.270
hoping they bring it back as a more
00:45:01.280 --> 00:45:03.670
full-time thing it helps with a lot of
00:45:03.680 --> 00:45:08.390
just the crowds uh at um at H you know
00:45:08.400 --> 00:45:11.030
in Toy Story that because that place is
00:45:11.040 --> 00:45:12.990
G get real credit but that was that was
00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:14.589
probably the most fun I've had and the
00:45:14.599 --> 00:45:16.030
cool thing with that is the first thing
00:45:16.040 --> 00:45:18.069
I've done since I've had kids sorry you
00:45:18.079 --> 00:45:19.470
got to take all kinds of fun pictures
00:45:19.480 --> 00:45:22.270
with with uh with those two yeah that
00:45:22.280 --> 00:45:23.670
was fun
00:45:23.680 --> 00:45:29.670
oh now do they know who daddy is friends
00:45:29.680 --> 00:45:33.990
with we have so Adeline is said she when
00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:35.630
that point she's two and a half years
00:45:35.640 --> 00:45:38.150
old and you know
00:45:38.160 --> 00:45:41.270
she would demand to see Sarge on a daily
00:45:41.280 --> 00:45:44.230
basis and then when she would see sge
00:45:44.240 --> 00:45:47.349
she knew it was Sarge she also knew it
00:45:47.359 --> 00:45:49.710
was Daddy and she would kind of use the
00:45:49.720 --> 00:45:52.390
two interchangeably but then at the same
00:45:52.400 --> 00:45:54.990
time like when I was when I when she
00:45:55.000 --> 00:45:56.470
would just see me she would can we go
00:45:56.480 --> 00:45:58.030
see s I'm
00:45:58.040 --> 00:46:02.030
like well no you physically can't I'm
00:46:02.040 --> 00:46:05.109
and so it's like you she knows but she
00:46:05.119 --> 00:46:06.829
trying to figure out what at what level
00:46:06.839 --> 00:46:09.589
does she understand the you know duality
00:46:09.599 --> 00:46:13.069
of what this is right um what's crazy is
00:46:13.079 --> 00:46:15.589
I mean I haven't done it at this point
00:46:15.599 --> 00:46:18.710
um since you know December 31st last
00:46:18.720 --> 00:46:19.950
time she saw me was like a couple days
00:46:19.960 --> 00:46:22.630
after Christmas and she asked to see
00:46:22.640 --> 00:46:24.710
sard yesterday it's been like three
00:46:24.720 --> 00:46:27.430
months you're like
00:46:27.440 --> 00:46:30.589
okay but therefore I was Daddy Sarge
00:46:30.599 --> 00:46:31.910
that was what that was her way of
00:46:31.920 --> 00:46:34.950
phrasing it she was adorable oh my gosh
00:46:34.960 --> 00:46:36.670
but here we are let's see I got a
00:46:36.680 --> 00:46:38.710
picture here they
00:46:38.720 --> 00:46:43.589
are oh with her little
00:46:43.599 --> 00:46:45.750
salute and there's James on the other
00:46:45.760 --> 00:46:47.349
end and
00:46:47.359 --> 00:46:49.950
then a little walking him around
00:46:49.960 --> 00:46:52.349
marching him around amazing the most fun
00:46:52.359 --> 00:46:54.589
it put that one on on Instagram I think
00:46:54.599 --> 00:46:58.910
because I remember seeing had to so pre
00:46:58.920 --> 00:47:00.510
yeah awesome
00:47:00.520 --> 00:47:02.710
um that one
00:47:02.720 --> 00:47:04.790
was so I've done a lot of things for
00:47:04.800 --> 00:47:06.190
Disney that might have been the most
00:47:06.200 --> 00:47:08.589
rewarding um I got to do all kinds of
00:47:08.599 --> 00:47:10.230
cool stuff to Serge not not just because
00:47:10.240 --> 00:47:12.030
my kids we had a bunch of stuff happen
00:47:12.040 --> 00:47:15.030
over the course that those two months um
00:47:15.040 --> 00:47:18.870
I got the Snowball Express scary sesis
00:47:18.880 --> 00:47:21.790
Foundation they take uh gold star
00:47:21.800 --> 00:47:23.030
families you know families who have who
00:47:23.040 --> 00:47:26.910
have uh lost a family member in in in
00:47:26.920 --> 00:47:29.589
you know in military service and they
00:47:29.599 --> 00:47:31.470
come
00:47:31.480 --> 00:47:34.230
and um you I'm supposed to be out for
00:47:34.240 --> 00:47:36.150
like 20 minutes at a time or sorry
00:47:36.160 --> 00:47:37.549
you're supposed to be out for 20 minutes
00:47:37.559 --> 00:47:40.390
at a time and then you know come
00:47:40.400 --> 00:47:43.390
in I don't I don't think I I didn't come
00:47:43.400 --> 00:47:46.790
back in I just stayed out there and it
00:47:46.800 --> 00:47:48.750
was and you're just getting to talk to
00:47:48.760 --> 00:47:53.190
these people who have lost
00:47:53.200 --> 00:47:56.910
and you know you have Serge has the
00:47:56.920 --> 00:48:00.270
green has glasses on and there was this
00:48:00.280 --> 00:48:02.309
and there certain things just get just
00:48:02.319 --> 00:48:04.069
working at Disney especially things get
00:48:04.079 --> 00:48:05.910
seared in your brain in a way that they
00:48:05.920 --> 00:48:07.990
they will never and this is one of them
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:11.510
where this kid um his father was a
00:48:11.520 --> 00:48:15.270
Blackhawk uh helicopter pilot and he
00:48:15.280 --> 00:48:18.349
just decided he wanted to talk and I
00:48:18.359 --> 00:48:19.990
said okay and we sat down on one of the
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:21.349
curbs and he started tell me all about
00:48:21.359 --> 00:48:27.150
his dad and it was this
00:48:27.160 --> 00:48:28.710
he'd been gone I think it was he said
00:48:28.720 --> 00:48:30.190
about you know it' been four or five
00:48:30.200 --> 00:48:32.750
years so it wasn't strictly fresh as far
00:48:32.760 --> 00:48:33.750
as that
00:48:33.760 --> 00:48:37.109
goes but getting to talk to him and then
00:48:37.119 --> 00:48:38.670
I look over his mom and his mom's just
00:48:38.680 --> 00:48:41.510
sobbing and I start crying and I come
00:48:41.520 --> 00:48:43.829
over and so you know sing her embracing
00:48:43.839 --> 00:48:45.190
this hug crying with each other and
00:48:45.200 --> 00:48:46.829
you're like people probably can see this
00:48:46.839 --> 00:48:48.910
and are very confused but it's just this
00:48:48.920 --> 00:48:50.589
incredibly sweet moment allowing this
00:48:50.599 --> 00:48:54.349
kid to talk about how proud he is to be
00:48:54.359 --> 00:48:57.150
his father's son and what his dad was
00:48:57.160 --> 00:48:59.190
and it still is and it was just moment
00:48:59.200 --> 00:49:02.270
of just like this is this is the epitome
00:49:02.280 --> 00:49:04.230
of of Disney Magic in a way that this
00:49:04.240 --> 00:49:06.349
isn't just Disney this is life magic
00:49:06.359 --> 00:49:09.870
yeah um it was one of the neatest things
00:49:09.880 --> 00:49:13.109
I've ever experienced period um as far
00:49:13.119 --> 00:49:15.069
as just from a pure sge standpoint my
00:49:15.079 --> 00:49:16.670
favorite
00:49:16.680 --> 00:49:20.789
um uh sge is about to go in you know for
00:49:20.799 --> 00:49:23.750
for little for little bucket inspection
00:49:23.760 --> 00:49:27.349
AKA break time and look over and and
00:49:27.359 --> 00:49:31.589
there's uh two or three uh
00:49:31.599 --> 00:49:34.750
uh cast members uh and there was a
00:49:34.760 --> 00:49:37.030
little girl four or five years old and
00:49:37.040 --> 00:49:40.670
I'm like I can help so I walk over you
00:49:40.680 --> 00:49:41.990
know in full character and ask what's
00:49:42.000 --> 00:49:43.349
going on this set the other and now they
00:49:43.359 --> 00:49:44.910
have to stay with little girl I can go
00:49:44.920 --> 00:49:47.430
wherever I want to go and so I I get it
00:49:47.440 --> 00:49:49.670
she tells me what her mom's you know
00:49:49.680 --> 00:49:51.309
what her mom how what she's dressed like
00:49:51.319 --> 00:49:53.710
what her name is and so I take off
00:49:53.720 --> 00:49:56.230
walking and as soon as I turn the corner
00:49:56.240 --> 00:49:59.710
I see someone who has clearly lost uh a
00:49:59.720 --> 00:50:03.390
child mhm and I call her out by name and
00:50:03.400 --> 00:50:07.069
she goes what and you see this confusion
00:50:07.079 --> 00:50:09.030
I believe I have something that belongs
00:50:09.040 --> 00:50:11.589
to you and so I March her through the
00:50:11.599 --> 00:50:15.230
crowd she's way over uh not not
00:50:15.240 --> 00:50:16.950
particularly close March her over and
00:50:16.960 --> 00:50:18.430
you know take her to her daughter and I
00:50:18.440 --> 00:50:20.710
had a full-blown Rescue Mission it
00:50:20.720 --> 00:50:23.470
was that that was my favorite and she
00:50:23.480 --> 00:50:25.349
posted about it and that's the one of
00:50:25.359 --> 00:50:27.870
the few times I have gone viral as at
00:50:27.880 --> 00:50:29.870
Disney yeah if you're going to go viral
00:50:29.880 --> 00:50:30.950
at Disney that's the way to do it there
00:50:30.960 --> 00:50:32.510
wasn't a picture and it was just a story
00:50:32.520 --> 00:50:35.150
where she told so I know it's me nobody
00:50:35.160 --> 00:50:36.670
else necessarily has to there's no
00:50:36.680 --> 00:50:38.309
picture of it it was just this really
00:50:38.319 --> 00:50:42.150
sweet thing of yeah that was fun yeah
00:50:42.160 --> 00:50:43.870
amazing
00:50:43.880 --> 00:50:46.190
amazing okay so and I got to tell her
00:50:46.200 --> 00:50:48.230
how how well her daughter did again she
00:50:48.240 --> 00:50:49.589
was able to describe her mom tell her
00:50:49.599 --> 00:50:50.990
what she was wearing her name which is
00:50:51.000 --> 00:50:52.109
for five years old that's pretty
00:50:52.119 --> 00:50:53.670
impressive so good so I got tell the mom
00:50:53.680 --> 00:50:55.309
how impressive that was and she was like
00:50:55.319 --> 00:50:57.150
sure is like yeah yeah
00:50:57.160 --> 00:51:00.470
I mean so let's kind of step back
00:51:00.480 --> 00:51:02.470
because we talk about how Disney is very
00:51:02.480 --> 00:51:06.150
immersive but here you are Sarge on a
00:51:06.160 --> 00:51:08.030
rescue mission I mean come on couldn't
00:51:08.040 --> 00:51:09.870
it be more perfect and that's what I
00:51:09.880 --> 00:51:12.430
saying like the most just like come on
00:51:12.440 --> 00:51:14.670
now this is perfect like right place
00:51:14.680 --> 00:51:17.349
right time right um and just because I
00:51:17.359 --> 00:51:18.910
wouldn't necessarily notice it all the
00:51:18.920 --> 00:51:21.390
time just because you know I have my
00:51:21.400 --> 00:51:22.910
time you have to hit your time if you
00:51:22.920 --> 00:51:23.950
don't you get in trouble I got in
00:51:23.960 --> 00:51:27.230
trouble all the time uh because
00:51:27.240 --> 00:51:29.230
uh you don't have a watch on so you're
00:51:29.240 --> 00:51:31.750
kind of having to rely on seeing you
00:51:31.760 --> 00:51:33.069
know they have you have to go over like
00:51:33.079 --> 00:51:34.910
the rides and see the clock on the
00:51:34.920 --> 00:51:37.789
lightning Lane thing and you don't have
00:51:37.799 --> 00:51:39.950
a hammer you don't have someone else
00:51:39.960 --> 00:51:43.510
there I don't sge does not sge is is
00:51:43.520 --> 00:51:47.870
autonomous sge is his own toy wow uh
00:51:47.880 --> 00:51:50.309
which is presents its own challenges
00:51:50.319 --> 00:51:52.190
just as far as like crowd control as far
00:51:52.200 --> 00:51:56.789
as all kinds of other stuff yeah um but
00:51:56.799 --> 00:52:00.309
it's also just fine then you're able to
00:52:00.319 --> 00:52:02.349
kind of do some things that that you
00:52:02.359 --> 00:52:03.789
know like that like you want to do that
00:52:03.799 --> 00:52:05.270
you want to do that you want to you know
00:52:05.280 --> 00:52:07.789
make those things work um and if again
00:52:07.799 --> 00:52:11.910
if you have it handled then
00:52:11.920 --> 00:52:14.950
sometimes the the good far outweighs the
00:52:14.960 --> 00:52:17.190
bad with having someone to help you but
00:52:17.200 --> 00:52:19.390
at the same time too sometimes people
00:52:19.400 --> 00:52:20.990
are a little intimidated to come and
00:52:21.000 --> 00:52:22.349
talk to you if there's somebody there
00:52:22.359 --> 00:52:24.589
kind of gatekeeping that and so it was
00:52:24.599 --> 00:52:26.670
neat to be able just be like come come
00:52:26.680 --> 00:52:28.430
talk let's talk let's go walk let's do
00:52:28.440 --> 00:52:30.190
this you know let's make this happen
00:52:30.200 --> 00:52:31.710
that happen whatever it gives you a
00:52:31.720 --> 00:52:34.789
little more freedom and freedom in the
00:52:34.799 --> 00:52:38.470
right hand is a really powerful tool
00:52:38.480 --> 00:52:41.390
right um maybe not for everyone at all
00:52:41.400 --> 00:52:42.670
you know at all times and I probably
00:52:42.680 --> 00:52:44.870
don't fall into the right hands at some
00:52:44.880 --> 00:52:48.510
points um however you know there
00:52:48.520 --> 00:52:50.470
sometimes she's like I love it I don't
00:52:50.480 --> 00:52:52.990
need to go back I'll be fine yeah and
00:52:53.000 --> 00:52:55.510
next thing you know you're you run a
00:52:55.520 --> 00:52:57.109
file of your traditions class you know
00:52:57.119 --> 00:52:59.150
in Time Thief time theft and all that
00:52:59.160 --> 00:53:01.150
stuff like okay I need to turn myself
00:53:01.160 --> 00:53:02.990
into
00:53:03.000 --> 00:53:04.630
HR
00:53:04.640 --> 00:53:09.349
but but yeah so what what is next I know
00:53:09.359 --> 00:53:11.950
that that you had this great question
00:53:11.960 --> 00:53:13.829
two Monon amazing
00:53:13.839 --> 00:53:15.430
stint
00:53:15.440 --> 00:53:18.349
so we'll see um so we're still hopeful
00:53:18.359 --> 00:53:21.710
they'll bring that back um I would love
00:53:21.720 --> 00:53:24.829
to keep doing Serge I think Serge is
00:53:24.839 --> 00:53:27.230
Serge is one of the so first off I think
00:53:27.240 --> 00:53:30.549
it is the best um costume Disney has I
00:53:30.559 --> 00:53:32.309
think it is the best one period because
00:53:32.319 --> 00:53:35.230
there the more you look at it the more
00:53:35.240 --> 00:53:38.950
you're like they thought of everything
00:53:38.960 --> 00:53:41.190
yeah like so first off the one of the
00:53:41.200 --> 00:53:43.510
things about green army Patrol or GRE or
00:53:43.520 --> 00:53:45.950
man sge whoever you don't go to Disney
00:53:45.960 --> 00:53:48.190
for the most part to see him in fact you
00:53:48.200 --> 00:53:49.910
don't not even fully aware that he's
00:53:49.920 --> 00:53:52.230
there so like with with jollywood kns we
00:53:52.240 --> 00:53:53.430
weren't advertised you know Doctor
00:53:53.440 --> 00:53:56.950
Strange was um loto was B people was we
00:53:56.960 --> 00:53:59.670
were not and so when you walk out they
00:53:59.680 --> 00:54:04.270
go oh so there's nothing better than
00:54:04.280 --> 00:54:07.750
than that kind of surprise you know
00:54:07.760 --> 00:54:10.789
surprise gets some joy and so there you
00:54:10.799 --> 00:54:12.910
go and then when you do see you see you
00:54:12.920 --> 00:54:14.630
have the everyone loves the shoes you
00:54:14.640 --> 00:54:17.910
have the little um little things around
00:54:17.920 --> 00:54:21.150
the feet yep you know like oh look at
00:54:21.160 --> 00:54:22.630
that but you also have there's the uh
00:54:22.640 --> 00:54:24.349
like the plastic mold circle on the back
00:54:24.359 --> 00:54:27.069
where you've been cut off gosh you know
00:54:27.079 --> 00:54:28.950
and the more you look at it the more you
00:54:28.960 --> 00:54:32.750
go this this is this is incredible right
00:54:32.760 --> 00:54:35.430
and the neat thing to and I think the
00:54:35.440 --> 00:54:37.109
best part
00:54:37.119 --> 00:54:41.150
is a green army man is two things one
00:54:41.160 --> 00:54:44.349
you can endow him with and you have to
00:54:44.359 --> 00:54:46.390
with any characteristic any trait you
00:54:46.400 --> 00:54:48.870
want as a as a person playing with a toy
00:54:48.880 --> 00:54:50.870
right when you play with a green arm man
00:54:50.880 --> 00:54:52.309
you are giving him a personality you're
00:54:52.319 --> 00:54:53.589
giving him fears you're giving him a
00:54:53.599 --> 00:54:55.390
backstory you're giving him a job
00:54:55.400 --> 00:54:57.309
whatever he has is simply what you
00:54:57.319 --> 00:55:00.069
create into him so it is the most you
00:55:00.079 --> 00:55:03.030
know creative fostering toy possible it
00:55:03.040 --> 00:55:05.230
also Bridges a generation gap like
00:55:05.240 --> 00:55:07.390
nothing else does so it's really neat
00:55:07.400 --> 00:55:11.190
you have um you know grandparents
00:55:11.200 --> 00:55:12.990
parents and kids who all played with the
00:55:13.000 --> 00:55:15.670
same toy yes and so and so you'll have a
00:55:15.680 --> 00:55:17.829
seven-year I played with you when I was
00:55:17.839 --> 00:55:20.270
a kid well thank you I appreciate that
00:55:20.280 --> 00:55:21.950
you know whatever and it's just neat way
00:55:21.960 --> 00:55:23.589
so Sarge in
00:55:23.599 --> 00:55:26.789
particular it's just kind of just this
00:55:26.799 --> 00:55:30.510
to no pun intended Evergreen character
00:55:30.520 --> 00:55:33.430
that just it it works on so many
00:55:33.440 --> 00:55:35.990
different levels and he's also allowed
00:55:36.000 --> 00:55:39.670
to say again too he can talk yeah and so
00:55:39.680 --> 00:55:43.510
whereas so many of them um choose not to
00:55:43.520 --> 00:55:46.789
um you know
00:55:46.799 --> 00:55:50.109
so I don't know I remember uh I was a
00:55:50.119 --> 00:55:54.029
kid who um was probably on the Spectrum
00:55:54.039 --> 00:55:57.990
um and was so incredibly scared to just
00:55:58.000 --> 00:55:59.789
come and talk and you but Des you could
00:55:59.799 --> 00:56:02.910
feel desperately wanting to and was kind
00:56:02.920 --> 00:56:04.390
of having these you
00:56:04.400 --> 00:56:06.870
know small Outburst of just trying his
00:56:06.880 --> 00:56:08.470
mom was trying to encourage him to go
00:56:08.480 --> 00:56:11.549
and go I see that I can react to that
00:56:11.559 --> 00:56:13.270
and I go over and I talk to him and just
00:56:13.280 --> 00:56:14.510
say something about you know what
00:56:14.520 --> 00:56:17.630
sometimes it's okay to be afraid and and
00:56:17.640 --> 00:56:20.349
but it's okay to feel things big things
00:56:20.359 --> 00:56:23.230
little things F all the things and
00:56:23.240 --> 00:56:25.789
accept them and move on and whatever and
00:56:25.799 --> 00:56:27.470
again the next thing I know he's given
00:56:27.480 --> 00:56:29.109
me a great big hug and that was a thing
00:56:29.119 --> 00:56:30.789
we were able to make just because sge
00:56:30.799 --> 00:56:34.710
can talk yeah you know uh he can talk
00:56:34.720 --> 00:56:36.349
and he can he can connect with people in
00:56:36.359 --> 00:56:39.549
that way um so from a a immersive thing
00:56:39.559 --> 00:56:41.630
which is the big buzz word for the whole
00:56:41.640 --> 00:56:43.950
world right now but especially Disney
00:56:43.960 --> 00:56:45.589
it's the most immersive character they
00:56:45.599 --> 00:56:48.549
just about have so I would like them to
00:56:48.559 --> 00:56:50.630
bring sge back I think that that they're
00:56:50.640 --> 00:56:52.910
missing something with a not being there
00:56:52.920 --> 00:56:54.750
more often
00:56:54.760 --> 00:56:56.789
um I get a hang out with my drummer
00:56:56.799 --> 00:56:59.549
friends more that'd be also great 're
00:56:59.559 --> 00:57:01.270
the best people in the world they really
00:57:01.280 --> 00:57:03.870
are and they're so ridiculously talented
00:57:03.880 --> 00:57:05.870
but even there just a lot of fun to H
00:57:05.880 --> 00:57:09.270
right um so uh other than that I don't
00:57:09.280 --> 00:57:11.870
know uh there's some other jobs I would
00:57:11.880 --> 00:57:14.470
like to do um that I'm still kind of
00:57:14.480 --> 00:57:15.589
waiting to hear
00:57:15.599 --> 00:57:19.390
on uh but we'll see okay you know what
00:57:19.400 --> 00:57:21.349
I've learned along the way is to just
00:57:21.359 --> 00:57:25.309
let it kind of let it come to you um
00:57:25.319 --> 00:57:27.589
certainly be Pro active certainly go out
00:57:27.599 --> 00:57:29.589
and and get what you know work for what
00:57:29.599 --> 00:57:33.910
you want but just kind of let it be what
00:57:33.920 --> 00:57:37.270
it needs to be um and if if I do that I
00:57:37.280 --> 00:57:40.230
have learned me personally it usually
00:57:40.240 --> 00:57:42.710
works out the way that it's supposed to
00:57:42.720 --> 00:57:43.789
and just have faith that that's the way
00:57:43.799 --> 00:57:44.829
it's supposed to
00:57:44.839 --> 00:57:46.630
be
00:57:46.640 --> 00:57:48.870
so you know I know there's a lot of new
00:57:48.880 --> 00:57:51.270
stuff coming to Disney some stuff I fit
00:57:51.280 --> 00:57:53.270
some stuff I don't but we'll just kind
00:57:53.280 --> 00:57:56.789
of see yeah
00:57:56.799 --> 00:57:58.630
so to answer the question I don't have
00:57:58.640 --> 00:58:01.150
an answer I don't know what's next and
00:58:01.160 --> 00:58:04.589
I'm okay with that awesome well
00:58:04.599 --> 00:58:09.029
um I know that you you do have social
00:58:09.039 --> 00:58:12.190
media so how I do and and I want to get
00:58:12.200 --> 00:58:15.789
to a couple of uh rapid fire questions
00:58:15.799 --> 00:58:18.710
because I'm some them but before we get
00:58:18.720 --> 00:58:20.470
to that I want to hear how can people
00:58:20.480 --> 00:58:22.549
find you and I know that you can't put
00:58:22.559 --> 00:58:25.430
everything that's happening on social
00:58:25.440 --> 00:58:27.829
media I know too especially the last I
00:58:27.839 --> 00:58:29.710
don't know
00:58:29.720 --> 00:58:32.670
since since James became a toddler too
00:58:32.680 --> 00:58:34.349
having two I don't post nearly as much
00:58:34.359 --> 00:58:36.069
as I used to yeah because they're
00:58:36.079 --> 00:58:36.990
they're a lot of fun but they are
00:58:37.000 --> 00:58:40.109
exhausting right you are in the thick of
00:58:40.119 --> 00:58:42.750
it say for me four years old is when I
00:58:42.760 --> 00:58:45.230
finally realized oh I I have little
00:58:45.240 --> 00:58:47.670
people that that are a bit more
00:58:47.680 --> 00:58:49.430
independent so you're in the thick of it
00:58:49.440 --> 00:58:51.230
right now and it's crazy just watching
00:58:51.240 --> 00:58:53.309
them grows just it doesn't make any
00:58:53.319 --> 00:58:55.510
sense so often and so much fun you're
00:58:55.520 --> 00:58:57.829
just like okay Okay and like all these
00:58:57.839 --> 00:58:59.270
things like you dreamed of being as a
00:58:59.280 --> 00:59:01.349
parent all a sudden like we having you
00:59:01.359 --> 00:59:03.109
know story time at night we're going to
00:59:03.119 --> 00:59:05.910
a uh an Ever growing series of of Ernest
00:59:05.920 --> 00:59:09.029
to be and so that I make up every night
00:59:09.039 --> 00:59:10.270
so it's just thing like that where
00:59:10.280 --> 00:59:12.309
you're like this is so much fun yeah but
00:59:12.319 --> 00:59:15.109
then there's also you know the hourly
00:59:15.119 --> 00:59:18.789
meltdowns and who knows what know what
00:59:18.799 --> 00:59:20.829
else so I as much as I used to probably
00:59:20.839 --> 00:59:23.430
out too but uh Facebook just look for
00:59:23.440 --> 00:59:27.309
Justin Aldridge yeah uh if you type in
00:59:27.319 --> 00:59:30.309
shoot if you just type in Jedi I pop up
00:59:30.319 --> 00:59:33.309
really really quickly you type in Jedi
00:59:33.319 --> 00:59:35.630
Justin you just hit the search bar Jedi
00:59:35.640 --> 00:59:37.990
Justin that's all you'll see yeah I
00:59:38.000 --> 00:59:40.069
don't have a I probably should at this
00:59:40.079 --> 00:59:42.069
point but I don't have a Facebook page
00:59:42.079 --> 00:59:44.150
that's like a you know dedicated to it
00:59:44.160 --> 00:59:46.630
only because for a long time I was very
00:59:46.640 --> 00:59:48.190
um conscientious of of not doing
00:59:48.200 --> 00:59:49.470
anything that would run a foul of
00:59:49.480 --> 00:59:51.829
Disney's you
00:59:51.839 --> 00:59:54.589
know whatever um I know that they have
00:59:54.599 --> 00:59:57.829
deed me and they have
00:59:57.839 --> 01:00:00.309
they're okay with what I do yeah uh but
01:00:00.319 --> 01:00:01.549
we're trying to make sure that stays
01:00:01.559 --> 01:00:05.910
that way Instagram it is the yes and it
01:00:05.920 --> 01:00:07.670
hasn't affected much like I I guess I
01:00:07.680 --> 01:00:10.950
have two two Jedi tomorrow I have a what
01:00:10.960 --> 01:00:12.309
I'm gonna go to Give Kids the World Pro
01:00:12.319 --> 01:00:14.349
make a wish thing on on Friday so you
01:00:14.359 --> 01:00:15.630
know we're still doing it still going
01:00:15.640 --> 01:00:19.270
strong awesome um and then Instagram is
01:00:19.280 --> 01:00:23.390
the Justin Aldridge you know
01:00:23.400 --> 01:00:26.150
THB uh
01:00:26.160 --> 01:00:28.150
and I don't post anything on Twitter I'm
01:00:28.160 --> 01:00:30.990
just kind of there to see NFL news for
01:00:31.000 --> 01:00:33.750
the most part that's about it okay so
01:00:33.760 --> 01:00:35.789
you can find me on Twitter jiby Aldridge
01:00:35.799 --> 01:00:37.470
but it's basically just the Dallas
01:00:37.480 --> 01:00:40.109
Cowboys that's about it on that really
01:00:40.119 --> 01:00:41.549
Instagram and Facebook that's really the
01:00:41.559 --> 01:00:43.470
way to go all right perfect and I very
01:00:43.480 --> 01:00:45.309
briefly decided I would try Tik Tock and
01:00:45.319 --> 01:00:46.870
then I never did it so I have nothing on
01:00:46.880 --> 01:00:48.349
there I don't know if I even have an
01:00:48.359 --> 01:00:51.750
account yeah that's too old too old for
01:00:51.760 --> 01:00:54.470
all that awesome all right are you ready
01:00:54.480 --> 01:00:56.870
for the magic minute questions
01:00:56.880 --> 01:00:59.430
absolutely okay perfect so the first one
01:00:59.440 --> 01:01:04.109
is what is your favorite Disney
01:01:04.119 --> 01:01:08.069
movie so Pixar I've only seen it once
01:01:08.079 --> 01:01:10.470
it's Coco I've only seen it once I will
01:01:10.480 --> 01:01:11.950
watch it again at some point in my life
01:01:11.960 --> 01:01:14.710
but I got I'm still traumatized from it
01:01:14.720 --> 01:01:17.230
from the first time so Coco uh other
01:01:17.240 --> 01:01:22.630
than Coco oh man Robin Hood still yeah
01:01:22.640 --> 01:01:25.190
okay Robin Hood so along with that what
01:01:25.200 --> 01:01:28.829
character do you identify with the
01:01:28.839 --> 01:01:33.349
most Robin Hood yeah other than Robin
01:01:33.359 --> 01:01:37.190
Hood
01:01:37.200 --> 01:01:41.029
um Woody to a certain uh extent in Toy
01:01:41.039 --> 01:01:45.750
Story yeah probably yeah awesome yeah Co
01:01:45.760 --> 01:01:48.910
um if you could only visit one Park what
01:01:48.920 --> 01:01:53.349
would it
01:01:53.359 --> 01:01:56.349
be EP cut probably
01:01:56.359 --> 01:01:57.470
I like to
01:01:57.480 --> 01:02:02.230
eat so Epcot yeah Epcot
01:02:02.240 --> 01:02:04.870
Food okay so what is your favorite snack
01:02:04.880 --> 01:02:09.349
on property snack or meal oh man uh so
01:02:09.359 --> 01:02:11.510
the beignet is at Port Orleans this is
01:02:11.520 --> 01:02:12.470
not a
01:02:12.480 --> 01:02:15.349
minute the beignet at Port Orleans
01:02:15.359 --> 01:02:17.029
French Quarter are the closest I have
01:02:17.039 --> 01:02:19.430
found to new orans beignet not quite but
01:02:19.440 --> 01:02:20.870
the closest I found anywhere outside of
01:02:20.880 --> 01:02:22.390
New Orleans so that would be probably
01:02:22.400 --> 01:02:25.950
number one um and that's one you can
01:02:25.960 --> 01:02:27.109
just say you can go to the gate and just
01:02:27.119 --> 01:02:28.430
say I'm here to get beignet and they
01:02:28.440 --> 01:02:30.069
will let you in it's the only Resort
01:02:30.079 --> 01:02:33.349
where they just let you in um they like
01:02:33.359 --> 01:02:34.789
yeah please come get yourself some B you
01:02:34.799 --> 01:02:37.029
need some and they have right up front I
01:02:37.039 --> 01:02:39.390
have to say because all the time parking
01:02:39.400 --> 01:02:43.069
is right there yeah so if I ever want
01:02:43.079 --> 01:02:44.829
like gumbo I usually go there to get the
01:02:44.839 --> 01:02:47.309
you know at the little food court there
01:02:47.319 --> 01:02:50.990
which it's fine it's close enough um
01:02:51.000 --> 01:02:54.390
other than the
01:02:54.400 --> 01:02:57.870
beign uh you used to be the um Rice
01:02:57.880 --> 01:02:59.670
Krispie treats they got rid of the
01:02:59.680 --> 01:03:01.309
recipe during the pandemic I haven't
01:03:01.319 --> 01:03:03.750
forgiven Disney for that um they used to
01:03:03.760 --> 01:03:05.630
have these giant Rice Krispie treats
01:03:05.640 --> 01:03:07.230
like Mickey shapist and got rid of them
01:03:07.240 --> 01:03:11.470
I'm still very bitter about it um and
01:03:11.480 --> 01:03:12.829
then
01:03:12.839 --> 01:03:16.390
uh just Mickey ice cream sash yeah all
01:03:16.400 --> 01:03:18.150
right very good so you're the sandwich
01:03:18.160 --> 01:03:20.549
you're not the Mickey bars corre this
01:03:20.559 --> 01:03:22.829
the M Bar falls apart too fast it just
01:03:22.839 --> 01:03:24.470
crumbles like the sandwich is the way to
01:03:24.480 --> 01:03:28.109
go yeah a sandwich fan too the the rest
01:03:28.119 --> 01:03:30.430
of my family loves the bars I love the
01:03:30.440 --> 01:03:32.109
sandwich and then you get to the point
01:03:32.119 --> 01:03:33.630
where you're eating ice cream with the
01:03:33.640 --> 01:03:35.230
with the stick and all you can taste is
01:03:35.240 --> 01:03:36.910
the wood it's just
01:03:36.920 --> 01:03:39.109
no and then if they and then when they
01:03:39.119 --> 01:03:41.910
have the waffle fries um right in
01:03:41.920 --> 01:03:46.029
between um Splash Mountain and Pirates
01:03:46.039 --> 01:03:47.670
of the Caribbean there's this little
01:03:47.680 --> 01:03:49.349
little kiosk that every once in a while
01:03:49.359 --> 01:03:51.910
has waffle fries which now now it's not
01:03:51.920 --> 01:03:53.349
I think move toana is something or
01:03:53.359 --> 01:03:54.789
another but if they have the waffle
01:03:54.799 --> 01:03:56.470
fries it's the way to go
01:03:56.480 --> 01:04:00.190
okay okay so because I know they have
01:04:00.200 --> 01:04:04.349
been now they do they're are not the
01:04:04.359 --> 01:04:06.829
same as the PO orans viget and I don't
01:04:06.839 --> 01:04:09.430
know I think they make them elsewhere
01:04:09.440 --> 01:04:12.430
yeah viget you have a a you have a time
01:04:12.440 --> 01:04:14.150
window where they are where they need to
01:04:14.160 --> 01:04:15.789
be and if you miss that time window
01:04:15.799 --> 01:04:18.670
they're just not the same yep yep so
01:04:18.680 --> 01:04:21.430
okay fair um if you only have time for
01:04:21.440 --> 01:04:26.789
one ride what is that going to be oh
01:04:26.799 --> 01:04:30.630
uh flight of Passage nice yeah good one
01:04:30.640 --> 01:04:34.870
flly a passage okay all right um and the
01:04:34.880 --> 01:04:36.750
last one do you have a tip or trick that
01:04:36.760 --> 01:04:40.109
you can share with
01:04:40.119 --> 01:04:42.309
us so
01:04:42.319 --> 01:04:44.230
uh
01:04:44.240 --> 01:04:46.710
one uh if you do this you didn't hear it
01:04:46.720 --> 01:04:49.430
from me uh if especially if you have a
01:04:49.440 --> 01:04:52.390
little girl and it may not work can't
01:04:52.400 --> 01:04:54.710
promise but if you have a little girl
01:04:54.720 --> 01:04:57.510
and the ride the the line for Rise of
01:04:57.520 --> 01:04:59.470
the resistance is very very long and she
01:04:59.480 --> 01:05:01.349
walks up to the person at the front who
01:05:01.359 --> 01:05:03.549
is get a gauge of who they are and how
01:05:03.559 --> 01:05:05.470
they're doing if you a Jedi mind trick
01:05:05.480 --> 01:05:08.029
and say I have a lightning lane pass to
01:05:08.039 --> 01:05:10.349
to get to the front of this line every
01:05:10.359 --> 01:05:13.789
once in a while it will work okay I
01:05:13.799 --> 01:05:16.069
didn't say that I'm just a just spitball
01:05:16.079 --> 01:05:18.549
in here
01:05:18.559 --> 01:05:20.630
um
01:05:20.640 --> 01:05:24.269
um other than that I that's that's the
01:05:24.279 --> 01:05:29.390
big one
01:05:29.400 --> 01:05:31.309
um yeah that's probably the best one I
01:05:31.319 --> 01:05:34.789
got okay um other than that especially
01:05:34.799 --> 01:05:37.589
if you go through Galaxy's Edge find
01:05:37.599 --> 01:05:39.390
someone who who looks like they really
01:05:39.400 --> 01:05:41.829
know Star Wars and you can kind of tell
01:05:41.839 --> 01:05:43.470
about how they're walking around like as
01:05:43.480 --> 01:05:46.269
far as cast numbers go ask them for all
01:05:46.279 --> 01:05:48.510
the Easter eggs and like the hidden
01:05:48.520 --> 01:05:51.430
things around there are so many things
01:05:51.440 --> 01:05:53.190
in Galaxy's Edge I just Google it you
01:05:53.200 --> 01:05:54.630
can Google it find it that's not much
01:05:54.640 --> 01:05:56.630
fun fun to have that interaction with
01:05:56.640 --> 01:05:58.029
the cast member yeah you need to have
01:05:58.039 --> 01:05:59.349
and because a lot of times to it also
01:05:59.359 --> 01:06:00.950
comes with some you know extra magic too
01:06:00.960 --> 01:06:02.910
so that's also nice but as him there's
01:06:02.920 --> 01:06:05.549
all kinds of like where the where DJ Rex
01:06:05.559 --> 01:06:08.470
the DJ inside of ogus Cantina where he
01:06:08.480 --> 01:06:12.029
crashed his his uh his his ship the tiny
01:06:12.039 --> 01:06:13.670
Millennium Falcon that's on the wing of
01:06:13.680 --> 01:06:15.910
the big Millennium Falcon we spotted
01:06:15.920 --> 01:06:18.309
that last year for the first time is so
01:06:18.319 --> 01:06:21.589
cool it is yeah and I don't know how it
01:06:21.599 --> 01:06:23.269
work but in my head like some guy just
01:06:23.279 --> 01:06:24.549
brought it to work one day and put it
01:06:24.559 --> 01:06:26.670
there and the supervisor like that's
01:06:26.680 --> 01:06:28.430
stain yep I don't know if that happened
01:06:28.440 --> 01:06:29.670
that way but I like to imagine it that
01:06:29.680 --> 01:06:31.870
way you have the what the the the
01:06:31.880 --> 01:06:33.750
monster inside the water fountain you
01:06:33.760 --> 01:06:36.269
have all kinds of fun stuff like that so
01:06:36.279 --> 01:06:39.430
ask them for Easter eggs it it helps
01:06:39.440 --> 01:06:41.910
okay okay that's awesome well because I
01:06:41.920 --> 01:06:43.109
know we're going to be down there for
01:06:43.119 --> 01:06:45.510
spring break and it's going to be a mad
01:06:45.520 --> 01:06:48.910
house that week and so we know we're not
01:06:48.920 --> 01:06:51.190
riding too many rides no this is from
01:06:51.200 --> 01:06:53.029
what I remember this is the worst week
01:06:53.039 --> 01:06:54.829
like this one right here oh this one
01:06:54.839 --> 01:06:56.109
right
01:06:56.119 --> 01:06:57.829
that we're in right now is
01:06:57.839 --> 01:07:00.829
like okay from what I remember here in
01:07:00.839 --> 01:07:03.309
being told okay well we'll see we're
01:07:03.319 --> 01:07:06.470
we're there in two weeks so probably
01:07:06.480 --> 01:07:08.069
right around the time that this uh
01:07:08.079 --> 01:07:10.069
interview goes
01:07:10.079 --> 01:07:13.230
live yeah yeah but we'll see but uh but
01:07:13.240 --> 01:07:14.549
we're looking for all of the other
01:07:14.559 --> 01:07:16.510
things to do so I'm going to be taking
01:07:16.520 --> 01:07:18.589
that the tip about asking the cast
01:07:18.599 --> 01:07:20.190
member and we're GNA have some
01:07:20.200 --> 01:07:23.349
fun yeah again and just find someone who
01:07:23.359 --> 01:07:24.829
looks like and if they can't they will
01:07:24.839 --> 01:07:27.510
usually find some they'll tell you oh go
01:07:27.520 --> 01:07:29.829
find Roberto he's right over there right
01:07:29.839 --> 01:07:31.349
he can tell you all those things like
01:07:31.359 --> 01:07:33.150
they because especially that the ones
01:07:33.160 --> 01:07:35.789
who there's a few people at GX Edge who
01:07:35.799 --> 01:07:37.230
have been there since it opened who have
01:07:37.240 --> 01:07:39.230
really made that's their home and they
01:07:39.240 --> 01:07:41.510
love it and those are the ones who it's
01:07:41.520 --> 01:07:43.829
make thisne so much more fun they you
01:07:43.839 --> 01:07:46.670
know buy into it it's awesome right we
01:07:46.680 --> 01:07:49.309
when we were there for the first time uh
01:07:49.319 --> 01:07:53.029
we had we were overwhelmed like we we
01:07:53.039 --> 01:07:55.950
were all overwhelmed even though we love
01:07:55.960 --> 01:07:58.190
it's a lot it's a lot it's a lot and
01:07:58.200 --> 01:08:01.230
that was towards the end of going to all
01:08:01.240 --> 01:08:02.990
of the parks so it was middle of the
01:08:03.000 --> 01:08:04.549
week but we had just hit our breaking
01:08:04.559 --> 01:08:07.510
point oh yeah and that's F yeah we were
01:08:07.520 --> 01:08:08.950
sitting down you can spend a whole day
01:08:08.960 --> 01:08:10.390
at Galaxy's Edge just if you have the
01:08:10.400 --> 01:08:11.750
Disney parks Play app you do the Bounty
01:08:11.760 --> 01:08:13.789
Hunter Missions you can take your phone
01:08:13.799 --> 01:08:15.630
and translate the arabes the Star Wars
01:08:15.640 --> 01:08:17.030
language and see what it says most of
01:08:17.040 --> 01:08:18.709
them are little puns and jokes oh that's
01:08:18.719 --> 01:08:21.349
a okay above the water fountain it says
01:08:21.359 --> 01:08:24.910
not fit for human conception in you know
01:08:24.920 --> 01:08:26.870
like that so
01:08:26.880 --> 01:08:30.309
yeah oh my gosh um but you just learn
01:08:30.319 --> 01:08:31.630
how to you know translate which is also
01:08:31.640 --> 01:08:33.829
fun yeah takes a little more time but
01:08:33.839 --> 01:08:36.630
yeah you know on how
01:08:36.640 --> 01:08:42.229
tomato okay amazing amazing um cool well
01:08:42.239 --> 01:08:44.950
thank you so much Justin of course this
01:08:44.960 --> 01:08:47.430
was amazing and and honestly even as far
01:08:47.440 --> 01:08:48.870
as tips and tricks to find me on
01:08:48.880 --> 01:08:50.510
Facebook Instagram send me a message if
01:08:50.520 --> 01:08:52.550
you have things you want to know or
01:08:52.560 --> 01:08:54.749
things you if you just want random
01:08:54.759 --> 01:08:56.709
advice or help just reach out I'm happy
01:08:56.719 --> 01:08:58.950
to help and in fact I enjoy helping yeah
01:08:58.960 --> 01:09:00.910
especially as far as that stuff and
01:09:00.920 --> 01:09:02.189
especially if you want to talk food and
01:09:02.199 --> 01:09:03.269
ask where to
01:09:03.279 --> 01:09:05.510
eat that was when I got my job that's
01:09:05.520 --> 01:09:07.070
what I was most excited about was I I
01:09:07.080 --> 01:09:09.709
got to to you know go eat at all the
01:09:09.719 --> 01:09:10.749
Disney restaurants and they're all
01:09:10.759 --> 01:09:12.590
incredible they are all of them they're
01:09:12.600 --> 01:09:16.470
all so good yeah yeah um have you gotten
01:09:16.480 --> 01:09:19.550
into the princess dining yet have you
01:09:19.560 --> 01:09:23.829
started doing those we have oh it's so
01:09:23.839 --> 01:09:27.189
funny um so she was terrified of
01:09:27.199 --> 01:09:30.510
characters for a while yes um and then
01:09:30.520 --> 01:09:33.189
all of a sudden just like
01:09:33.199 --> 01:09:35.189
overnight boom and then it really
01:09:35.199 --> 01:09:37.590
shifted when she met sge and realized
01:09:37.600 --> 01:09:39.149
you know because then we've gone and
01:09:39.159 --> 01:09:41.229
we've you know hung out with with Woody
01:09:41.239 --> 01:09:43.149
and Buzz and those but
01:09:43.159 --> 01:09:46.149
then like we went to um Talos for
01:09:46.159 --> 01:09:48.110
breakfast and she would not let Minnie
01:09:48.120 --> 01:09:50.590
Minnie Mouse go we had to like pull her
01:09:50.600 --> 01:09:52.789
off of Minnie Mouse and the princesses
01:09:52.799 --> 01:09:55.390
that's a whole like when she met so the
01:09:55.400 --> 01:09:57.310
first one met was Snow White and when
01:09:57.320 --> 01:09:59.750
she it was like the
01:09:59.760 --> 01:10:01.910
most like there's these bad moments for
01:10:01.920 --> 01:10:03.669
you kind of like you have these moments
01:10:03.679 --> 01:10:05.149
where you understand what what it means
01:10:05.159 --> 01:10:06.950
to be a dad or be a parent or whatever
01:10:06.960 --> 01:10:08.189
and that was one of those where she's
01:10:08.199 --> 01:10:10.709
just they're sitting there together and
01:10:10.719 --> 01:10:12.830
they're holding hands and you're like
01:10:12.840 --> 01:10:14.430
Yep this is this is it this is what this
01:10:14.440 --> 01:10:16.430
is what this is uh supposed to be here
01:10:16.440 --> 01:10:18.750
this is cool and seeing her kind of grow
01:10:18.760 --> 01:10:22.630
and and you know so yeah so yes we have
01:10:22.640 --> 01:10:24.669
um at some point I think for her
01:10:24.679 --> 01:10:26.830
birthday turns three in June we're going
01:10:26.840 --> 01:10:29.350
to do Bippity bity and go to the Royal
01:10:29.360 --> 01:10:31.870
table we've been planning that for like
01:10:31.880 --> 01:10:34.630
nine months yeah now so yeah oh that's
01:10:34.640 --> 01:10:37.550
awes that's awesome because she wears
01:10:37.560 --> 01:10:40.149
either her Cinderella Bell or Elsa dress
01:10:40.159 --> 01:10:43.350
or Rapunzel um sometimes all four every
01:10:43.360 --> 01:10:46.950
day she just pzle time and yep yep just
01:10:46.960 --> 01:10:49.149
you know quick change y every single day
01:10:49.159 --> 01:10:51.470
it's Crown she has wands she has her
01:10:51.480 --> 01:10:52.990
shoes and they're all the plastic shoes
01:10:53.000 --> 01:10:56.110
so all your CL Brown you know the tile
01:10:56.120 --> 01:10:59.270
of the floor the house yeah yeah so
01:10:59.280 --> 01:11:01.310
we're we're in full princess mode
01:11:01.320 --> 01:11:04.149
amazing well I will tell you my favorite
01:11:04.159 --> 01:11:05.590
princess dining if you haven't done it
01:11:05.600 --> 01:11:09.590
yet is acrus so it's okay I've done it
01:11:09.600 --> 01:11:11.350
once after I
01:11:11.360 --> 01:11:14.310
ran the Star Wars half marathon and then
01:11:14.320 --> 01:11:16.910
we went to ACO afterwards yeah that was
01:11:16.920 --> 01:11:18.950
fun
01:11:18.960 --> 01:11:21.110
yeah it ends right it ended right at
01:11:21.120 --> 01:11:23.070
Epcot so we went and we did that then
01:11:23.080 --> 01:11:24.950
that's nice and I was hungry and it
01:11:24.960 --> 01:11:27.189
wasn't the kind of food for after I ran
01:11:27.199 --> 01:11:30.590
a half marathon I could imagine yeah
01:11:30.600 --> 01:11:32.470
yeah it's hard because we love Epcot for
01:11:32.480 --> 01:11:34.149
eating around the world I mean that's
01:11:34.159 --> 01:11:36.149
just that's thing but they have really
01:11:36.159 --> 01:11:37.629
good restaurants there and really good
01:11:37.639 --> 01:11:38.830
care they really do that's why for the
01:11:38.840 --> 01:11:40.070
most part I usually go there during the
01:11:40.080 --> 01:11:42.430
flower and garden I don't really drink
01:11:42.440 --> 01:11:46.950
but like I I eat at all yeah bow buns
01:11:46.960 --> 01:11:49.910
and the little the vamperina tacos and
01:11:49.920 --> 01:11:53.709
the good or vampirina Vampira Vampira
01:11:53.719 --> 01:11:56.870
tacos vampirina the character I was
01:11:56.880 --> 01:11:59.709
wondering I was like that's stud Studios
01:11:59.719 --> 01:12:01.870
down the vampir tacos were like the it
01:12:01.880 --> 01:12:02.950
was like I'm probably saying wrong
01:12:02.960 --> 01:12:04.350
anyways but it was this like it was like
01:12:04.360 --> 01:12:07.390
this spicy barboa beef on
01:12:07.400 --> 01:12:10.430
a like beans and oh so good yeah
01:12:10.440 --> 01:12:12.910
remember that one anyways we eat the
01:12:12.920 --> 01:12:15.070
kios eat the Boost it's the way to go AB
01:12:15.080 --> 01:12:17.709
but then you also have they've redone
01:12:17.719 --> 01:12:19.510
the menus and they're all they improved
01:12:19.520 --> 01:12:20.950
all of them
01:12:20.960 --> 01:12:23.070
great we were we were looking at the
01:12:23.080 --> 01:12:25.189
menus for this time around and just
01:12:25.199 --> 01:12:26.669
salivating we've been watching all the
01:12:26.679 --> 01:12:29.950
videos trying to get like okay I think
01:12:29.960 --> 01:12:31.950
it was two or three years ago they went
01:12:31.960 --> 01:12:34.070
and they made a conscious effort to
01:12:34.080 --> 01:12:36.229
improve the menus and the
01:12:36.239 --> 01:12:39.709
food and it worked all foods so good it
01:12:39.719 --> 01:12:42.790
is it is it's a shame if you go and
01:12:42.800 --> 01:12:44.750
there's not a festival because the food
01:12:44.760 --> 01:12:47.390
is so this is true
01:12:47.400 --> 01:12:49.510
because they do that and I don't
01:12:49.520 --> 01:12:50.950
understand how they do it so well but
01:12:50.960 --> 01:12:53.149
they do and it's like everything is is
01:12:53.159 --> 01:12:56.030
great but you know yeah
01:12:56.040 --> 01:12:58.229
awesome okay well I'm now hungry and
01:12:58.239 --> 01:13:01.910
it's lunchtime so too me too all right
01:13:01.920 --> 01:13:05.189
yeah well Justin thank you so much of
01:13:05.199 --> 01:13:08.310
course anytime awesome happy to stop and
01:13:08.320 --> 01:13:13.310
talk anytime amazing amazing well um we
01:13:13.320 --> 01:13:15.229
we'll see you we'll see you along the
01:13:15.239 --> 01:13:19.229
way can't wait yeah awesome can't wait
01:13:19.239 --> 01:13:21.669
awesome May the four stay with you I
01:13:21.679 --> 01:13:23.430
always want to say and also with you and
01:13:23.440 --> 01:13:25.910
my family so uh we
01:13:25.920 --> 01:13:28.149
a long time go and also with you and do
01:13:28.159 --> 01:13:30.910
a little Force push which don't do that
01:13:30.920 --> 01:13:32.510
but then I think it was episode nine
01:13:32.520 --> 01:13:34.470
somebody says I'm also with you H we can
01:13:34.480 --> 01:13:36.229
say it that's fine but don't do that
01:13:36.239 --> 01:13:38.669
okay okay but the from what I remember
01:13:38.679 --> 01:13:41.470
the acceptable is always it's the the
01:13:41.480 --> 01:13:44.430
kind of Lucas preferred is May the force
01:13:44.440 --> 01:13:48.310
be with you always that's we thank you
01:13:48.320 --> 01:13:51.629
because I I said it once and my husband
01:13:51.639 --> 01:13:53.070
who grew up reading the books I mean
01:13:53.080 --> 01:13:54.910
like even more of a Star Wars fan than I
01:13:54.920 --> 01:13:57.709
am and I'm I love it um but he turned to
01:13:57.719 --> 01:13:59.510
me and he said you've got to be kidding
01:13:59.520 --> 01:14:01.110
me and I
01:14:01.120 --> 01:14:03.990
said and I said one one the last movies
01:14:04.000 --> 01:14:05.229
they did say also with you and you're
01:14:05.239 --> 01:14:07.149
like y see now we're good it's Canon
01:14:07.159 --> 01:14:09.350
we're good but always is is and it
01:14:09.360 --> 01:14:12.669
sounds appropriately star warsy always
01:14:12.679 --> 01:14:14.149
always and also Harry Potter said also
01:14:14.159 --> 01:14:18.390
you know STS yeah the two the two we're
01:14:18.400 --> 01:14:20.750
bringing the parks together so awesome
01:14:20.760 --> 01:14:23.070
Justin thank you so much of course and
01:14:23.080 --> 01:14:24.270
if you anything while you're here reach
01:14:24.280 --> 01:14:26.470
out it's allbody here awesome cool all
01:14:26.480 --> 01:14:29.760
right take care okay byebye
01:14:29.770 --> 01:14:33.270
[Music]
01:14:33.280 --> 01:14:36.110
bye that's a wrap on this episode of
01:14:36.120 --> 01:14:38.990
Backstage Pass I hope you loved getting
01:14:39.000 --> 01:14:41.830
a glimpse behind the magic with me today
01:14:41.840 --> 01:14:43.990
as a note the stories and Views
01:14:44.000 --> 01:14:45.950
expressed in this podcast are not
01:14:45.960 --> 01:14:49.110
affiliated with endorsed by or sponsored
01:14:49.120 --> 01:14:51.149
by the Walt Disney Company and the
01:14:51.159 --> 01:14:53.790
stories they don't stop here I want to
01:14:53.800 --> 01:14:56.430
hear from you if you're a current or
01:14:56.440 --> 01:14:58.390
former Disney cast member with a story
01:14:58.400 --> 01:15:01.110
to share or if you've had a truly
01:15:01.120 --> 01:15:03.430
magical experience with a cast member in
01:15:03.440 --> 01:15:06.030
the Parks I'd love to feature it on a
01:15:06.040 --> 01:15:09.430
future episode reach out to me at the
01:15:09.440 --> 01:15:12.030
link in the show notes and of course if
01:15:12.040 --> 01:15:14.270
you enjoyed this episode don't forget to
01:15:14.280 --> 01:15:17.310
subscribe leave a review and share it
01:15:17.320 --> 01:15:20.910
with fellow Disney fans until next time
01:15:20.920 --> 01:15:26.230
keep believing in the magic
01:15:26.240 --> 01:15:36.600
[Music]