Jason Weaver Meets World

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hey everyone, Before we jump into today's episode, we wanted to send you guys a message because I'm sure you have heard a little bit about what's going on in Hollywood these days. As you may have heard, the WGA has been on strike for a while and recently SAG after It joined in with the fight. Writer Will and myself have all been a member of SAG after A for thirty plus years and we fully support this strike. When the strike was announced, a lot of questions were opened up. Is doing pod Meets World going against the strike? Is doing Pod Meets World the live tour going against the strike? And there were a lot of tweets spelling out what you can do and cannot do. There was the SAG after A website that tried to be as clear as possible, but we did not want to do anything that could have possibly gone against the strike, So we reached out individually to our SAG representatives and ask them directly, is Pod Meets World allowed? Is the Pod meets World live tour allowed? And we have been given the green light by our SAG representatives, So with that we feel comfortable continuing to do Pod Meats World and going on tour with podmeats world life. So continue to enjoy our episodes and we will.

00:01:11
Speaker 2: See you on the road. Yes, Keidan, thank you for listening. We would like to thank listener Jason P.

00:01:28
Speaker 1: Who was kind enough to point out something currently living on the internet that I figured was a perfect look into the heart and soul of one of us hosts. Oh, especially when it comes to our likes and dislikes. And I won't make us wait any longer. Writer, do you enjoy using the Letterboxed app?

00:01:53
Speaker 2: Oh? I'm obsessed? Do okay? Jensen is too. I don't even know what this is? What is knsboieq okay.

00:02:02
Speaker 3: So Letterboxed is essentially a movie social media app, a movie watching social media app. But it's become like the central database for any movie lover. You can look any you can look up any movie and ever made like short films, obscure, you know, silent films, whatever. It's compiled all of them and it's the best interface. And what you can do is keep track of the movies you're watching, the movies you want to watch. You can create lists of whatever you want. People leave reviews. It's basically like the entire like film community.

00:02:39
Speaker 2: Geeks out together. It's nerd. It's nerd stuff. For this, here's what I love it for.

00:02:43
Speaker 3: I mean, I'm not like I'm not put posting reviews, like I've thought about it, and I definitely publicly post my like my stars movies. So I go back and but you know, like I've rated I don't know, like six hundred eight hundred movies.

00:02:56
Speaker 2: There are people who've rated like four thousand films.

00:02:59
Speaker 4: You know.

00:02:59
Speaker 3: It's like people that I follow who are professional film critics or filmmakers that just the sheer amount of like film knowledge, it's insane. And then everybody can put their top four, which is a great sort of like way to know, like if you agree with somebody's taste or not, is you get to see their top four just underneath their Yeah, really what I wish because now this has become my go to app to like share movies with people, you know, like I have friends who are like what should I watch? Or you know, what should I watch with my kid? Or and so I can just send them a list that I've curated. But mostly it's to be able to search my own memory because I forget crap, you know, I forget what I've seen and so this way, there's like a place I can go when somebody's like, I really like this movie, do you have any ideas or just in a conversation something comes up. I can look back on all the movies I've watched in that vein, And I really wish this existed for books, because I can't do the same thing with books.

00:03:54
Speaker 2: Good Reads is just not that great of an app well.

00:03:57
Speaker 1: As I said, one of our listeners was kind of have to point out that your letterboxed profile and reviews are viewable by the public, and as he said, I quote, this is a small glimpse into the most harsh critic of Boy Meets World and himself, and he has some absolutely wild beliefs. Yeah, you haven't actually posted reviews, which I wish you did for some of them.

00:04:23
Speaker 2: So are you ready to defend some of your takes? God?

00:04:27
Speaker 1: Okay, So I want to start with some of your highest rated films for context and to prove that you aren't just a hater. Okay, Okay, the department can we guess some Okay, I was gonna say, all right, I was five done, Yeah Tomorrow, five stars, Coco, five stars, Great Movie, Training Day, five stars, uncut Gems five stars. There will be Blood five stars. Also, Jensen and I were thrilled to see one of your hot takes is something we agree with.

00:04:56
Speaker 2: Downsizing four and a half stars, terrible movie. I've been when you revisit it. I have a lot of opinions about that film. Yeah, that movie. Love terrible film.

00:05:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it is. I mean, I'm a huge Alexander Payne like fanatic. And when that movie came out, I went to like an early screening and I kind of knew. I was like, oh, there's something. Well, I don't know if we want to get into it, but yeah, I love that movie.

00:05:21
Speaker 1: Okay, we can discuss that later, but I want to now onto the.

00:05:25
Speaker 2: Bottom of your barrel.

00:05:26
Speaker 1: And I I have to admit some of these are just shocking, but I I know you will be excited to defend them. So maybe Top Gun, Maverick one and a half stars.

00:05:38
Speaker 5: Wrong.

00:05:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just not for me.

00:05:41
Speaker 4: No, it wasn't It wasn't it. But you just didn't like it. It doesn't mean it was a bad movie because it was a great movie. Well, I mean, I mean I'm making sure yeah, and acting and story, I mean everything about it was good.

00:05:54
Speaker 2: You just didn't like it.

00:05:59
Speaker 3: I guess it depends on what you by everything about it being good, like a story as fan service, right Like I look at a movie like that and I feel like, Okay, so the Christopher mcquarie, who's in a great screenwriter wrote a top gun fan service movie, Like that's not interesting to me, Like that is execute that film.

00:06:19
Speaker 2: I'll tell you this.

00:06:20
Speaker 3: We went to the like it's it's it's incredibly well made. But like I feel the same way about most superhero movies. That's why I give them one star or half a star, is because I'm like what I'm for me my, Like I evaluate films for how far they're pushing in a cultural conversation, and I feel like a movie like that, it's just.

00:06:37
Speaker 2: Your only category is just how far we're pushing big one. It's a big part of it.

00:06:42
Speaker 3: Like I like originality, right Like I like something that is like my The ideal movie going experience for me is I know nothing about it. I sit down and I'm told I'm taken on a journey that takes me somewhere I've never been before. And then when I come back, I run and go back there and watch it again or think about it, you know, afects my life in some way, And so that's why I revised stuff, because it's like I'll give something a lower rating, but then I'll be like, three days later, I'm still thinking.

00:07:07
Speaker 2: About it, so I bump it up.

00:07:09
Speaker 3: So where do you? Where would you come? I'm like, I will never think about Top Gun. Like when I walked into Top Gun, I was one person. When I walked out, I'm the same person.

00:07:16
Speaker 6: Right.

00:07:16
Speaker 2: My thoughts in the world never change if you're talking about the world.

00:07:19
Speaker 3: If I if I if you said to me, I really love Top Gun, Maverick, I don't say that tells me something about Will's view of the world.

00:07:25
Speaker 2: No, but this means nothing. It's popcorn. It's fun. Fine, it's fun. Where does where does? Where? Where?

00:07:31
Speaker 4: Would it then fall in the review of the movie that it was the movie that single handedly got people back into the theater. That's like, it's right, but would that add to the experience at all? Like the because you're talking about how it pushing the culture full star Otherwise it would just be one tough critic, a harsh I know, I don't.

00:07:49
Speaker 1: We do not need to deep dive on all of these I just I'm going to a few of them. Okay, Almost Famous two and a half stars.

00:07:55
Speaker 2: I agree with you on that movie. I think that movie kind of poopy.

00:07:57
Speaker 1: I'm almost famous, Okay, Ace Ventura one and a half stars. The Mask a point five star, John Wick point five star, which is the same rated Sharknado. You also gave half a star to Heat.

00:08:12
Speaker 2: Oh my god, I'm the big anti Heat. I have opinions about that.

00:08:16
Speaker 1: You're also anti Scarface. You gave one star Big one star? What No, No, No, that's wrong Big.

00:08:24
Speaker 2: It says Big. That's why. No, but Big should be five stars. I love Big. I just rewatch it with Indy. That's a mistake. That's a mistake, a huge mistake.

00:08:31
Speaker 3: No, Biggest is way up there. Why didn't you like John Wick? I'm just curious. I never finished it. If I gave it half a star, it means I usually didn't finish the movie. I think the first twenty minutes of John Wicker amazing, and then when I was like, oh, oh he's we're just the fun of this movie is just a ballet of violence.

00:08:46
Speaker 2: We're just watching him shoot people in the head. I don't care.

00:08:48
Speaker 4: So yeah, it's just John Wu. It's bringing back the Asian film did you like do you like John Wu stuff and all that the kind of old school Okay.

00:08:55
Speaker 2: I don't think I've ever seen that much.

00:08:57
Speaker 3: No, I don't like just like fun killing movies, Like like you know, kill Bill one is like the most boring thing in the world to me. Kill Bill two finally has some story. But like I know that I'm on the outside of most people on that, Like I just don't love Like, like I said, I totally tap out.

00:09:16
Speaker 2: Why did you give rat Tattuui one star? That's a good question. I need to watch it. I'm not a fan. I think it is one of the most awkward.

00:09:24
Speaker 3: Like, like you know, there's always with world building, and especially with Pixar world building, there's like there's a buy in factor, right, And like I think with Ratituey there was a fundamental buy in problem with him puppeteering a chef with his It never worked for it, Like I just could never buy in. And I know that they had lots of problems with that script and with that director, like they and and it feels it feels like a cheat to me.

00:09:48
Speaker 6: Now.

00:09:49
Speaker 3: The moment the chef has the flashback to his childhood where he tastes ratatuy is such a phenomenal cinematic moment. I just think it would have been an awesome twenty minute short film, like it would have been just a ate twenty minute short film. Patton Oswald I love so, I love his voice, so there's lots to be loved. But I need to revisit it because it's the one Pixar I haven't watched with Indy, Like we've watched all of them otherwise, and I usually love them, but Ratitude is not up there.

00:10:14
Speaker 2: Did you like UP? Yeah?

00:10:16
Speaker 3: I did like UP, but I also don't love I love Iron Giant, but I don't love it's.

00:10:22
Speaker 2: Brad Bird as the director.

00:10:23
Speaker 3: I don't love his characterization, Like his animated characters are a little too extreme for just my taste, like aesthetically, and like I don't like the way people look in Ratituey. There's something off about it for me.

00:10:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I just writer. Would you like to let anyone know where they can find you on letterboxed?

00:10:41
Speaker 2: I think I'm just rather strong or strong and it's it's public.

00:10:44
Speaker 6: So no.

00:10:45
Speaker 3: I recently was connected with one of my like film nerd friends and she was so nice in her stars. I was like, because you can see where somebody puts their average, you know, like and like everyone. She gives three stars and I am like just extreme, Like if I like it, I go five.

00:11:01
Speaker 2: If I don't have a.

00:11:02
Speaker 6: Star, one star.

00:11:03
Speaker 3: Right, So yeah, okay, I think that that's fun because the point is to spark debate and conversation.

00:11:09
Speaker 4: Yeah right, I can't wait to have lunch with you again because our entire lunch is going to be talking about heat.

00:11:13
Speaker 2: So why you're so anti?

00:11:15
Speaker 3: I'll tell you what I've been doing, the secret project that I've been doing for years now. I have this weird habit of writing poems. It's based on movies, based on either they're like biographic, but they're like super formal, like I'll write like sonnets or villain l's. Like I give myself this challenge of like, all right, let's take a movie that I.

00:11:32
Speaker 2: Love and I don't know why this is happened.

00:11:35
Speaker 3: So maybe someday I'll start posting those as my reviews on letter box A different question.

00:11:39
Speaker 1: Great idea, And also will I encourage you to start a letterboxed because I think between you and writer and the way you guys feel feel about movies. This would just one we have endless pre show chatter, and two I would love to sit down at the table and hear your different takes on these things. So anyway, thank you writer for letting us bring some of those up and defending some of your hot takes. And I want to talk more about downsizing when we're not on the air. Welcome to Pod meets World. I'm Daniel Fischel, I'm Rider Strong, and I'm Wilfredell. There is one film we do all agree on, and that's the nineteen ninety four ABC movie Summertime Switch, something we recently recapped right before we started season three, starring our harsh critic over here, right or Strong, and our guest this week, Jason Weaver. We couldn't help but notice Jason was leaps and bounds above everyone else in the movie.

00:12:40
Speaker 2: Sorry.

00:12:41
Speaker 1: Rider obviously encouraged to improv, sing, dance, play basketball, and act circles around his peers and for good reason. Best known as Marcus Henderson on the wb sitcom Smart Guy, a teenage Michael Jackson on the nineteen ninety two Jackson mini series, and the singing voice of young Simba in Disney's Lion King.

00:13:00
Speaker 2: Talk about a movie, right, it's some of his later work.

00:13:03
Speaker 1: I want to now rattle off a star of drum line with Nick Cannon. He appeared in the Coen Brothers comedy Lady Killers the two thousand and six film atl alongside rappers t I and Big Boy, and most impressively singing the hook on One Call Away, a top five chingy hit single in the United States. And today we are going to focus on his true moment of artistry, the Citizen Kane of identity mix up movies that involve bull from Night Court, Summertime Switch. It's time for the reunion you've been waiting for, right or Strong? May I welcome your camp buddy and fellow Freddie Egan Jason Weaver to Pod meets World.

00:13:49
Speaker 2: How's it coming?

00:13:49
Speaker 6: Man?

00:13:50
Speaker 3: Then?

00:13:51
Speaker 6: Terrific? How are you doing that?

00:13:53
Speaker 2: How are you guys doing We're all right?

00:13:55
Speaker 1: Is this the first time you guys have seen each other since Summertime Switch?

00:13:59
Speaker 6: Yeah, the time Switch. Yeah, it's been that long since that that hot summer in Jacksonville.

00:14:06
Speaker 3: It was so hot, it was so hot, it was you have to dig ditches in the heat. I was actually we were at like some boy scout camp. I forget where we were. You were at the like luxury side, so but.

00:14:20
Speaker 6: I had all the luxury you were, you were dealing with all the crap.

00:14:24
Speaker 1: Yes, and see Jason, how how hounded were you on social media by pod meets World listeners the day the Summertime Switch podcast was released?

00:14:32
Speaker 6: Yo, it was crazy because, you know, because we're all like shut down. Everybody's you know, down for the strike or whatever, so you just have all this kind of idle time, you know, and things and other things that we're doing and developing what you guys have with the podcast. So I'm just sitting, you know, just working on some other projects, and all of a sudden, I just see all these notifications coming through. So I'm like, oh my god, what did I do? What did I say? Oh no, something's happening. And then when I looked, I was pleasantly surprised to see you know, all the fans of you guys podcast just you know, tagging me and let me let me know that you all were, you know, covering Summertime Switching. You know, I'm just glad that we got an opportunity to do this. I will say though, that you guys, fans are relentless, man like they are all a joke.

00:15:21
Speaker 2: Well, let me tell you something.

00:15:22
Speaker 1: Whenever we mentioned someone on the podcast or we do we do an episode that involves a guest actor or something from Boy Meets World, a few people will tag them. I've never seen a fan reaction quite like the reaction to you. You are so loved. You have so many fans, I mean hundreds of people.

00:15:43
Speaker 6: Jason.

00:15:44
Speaker 2: We were j we we were like, okay, great, we promise, we will. We will.

00:15:48
Speaker 6: Yeah, and I appreciate it. Gods, sorry about that, Like, yeah, my uh. You know that the people that have followed my career throughout the years, and you guys know this, you all experienced this as well. I mean, there's such a strong connection with those people because in our own little way, we've kind of all grown up together, although we don't, you know, really know each other personally, but there's a there's just this connection there. So when you know, when they see one of their favorite personalities or celebrities or childless celebrities that they that they love growing up, and there's this opportunity to build a reconnection or establish a reconnection if you will, and just have a moment where we look back in retrospect and just you know, show appreciation and gratitude just for how we all have been blessed and been able to connect with so many people, in touch so many people's lives. Man, you just got to jump at that opportunity. So, you know, my fans, I will say, we're pretty aggressive, but I think for doing that, because it's it's great being here.

00:16:49
Speaker 2: Yes, we're so happy you're here.

00:16:51
Speaker 1: Jason did what do you remember specifically about filming Summertime Switch? I mean, you mentioned the hot Jacksonville. What is your overall memory of the movie.

00:17:01
Speaker 6: I really just remember I remember having a lot of fun. It was kind of just like it it felt like taking a summer break, but yet you were working and just having that experience of working with so many talented child actors at that time. I mean, and you know, when I say talented, that's kind of an understatement. You know a lot of those a lot of the kids that are on that show were seasoned actors by that time. It been in you know, a few films, and you know, just really understood how to conduct themselves professionally on set, how to you know, how to show up being prepared. You know. It was really one of those kind of all star summer camp kind of things for give the kids, if you will, in the art so to be able to you know, share that moment with everybody. Although we were in most of the time in one hundred degree plus heat, you know, although those were kind of circumstances, I think we were all just you know, we had that youthful adrenaline. You know, I think we all recognized that this was a unique moment in all of our lives. You know, I think it's kids, all of us when we're in that moment at that time, you know, we're just kind of we're kind of there. I don't think we have any kind of preak and sived ideas to where we're gonna go next, and we have some kind of strategy as to where we're going to take our careers moving forward forward. We're kind of just in that moment in processing everything and having fun at the same time. So, you know, that was my That was my experience as well. You know with Summertime Switch, it was you know, me and Wrter, although we really didn't get a chance to work on a lot of scenes together because we were shooting in you know, two separate you know, different kind of scenarios, if you will, But the moments that we did have that you know, allowed us to come together and work together and and hang out. It was It was great, one of the more rewarding experiences when I look back, you know, of my career. I'll be completely honest with you. I didn't I know that film was going to become as popular it become like a childhood classics as it did. As we were making the movie, I was like, Okay, they're going to put this out on ABC, and that's going to do that. Yeah, it's gone, and you know whatever. But it ended up being, you know, one of those films that connected with kids who have now turned into adults who are just fanatical about it. So it's beautiful.

00:19:23
Speaker 2: When was the last time you watched it?

00:19:25
Speaker 6: Ooh, it's funny. I was hanging out with Okay, this is gonna sound bad, but I was hanging out with some friends. We were drinking one night at a friend's barbecue at their house, and there were some people there, some relatives who flew out of town or who came from out of town.

00:19:45
Speaker 5: Man.

00:19:45
Speaker 6: You know, they were really really nice, but they were excited to see me. They were fans of my work. And the gentleman, the husband of the couple, he was like, Man, Man, I hope I don't embarrass you by saying this, but you know, one of my favorite movies that you've ever been part of, The Summertime Switch. Man. It's like, oh great, you know cool, glad you liked the film. Man. He's like, Man, as a matter of fact, hold on, this is one of my favorite parts. It goes to like YouTube and up and it just starts looking at it. So all of a sudden, you know, after watching a couple like scenes or excerpts that they had, they just went about finding a whole movie so that everybody could watch it because it was like kids started to walk in and then it became like a gamy thing. Yeah, first it's craving off, kind of awkward, I will not lie. And I was like, oh my god, this guy's really about to put scenes off of this movie I did years ago. But it ended up being a beautiful moment with you know, all these kids coming into the room and just you know, this family having a moment with me watching this film. So it was dope.

00:20:49
Speaker 1: Man, Now I know you mentioned that you guys really didn't get to work together too much because you were in you know, kind of competing storylines. Really, but do you remember your first impressions of each other?

00:21:09
Speaker 3: Writer?

00:21:09
Speaker 2: If you want, do you remember your first impression of Jason?

00:21:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, Well, like I said, I it's funny because I googled you this morning. We're exactly the same age, but in my mind you were so much older than me.

00:21:22
Speaker 2: Really, yes, dude, you can't.

00:21:24
Speaker 3: You were so mature and so professional in a way that like I just I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, and you just had so much more experience. I don't know, I mean, I guess maybe the music, and like you just were so tapped into like you knew exactly who you were and what you.

00:21:40
Speaker 2: Were doing in a way that like I just was flailing.

00:21:43
Speaker 3: So I just remember looking up to you and like I think, and.

00:21:47
Speaker 2: You were the coolest person I'd ever met.

00:21:49
Speaker 3: And yeah, I remember good conversations, but like we didn't get to work together that much. I just I do remember you correcting my basketball skills, because like our main scene skills were.

00:22:01
Speaker 6: As I was breaking, as I was breaking everything, as I was having horrible shooting percentage that day. Man, Man, thank you so much for sharing those kind words. Man, I mean, you know, the sentiments that you express, Man, it's mutual, man uh, and the feeling is mutual. I walked on to that set with such a high level of respect, you know, for everybody that was involved in that film, and especially you. I mean, it's you know, it's it's hard to carry a film, you know, even as an adult. You know, there's a lot of responsibility. It's placed on your shoulders. You know, the actual work scheduling itself is pretty intense. So you know, when I saw you handling it the way that you did and and just being just as genuine as you as you were, and it's still how you are now, I mean, that was the one thing that really, you know, hit home me because I'm very uh a p person, if you will, and and I'm very sensitive to energy. I've come to recognize that now as I've gotten older, but as a kid, I was even even more hyper sensitive to it. Now, I just remember every time I was around you, I just felt just a genuine, real energy. And you're always sincere and always polite, same with you, very professional, you know, I think that's what made me kind of be on my p's and q's is just you know, realizing that you're working opposite of seasoned actors. We were kids, but you know, we weren't playing around. It was. It was one of those kind of situations where we all came into it just knowing what our roles were and knowing what we had to do.

00:23:37
Speaker 3: And yeah, and everybody was coming off of a movie or a series. You know, you had like Sole Moon, fright, you had Patrick off of Sandlot, like everybody had like a resume at that point.

00:23:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it could have gone off the rails very easily.

00:23:50
Speaker 3: I mean, you you get that many teenagers into a hotel situation, like, but we, as far as.

00:23:56
Speaker 2: I know, it went really smoothly. Nobody, nobody had.

00:23:59
Speaker 6: A nobody got arrested. Trauma, There was no trauma. Yeah, it was pretty cool. There were no ego trips, you know, the rare occasions I think where we were all able to kind of hang out once we wrapped from set, you know, depending upon if we had an early call time the next day. You know, I even remember those times. It just it was just us as kids just having fun and being in the moment, and you know, I've really been blessed throughout my life to have so many experiences like that throughout the course of my career, but Summertime Switch was definitely a highlight, most most most definitely.

00:24:38
Speaker 2: Okay, so they at what point did you get involved in the project, because it seems they clearly created are they either changed the character to be for you or it was written specifically for you because it takes advantage of all of your talents.

00:24:53
Speaker 6: You know, it's so crazy because it's just that whole ABC, you know, family thing. So you know, I was, I think when I when I came on to a Summertime Switch, I just finished working on the show called Thea that was on a BBC. Now, mind, we only did one season. We weren't as successful as you guys were, just you know, we were just went season for season. But from what I remember, I made a really good impression with the executives at ABC because they knew that, you know, I was going to come and do my job and uh and on top of that, the I was kind of riding that wave of the you know, teenage heart thing, the childhood crushing, they're the heart throb thing. You know, I was in the right on magazines and the world up. So there was a there was an audience, I think as well the demographic that I think they were trying to bring to the film, which I was, you know, able to I guess spring and uh and it all worked out. And so when I when I found out about it, it was like right after the cancel, A I believe in our show. And I went back to Chicago, and then I got a call, you know, from my agent letting me know that there was this, you know, offer to come and be a part of this film. And so I jumped at the opportunity because you know, I wanted to continue to work and U And once I found out all the other talent that was attached to it, I was like, Man, this is once in a lifetime thing. You know, what are the chances you get to work with you and you know, with Patrick and Salaymon Fry and all these people, rich and mall, so you know, it's dope.

00:26:28
Speaker 2: I wonder if anybody auditioned for the movie or if they just completely yeah, that was what they do.

00:26:36
Speaker 3: And I wonder, like, because Isaac Letzky was coming off of Saved by the new Class. Yeah, everybody, And like Richard Mall, like, I bet you they just completely cast this thing without a single audition, you know, like yeah.

00:26:50
Speaker 6: Yeah, rightfully. So, I mean because again everybody came to set. You know, there was there was little amount of risk I think from a production sign or from a producer sign at network executive side. You know, they knew what they were they knew what they were getting.

00:27:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's what they do is and you know, even NBC back in the day, we talked about this. You know in the eighties, they would take all their talent that they you know, all the young talent of the day, and they would make a movie the Week essentially, is what they would do. And ABC what they what you would find for a lot of these things were these were scripts that somebody tried to sell as a feature and somebody then didn't want to put a whole bunch of money into it, or they didn't think it could it could really open in theaters everywhere. So they go, well, wait a minute, this is a great idea. We'll take all of our young talent and we'll do it cheaper, and we'll do it as a movie of the week. And they would that's what they do. They just started pumping. So that started really big in the seventies and the eighties, and this was what ninety five, you guys are forty. So it's just starting to wane at this point where they're like, oh well, this still costs a lot of money and we you know, so by like ninety seven they were kind of gone. But this was a staple of TV for twenty twenty five years. Let's take our talent, let's take some money, let's throw some money at it, and let's do a movie of the week. So this is like, you guys are right, you might be one of the last of exactly what you're saying, where it's like we're gonna offer all of our talent, Let's get this person, let's get that person, Let's get this person and just throw them all together and do a fun hijinks kind of romp. So yeah, that's television royalty. That's that was around forever. Yeah, you know, and those were those.

00:28:21
Speaker 6: Are fun days too, I mean, because you know, there was there was a structure there where you could you could be funneled into the next thing if you will, you know what I mean, based upon the kind of work and relationship that you had with that network or with that production company. There were so many different opportunities that you could kind of just easily transition to, you know, like that. So no, I think we were the last of the mohigue is if you will, when it came to that, you know, those those family movies of the weeks and you know, the collective cast coming together and uh and tapping into that particular demographic that they were targeting. Yeah.

00:28:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, you had a lot of scenes Jason with Richard Mall in the camp kitchen.

00:29:01
Speaker 2: He has a little bit of like a little of it. It's kind of a ridiculous accent. We were discus, like a real accent. What do you remember about working with him?

00:29:11
Speaker 6: You know what? It was funny because I was so starstruck We're working with him, To be honest with you, was all a blur because I was a big Night Court fan.

00:29:22
Speaker 2: Oh me too, me too.

00:29:24
Speaker 6: So you know when I when I found out I was doing scenes with him, I think I was just so focused on making sure that I didn't mess up, you know, because I knew this guy was like you know, veteran actors been working since the eighties, probably longer than that. And again, I'm a kid in a professional adult setting, so I'm just sitting there like, you know, let me just make sure I just bang out these scenes, and you know, I don't want to hold the director up. I think that was another thing I was so kind of aware of in the back of my mind is I didn't want a lot of time being taken shooting my stuff, as I knew that I was, you know, being given an opportunity, and I didn't want to be known as one of those actors that took like multiple takes, you know, to get it right. So I was all about at that time being like, okay, let me just be all point. Okay, take this direction, keep it moving it so you know, oh my god, dude.

00:30:15
Speaker 2: That is you know what's funny about that?

00:30:17
Speaker 3: That is so not what comes across and really come across so comfortable and relaxed in a way that like I am clearly not like, yeah, we just rewatched it. You are so good in this movie. It like I blew my mind. I was watching.

00:30:30
Speaker 2: I was like, oh my god, he's got like real scenes.

00:30:33
Speaker 3: Yeah, like the second half of the movie is like a real emotional arc for you and it's good. It's like honest in a way that's like relaxed, and it does not feel like you are having any pressure. It feels like you're just totally and then of course you get up and you like sing and dance and do a whole number there too. It's like, oh, oh, Jason was in like a real movie. I was I don't know what I was doing that garbage getting dumped on me, but you were like acting and like, p It's awesome, dude.

00:31:01
Speaker 2: It does not come across like eure uptight or scared at all. It's great.

00:31:05
Speaker 6: There was always something. I really appreciate you saying that, because there was always something that was kind of thrown on the plate at the last minute, like that scene of performing, Yeah, I performed the song. I think they had just found out that I signed a deal with Motown Records, and I think, yeah, and I've been I think I had done the line king already. Yeah, So so they were they were aware of that and they were like, oh man, it'd be just great if you could just have a song and there signed. I remember we recorded that at the last minute. So even with that, it was it was a lot. I was like, oh, my god, I gotta play basketball, I gotta act and I got to sing it.

00:31:44
Speaker 2: Yes, they put it all on you man, it's incredible. Yeah, yeah, but it was.

00:31:51
Speaker 6: It was fun. We had a good time, and you know that, to go back to what what Will was saying to I think they they knew too that it was going to be successful because we were essentially what we did was a kids version of like Trading Places. Yeah, you know what I mean, like that, That's pretty much what it was. So, you know, I think the natural feel if people saw that, you know, as as viewers. And I've never told anybody this, but I played a lot of that from like Eddie's Trading Places because I saw that film and I remember when I read the script, I was like, oh man, this is this is Eddie, so like just kind of do Eddie, don't do Eddie Edie. So it worked out and if people loved it, man, I'm just so so honored and so blessed.

00:32:40
Speaker 1: That I wasn't like to be signed to Motown so young incredible.

00:32:46
Speaker 6: I signed to them right after I worked on the Jackson's mini series, The Jackson's in American Dream, where I played Michael Jackson and you know, it was kind of just a natural, a natural thing that took place. The CEO of Motown at that time got rest his soul. Mister Gerald Busby was always present on set as we were shooting that mini series because all of the music that we were doing, you know, it was Motown, Motown owned, so they really wanted to make sure that the music in the catalog was being represented properly. So, you know, just after I guess months of establishing a rapport with one another and him seeing he kind of displayed my talent day in the day out on set, that singing and all of that, I just got this offer to record with them. I recorded one album with Motown. It was called Love Ambition. At that time, it was not commercially successful. It wasn't like one of those albums are R and B albums that came out in the nineties that you know, just kind of blew up and went out of control. But the single, which was the title for the album as well, Love Ambition, especially in my hometown Io, became kind of like a classic hit and what what we at home called a steppers classic hit, and stepping is something it's like, it's couples dancing in Chicago, very elegant, very refined, very soulful. So my song has lived like for thirty years in that space and in the step of set strictly in Chicago. And now it's like making this you know, resurging or what have you, and making people kind of go back and look at my career with Motown. And so it's just really interesting right now. I think, just I think for all of us that you know, we have these these people who have admired our work for so long in a fan base has admired our work for so long, to where now we can we can look back and and be you know, I know we were proud at the time of what we did, but you know, even now as adults and understanding uh fully the moments that we were in and be able to look back in retrospect and to share those moments with fans and and you know, to laugh about them and in the cheer about him and even at times to cry about those moments together. It's just awesome. So that my experience with Motown is that as well.

00:35:07
Speaker 1: Writer said he remembered that you had so many great Michael Jackson stories from I mean working with him to play him must have been absolutely surreal.

00:35:17
Speaker 6: Oh, it was. It was. That was that was another you know situation where it was a lot of pressure. That was another ABC show. But that was another thing I did with them, and uh man, I just remember, you know, there was just so much there were so many eyeballs on just even when we were just in production it's doing principal photography, you know, because at that time, Michael Jackson and the Jackson family, it was just pandemonium. You know, He's like the biggest star in the world at that time, and so that pressure, you know, for the fan base alone and wanting to know who's playing him and if they were going to do justice to the role. And you know, and even though you're a kid, you know, these people don't care. All they know is Michael Jackson and they just wanted to be portrayed the right way or the way they think he should. Yeah, so it was it was. It was a lot, but it was a lot of rehearsal, a lot of preparation, a lot of support from people in production, a lot of support from my mother, a lot of support from the other parents who had kids that were working on the show, a lot of support from the Jackson family, from Michael himself, So that took a little bit of the pressure off on a little bit of the strength.

00:36:33
Speaker 4: It would be a little bit, but geez, I mean, I mean, he's he's arguably one of the most famous human beings in the history of the world.

00:36:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, literally, yeah from yeah, I mean up there like literally.

00:36:46
Speaker 4: So it's one of those things where it's like, oh, but how old were you when you were playing him?

00:36:50
Speaker 6: I was, what twelve thirteen?

00:36:51
Speaker 2: Okay, so yeah, no pressure, there you go.

00:36:55
Speaker 4: And now wait, you said that they signed you because of this, So were you actually singing all the songs? It wasn't It wasn't like lip syncing you were. You were singing all the songs.

00:37:03
Speaker 6: Now, I was actually singing the material. Now that the Motown the Motown stuff was actually the original recordings that Michael did, the pre Motown stuff prior to them getting signed to Motown. When they performed at the Apollo, the Regal Theater would have you their their Motown audition. I sang all that stuff.

00:37:24
Speaker 2: Wow.

00:37:24
Speaker 6: And the only time that I sang a Motown song was it was Who's Loving You? And I had to sing that live that day. Because the pre recorded track or the track that they had, they couldn't get clearance from the Motown Music publishing company at that time. So the day that we were shooting, I actually had to sing it, and so I'm singing it live. And it was that day that I got the role for the Lion King because unbeknownst to me, Elton John had come through the set that day just like visitings and just so happened to see were performing. He was only there for a brief minute, I believe, but he showed up as I was performing. I didn't even get a chance to see him or meet him. And when we wrapped from set that day, my mom came up to me and was like, yo, man, guess who I just had a brief conversation with and you know he complimented you on your performance. I was like who, It's like Elton John. I was like, okay, cool, cool, because you know, at that time, all I'm listening to is you know, Bell Bivdevo. You audition like you know, I.

00:38:38
Speaker 3: Really you're playing Michael Jackson Elton John.

00:38:44
Speaker 6: It's like okay cool. So you know, she tells me that he wants me to audition for this this new animated movie that he's doing with Disney called The Lion King. You know, he explained him and Tim Rice put this thing together and she good forward if I auditioned, So I did, and that's and that's how that whole thing came about. Man like, unbelieva again, it's just just blessings. Man Like. You guys know, I mean, you know, we've we've had something. I mean, no, you guys, you guys want to hit show were real for real. You guys were with the crew that we were all looking at as kids who on sitcoms and hoping we could get a gig like that.

00:39:26
Speaker 3: Like you guys go that is like it doesn't and you can start planning around it.

00:39:33
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:39:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, because when you did The Lion King, that's like one day or two days in the studio and then you're done. The job is you did.

00:39:40
Speaker 6: But you guys are coming to work every day, hanging with each other. That that was something that you know, I always admired about you all show. On top of the fact that it was a really good show.

00:39:49
Speaker 2: Thank you.

00:39:50
Speaker 1: I just want to ask you one more question about did you you said that Michael was really supportive of you did he have any advice for you on how best to play him?

00:39:58
Speaker 2: Like, what was Michael's advice to you?

00:40:01
Speaker 5: The only advice that I ever received from Michael regarding the role, because mind you, when we were shooting it, he was actually overseas in Europe.

00:40:12
Speaker 6: Doing the Dangerous Tour, okay, so he really wasn't like present like that on the set, but he would see like the dailies, and you know, he would send notes if he had any, which were very rare. And I think the one thing that he told Michael Peters, God rest his soul as well, who was our choreographer at the time. Michael Peters are also choreographed Thriller and beat It for Michael. He was like Michael's choreographers. So Michael Peters had come up to me one day in rehearsal and had just told me. He said, you know, Michael's been looking at the daily He's very very pleased. You know. He said, you can stick to turn a little bit harder if you want to, like the famous fan that he would do. And he actually gave me a note to do it successfully, which I which I didn't know at the time, And it's kind of something that all dancers know, but it's about keeping your eyes like when you do a spin or you're doing multiple spins, keeping your eyes on that one point. Ye. So yeah, so he was like, you know, Michael's advice for that is just you know, do that, and it just relaxed a little bit and just have fun. And he knows it's, you know, really a pressure kind of situation, but you know, just have fun. And that was all I needed, you know, to know that he was watching, to know that he was pleased with the work that was being done so far at that time. That was reassuring for me and that allowed me to kind of relax and go into the role more. And yeah, it worked, thank thank god. Like none of his fans, you know, ended up being disappointed with my performance. I was, you know, to be honest, unless there are a few people out there that I don't know of, but most of his fans felt that I did justice to that role, to his legacy, and so I'm very happy.

00:42:00
Speaker 2: What an incredible feat.

00:42:01
Speaker 4: I mean, well, what one of the things you were saying, which is so interesting is when that nobody knew Summertime Switch was going to have any staying power. But that's The thing is when, especially when you're a young actor, you never know what's going to work what's not. You think you're going to a job, you have fun doing the job, you're really enjoying it, you hope people.

00:42:18
Speaker 2: When you're doing the Lion King, you kind of know it's going to be really I don't know. Again, you don't know.

00:42:23
Speaker 6: You don't know.

00:42:25
Speaker 2: That was like a golden age of Disney film. I mean like, no, you never know.

00:42:31
Speaker 6: No, you you never you guys know this, man, You you never know. Even when the thing looks like as you're making it it looks like it's set up to be a hit, you don't know until the people see it, until it takes a connection. We and all try to make our professional prediction as far as where or forecast where something is going to go, but you never know until it gets out there. I just knew that it was Disney, and I knew that it was following in the same line or Legacy is a Laddin and Beauty and the Beast, and you know, so I knew they were gonna pump a lot of money into it. I just didn't know that it was going to be as successful as it was because I mean that I just can't wait to be King to this day. I went to Disney a few years ago and I was at the Animal Kingdom resort and that's all that was pumped this hallways. It was just it was incredible. To this day, I'm just I'm blown away and again, and i know I'm probably sound like a preacher on you Guys podcast, but I'm so thankful to God, you know what I mean, because this journey so far has just been just extraordinary. Man. I've really been able to walk into some blessings that you know, normal kids from from where I'm from, you know, from the South side of Chicago, and man, not many of us get opportunities like this, man. So you know, I'm just so happy and so grateful that I had all that.

00:44:00
Speaker 3: I went through a period like three years ago, yeah, probably about three or four years ago. Uh, I got such major dad points because my son was six years old, five or six and obsessed.

00:44:12
Speaker 2: With Lion King, and I was able to be like, Okay, I worked with that guy.

00:44:16
Speaker 3: And then I got so sick of your song, Indy, I can't Wait to Be King was like five times a day, and I like to this time, I'm over it.

00:44:27
Speaker 2: Man, I love you.

00:44:28
Speaker 3: I can't listen anymore. They had to tell stop. That was his obsessive favorite song and I was just like, dude, and you have to stop. So well, maybe it'll come back. But man, there's a ban on itto my house because.

00:44:42
Speaker 6: I I get it.

00:44:47
Speaker 1: Every few years you go viral actually for a story about your Lion King residuals where your mom advised you to reject a two million dollar buyout from Disney in nineteen ninety four and instead negotiate a royalty steal.

00:45:03
Speaker 2: So so, sir, news is, this was.

00:45:06
Speaker 1: A genius move and it came for itself over and over again. But how insanely hard was it to trust your mom back then when she was you know, two million dollars in nineteen ninety four is very hard for anyone to turn down.

00:45:21
Speaker 6: Yeah, oh absolutely, Well, you know, I will say this, my mother has had had an experience working in the in the record industry. My mother's name is Marilyn Haywood, professionally known as Kitty Haywood. My mother experienced, you know, a great deal of success as a solo artist and also in a group with my aunts called Kitty in the Haywoods. They work with Curtis Mayfield. They work with the Reap of Franklin back in the day on the Sparkle soundtrack. As a matter of fact, my mother and my aunts are on the original giving him something he can feel with the Reap of Franklin. Those are those that's my mom and my aunts in the background. Yeah. So my family has a has a history, a rich history in music. My big up my cousins. Two of my cousins are multi Grammy Award winning producers. My cousin Tricky Stewart produced single Ladies for Beyonce and Uh Break My Soul for her and Umbrella for Rihanna. My cousin Kou Carell works with Rihanna as her vocal producer. He works with share just a number of people. So that's that's my family's business. I was the only actor, you know what I mean in my family at the time. And so when that situation came about with the Lion King and when they presented the initial offer, you know, as you guys know with negotiating your own deals, the initial offer comes through, you counter and then you negotiate, you know, from there. But my mother just offered first glance. When the initial offer came through for just a straight buy out of that, you know, I think just the lights went off in her mind and she was like, Okay, well, if they're willing to buy you out for that amount of money, right, I can only imagine, you know, on a residual basis, which you could possibly generate over time. And so she was like, look, I know this kind of sounds, you know, a little bit of a stretch, and you know, I know this is a huge opportunity for you, but you know, let's let's try this. Let's let's make this chest move real quick. And you know, all they can do is just say is no. And I was like, well, you know what, I'm twelve thirteen at the time. Although I understand to some degree what two million dollars is, I'm not really don't know. All I want to do is go to the ballpark and go get McDonald's after you you know me. Yeah. So, you know, it was like all of us at that time just you know, trusting our parents to move on our behalf in the right way. And so she did, and it just continued to be the gift that just keeps on giving. I'm so so grateful that she had had the foresight to just be able to see, you know, to see that and to understand the importance of setting her son, you know, upright. And you know now that's why whenever she calls and she needs anything, she she got it.

00:48:15
Speaker 4: I think the message is always listening to your mom's especially when your mom's a pro.

00:48:21
Speaker 3: You know, like you were so fortunate that she had that experience, because yeah, I mean music industry is brutal, man Like, if you've been through that, like you come out with those scars, like you protect your kids, like that's all again.

00:48:35
Speaker 6: And she knew that, and you know, like all of us at that time with being in the in the business, you know, there has to be somebody there to protect you and looking out for your best interest because you know, all these companies are looking at at the end of the day, as they should, they're just looking at their bottom line. They're trying to get the most bang for their books, so they're not really concerned about ultimately how it's going to affect you in the long run, whether it's successful or not successful. You know, that's your job to make sure that you're protected. So you know, I'm just glad and fortunate to have my mom there who knew the business, and you know, and even now, if there are certain parts of my career where I may be confused and I really need some real advice, and I always, you know, I reach out to my mom because she really is smart like that. She's pretty brilliant as a businesswoman. So cool.

00:49:30
Speaker 1: I have two more career things I want to talk about from your history before we get into your current career, which is you have so many great things to talk about, but we have a ton of Smart Guy fans, and so I want to talk to you about when in nineteen ninety seven you landed the role alongside taj Maori.

00:49:49
Speaker 2: What do you remember from that audition?

00:49:52
Speaker 6: Oh, I just remember having a especially the screen test audition. I just remember having a great time with the creator of the show, Danny kalis Uh. Danny also created What's the Show with the Twins Zack and Cody? Yes, Yes, Sweet Life with Zach and Coach, because he did that after Smart Guy. But Danny was so he was such a pleasure to work with because you know, we were a Disney show and you know, they wanted to kind of keep it cookie cutter. I mean, it's the same basic fourth camera you know, sitcom for man and as we all know, you know, they there's a formula to that, and they wanted they want the jokes to play a certain kind of way. They want the kids to look a certain kind of way. They want the sets, the wardrobe, everything to be a certain kind of way. And you know, me naturally, as just a kid, especially who was so fully immersed at that time in like the culture of hip hop and and being a part of that whole movement, there was so much of that that I wanted to inject and bring into the role and into the show. And at first, Disney was a little bit reluctant because you know, at that time, all they knew about hip hop was like what they were hearing about Biggie and Tupac. It was not a lot of negative There was not a lot of positive energy surrounding hip hop or the culture of it at that time. But it was something that I really felt strongly about because I was like, yo, you know, just keeping it, keeping it enough. Stack with you guys. I was like, Yo, if I'm going to be on TV and if I'm going to be representing kids that looked like me and that come from the neighborhood. Like, it's got to be authentic, it's got to be real. They got to be able to see themselves in his character. They got to be able to relate to them. And I'm not going to be presenting something that's not real. You know, we're gonna do this. Let's be real about it. And Danny was so gracious and so understanding and so patient with that. And I just remember anytime I had questions, anytime I had concerns, you know, if there was a subtle change, of course, I'm not going to rewrite the script, but if there's a joke or something that I wanted to try out, I was always given that freedom. You know, me and Omar Gooding in particular, we were always giving that freedom to try different things. And I just really appreciate that because I know that took a certain level of trust and some young kids that they didn't have to, you know, really do that with. But that was one of the things that I remember the most about working on A Smart Guy was just like the support that we got from the executives and from the producers to kind of stretch out and try different things. And test our range, and then of course you know, working with the cast, working with Taj, working with JJ, working with essen z atkins Man. They were fantastic. I mean, these are people that you know, I still keep in contact with to this day, who I absolutely love. Well.

00:52:55
Speaker 2: I have a headshot from Taj where he says I'm his best friend. Did Tash talk about me? Is am I still best friend?

00:53:04
Speaker 6: I'm sure. I'm sure you are.

00:53:06
Speaker 2: Thank you you're not.

00:53:10
Speaker 4: It's nice that you're Yes, it's very nice Jason, that you're you're being this this sweet to.

00:53:14
Speaker 3: Day performing Rock and Robin at like every party. Yes, there was like a period. There was a period where he was I guess he was under contract with ABC or something, so every agency of the Disney Tosh would show up and he would.

00:53:31
Speaker 2: Before Rock and Robin.

00:53:32
Speaker 3: He was amazing because he was he was younger than us and he was so talented. I remember, but it was like there was a period where for a couple of years, every party we went to was like, oh, there's.

00:53:45
Speaker 2: There, you go there.

00:53:45
Speaker 4: That's a perfect example of what Disney does though, because Disney put him in that and then right after he and I did Kim Possible together for four years. So it was just like plugging people in. Let's plug who we got here, who we got here, who we got here, Let's plug him in.

00:53:57
Speaker 2: Let's make a thing. I mean, it's like the old contract day is in the studio. Yes exactly. I kind of yearned for that, Like I think, I love that.

00:54:04
Speaker 4: I love it. Yeah, it's the best. It was the best when it was like okay, you're now. I mean when we were on team working for Disney. You were part of that team, and it's like anytime they needed you to host something, they you know, bring you down to host something, big parties for this, big parties for that.

00:54:18
Speaker 2: You're gonna be on that show, You're gonna be in that movie. It was great.

00:54:21
Speaker 6: It was to fun. Yeah, I don't know. I think, you know, we'll see you moving forward because I know we're all trying to figure out, you know, what the what the new business model is going to be moving forward, you know, after this strike. You know, but maybe maybe something will will eventually reform like that because you know you're getting met, we're getting met with so much resistance, if you will, and like you know, the major studio, well not even major studios, but more like the digital streaming streams.

00:54:53
Speaker 2: Yeah you know what I mean.

00:54:54
Speaker 3: So I don't know how they maintain an identity like back in the day, like you knew who Disney was, you knew who ABC was based on a set of shows like now Netflix, like do people know like because Netflix is different for based on your algorithm, Like which one you know we're watching gets their version of Netflix?

00:55:11
Speaker 2: So this whole notion of like or.

00:55:12
Speaker 3: Even now Max, Like I don't even know what HBO means anymore. It's just kind of another one of the streamers. So yeah, that's the idea is like what if what if a network or a streamer where to contract contractually like absorb a set of talent, like oh we are these these like twenty actors are only associated with Netflix or these.

00:55:35
Speaker 2: That would be one way to sort of brand themselves and to have like a repertoire of actors you know at Expose or like you were saying, will to bring back like a summertime switch, like let's take the stars from all of our shows and make one big movie with them to get a brand as a network or as a streamer. Well hopefully they'll do that with all the new AI actors. They'll just be able to plug in the AI actors.

00:55:56
Speaker 4: To whatever they want, and all these computer generated programs will be in all these wonderful films.

00:56:03
Speaker 2: It'll be us.

00:56:04
Speaker 3: They'll be able to make us from nineteen ninety four Switch just didn't you.

00:56:08
Speaker 2: Just see exactly? Season eighty Boy meets World starts next week? Didn't you see? We all look great. We're not making anything, but I can't wait to see the episode. It's going to be awesome.

00:56:18
Speaker 1: Okay, I want to talk Chingy with you.

00:56:22
Speaker 2: How did your song with him come together?

00:56:25
Speaker 5: What?

00:56:25
Speaker 2: Wait?

00:56:25
Speaker 6: Wait?

00:56:26
Speaker 2: What just happened? One call Away? He Jason sings Charlie.

00:56:31
Speaker 1: No, Jason sings the hook on a Chingy song called one Call Away, and it is phenomenal.

00:56:38
Speaker 2: How dare you will Chingy is a person? Correct? Okay?

00:56:43
Speaker 6: I don't know. You don't listen to hip hop?

00:56:46
Speaker 2: No?

00:56:46
Speaker 4: No, I do listen to I listened to awesome music, incredible hip hop. But after nineteen eighty seven eighty eight, everything stops music wise.

00:56:54
Speaker 3: Okay, okay, like when hip hop starts, like a year one of hip hop at the beginning, d J Rob.

00:57:01
Speaker 2: Bass, it takes two.

00:57:02
Speaker 4: I'm all all day long, original nw A like I listened to original n w A all the time, straight out of Compton's one of the greatest albums ever, so like kind of after that, it falls by the wayside a little bit for me.

00:57:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, with all well we forgive you, We're.

00:57:18
Speaker 6: Gonna fast forward, We're gonna go to the future, but yet the past here, okay song. I did a song with this artist by the Day with ching and he had his first single he had was called right There and he and he's from Saint Louis.

00:57:33
Speaker 2: You'll know that song, well, you will know that I will.

00:57:38
Speaker 6: No, you'll know, you'll know. I did the follow up single with him, a single call One Call Away that actually ended up being like a surprise kind of sleeper hit, another opportunity that I kind of walked into that I did not know it was going to turn out like that. I was actually in Los Angeles. I was working. I had a small role in a film called The Lady Killers that the Cohen Brothers kid and that Tom Hanks starting and Marlon WANs and so I had a small role in that film. And the night before I was supposed to shoot, for some odd reason, I was out because usually I'll be in the bed, like if I know I got a seven am call. I'm usually in the bed early, but for some odd reason, I think I had gone out to dinner or whatever. And it was during kind of like award season, so everybody was out and about, you know, partying and hanging out, and I ran into a good friend of mine who used to be a famous radio personality down here in Atlanta with Ludacris. His name was Poon, and Poon and Luda had a show years ago on Hot ninety seven down here, and so I've known those guys for years. And what ended up happening was I ran in a pooling at this party. He was like, hey, man, up, what are you doing tonight. I was like, oh, I'm nothing. I'm probably gonna go back to my hotel. I got to work tomorrow. He's like, well, come to the studio. I want you to meet this kid that we have coming out on our label on Disturbing the Piece. I just want you to meet them, and you know, listen to some of the album. So sure enough, you know, went to the studio. I met Ching as we were, you know, kind of there hanging and vibing. Ponent said, well, man, we got this song called one Call Away looking for this artist, you know, to sing the hook, but we can't find the right voice for it. Like he was like, man, you still sing right? I was like yeah, but I mean, come on, man, the record industry is not trying to hear Jason Weave on a hook right now. Like I'm doing movies and I'm on TV. Like they're not tripping. It's like, just just come in tomorrow, sing down the song a few times, you know, we'll send it to Capitol. We'll see if they like it. Sure enough, the next day I go to work and I'll never forget it. I got a call like right when I was on set in the middle of my scene and Pohan was like, man, we got the studio time. You know, do you think that you can you can make it here in the next couple of hours. I'm like, dude, I'm gonna set working with the Cohen brothers.

01:00:13
Speaker 2: Like what are you talking about.

01:00:17
Speaker 6: I'm not yeah, Hank, Yeah, I'm looking at Tom Hanks, you know, getting prepared in hair and makeup, like are you saring? But as I'm as I'm having this conversation, Ethan is like next to me, like or he's in earshot distance, so he's listening. We do a couple of takes of the scene. I think we were getting like the master shot or whatever. And then after lunch we were gonna start going in and getting coverage. And so as we're breaking down for lunch, Ethan was like, hey, man, you got like a studio session or something booked today. I was like, oh no, mister coin Man, it's man, this dude is crazy. I was like, I total I was, I'm just trying to save my job. I'm at this point. I'm like, this dude's I'm not leaving. Said, I'm right here. He's like, no, well, I mean we got an hour. He's like, and then you know the coverage that we're gonna get, we're gonna do this. You won't even be in it. Man, where is it? And we were shooting in Glendale that day and the session that I had to go to is in Burbank.

01:01:24
Speaker 2: Wow.

01:01:24
Speaker 6: Yeah not far so He's like, man, it's in Burbank. I was like, yeah, it's off for Magnolia. He's like, go and do it real quick. If you can knock it out, Like, go and knock it real talk man, and shout out to eat the call for that because he didn't have to do that, but he was real cool about it, and so I went. I went to Enterprise Studios. I sang the song down maybe about five or six different times on separate tracks, and then I left and went back to work, and then they camped the vocals and then they sent it to Capital, and Capital was like, man, we really really like it, but we have different versions from different artists. And then they did like a focus group and they played all the different versions for this focus group, and Mom was the one that, you know, kind of came out on top. And that's what I got on that record.

01:02:13
Speaker 2: Honest fun day.

01:02:14
Speaker 1: I did not expect when I asked that question that the answer to how one call Away with Chiney came about is actually Ethan Culin.

01:02:28
Speaker 6: Brothers.

01:02:30
Speaker 2: I love Sorry, I just couldn't love it anymore. That's awesome.

01:02:35
Speaker 4: By the way, I will say one of my favorite bands of all time. I do listen to a little bit later music. Outcast will always be one of my favorite favorite groups ever ever. And Jurassic Five. So there's there's there's kayeties I did. I made it into the nineties. I could I could listen to I. I could listen to Outcast over and over and frankly I do so Yeah, I love them, Love.

01:03:00
Speaker 2: Jason.

01:03:01
Speaker 1: You are also still working on TV. You never really left. You're on The Shy debuting a new season next month, and you'll be on Tyler Perry's Sisters for its sixth.

01:03:10
Speaker 2: Season on be Ep.

01:03:12
Speaker 1: Has there ever been a time in your life you have been doing this for so long. You've talked about how blessed you've been. Has there ever been a time where you've thought, Man, maybe I'll just leave this all behind and go get a quote unquote regular job and just have a regular old life.

01:03:27
Speaker 2: Has there ever been a time where you've thought about that? Oh?

01:03:30
Speaker 6: Yeah, oh yeah, you know, just just being completely transparent and real. There was a time in two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine, I was in Los Angeles, me and my ex girlfriend. We were living in Hollywood at the time, in this little town home that we were like Rennie. And this was like during the Great Recession, and you know, so the economy was really really bad. And then you know, as far as you know, content in certain things traditionally that I had always been a part of a certain films that I've always been a part of those opportunities that kind of dried up. I think just because there was there was really no money, and there was really not a lot of backers that were willing to get behind films. That weren't a lot of studios that were willing to get behind certain kind of films, and so, you know, the opportunities were far in between. And I'll never forget I was, you know, I hadn't worked for maybe six months. I'd had a horrible pilot season. I think that was like my second second horrible pilot season where I didn't book anything. The little jobs that I, you know, was was kind of getting in. They were jobs that were kind of just keeping the bills paid and keeping your face out there. But it really wasn't like making a difference. And so I got into point where I was, you know, I found myself at this point of transition where I was like, Okay, well maybe this is maybe this is the point where you know, I kind of segue or transition into something else, and you know, and I was fine with that because I made peace with myself that like, okay, well, as an actor that is, or as a performer that if that was if this was kind of the end of it, then I'll take it. But what ended up happening was right across the street from where I was. I was living. I was on Sunset and Vine and the Arc Light there was the Arc Light theater. In the areas like this plaza shopping plaza there, and then that shopping plaza was a Locordon Blue culinary school. Yeah. So I'm in, I'm in, I'm in this apartment. I'm depressed, not knowing what I'm going to do, what the future holds. I have my son out there with me. My son is like what eight or nine at the time, his mother and I were co parenting. She just she just so happened to be out in California as well, so we were able to co parent and raise our child. You know, even as I was out there, you know, trying to get a job, and you know, I'm just having one of those moments and I'll never forget. My ex girlfriend was like, uh, she said, we know how, you know, I know it's kind of tough right now, but you know, keep your creative juices flowing. And the one thing that I know that she do love to do is to cook. Which I did because I would have friends over. We would have kind of like these actor pity parties, and you know, you don't have these, you'd have these horrible auditions. And so we would get together, you know, in the afternoon or in the evening, and we just down bottles of wine and we talked about horrible auditions and our lives were at that time. And so I would do all the cooking for these pity parties. And so my ex was like, well, you know you love to cook. There's a culinary school across the street. Why don't you just so so you're doing something, you're keeping your creative juice. Just just go over there and do the orientation. Check it out, you know, see if it's something you want to do. Sure Enough, I woke up the next day, I went to the orientation, fell in love with it, enrolled in culinary school. Ended up doing that for about the year and a half. I was in the same as a matter of fact, I wasn't in the same exact class, but I was in the same graduating class as Kalise, the singer Calise. She she went to the same culinary school, and so you know, I was in there for like a year and a half and that really kept me balanced and kept me sane because you know, as all of us knows as creators and as actors and performers, when you're not in that space, it could be difficult because you know, I know, at least for me, that's that's a huge part of who I am. And when I'm not able to express myself creatively and to be around other creatives and bouncing off that energy, you know, I feel like I'm dying. I feel like I'm like withering away, you know what I'm saying. So what what culinary school did for me and and you know, diving into that world was it gave me the opportunity to form new relationships that I probably normally, you know, wouldn't have been able to. I learned a new skill set, you know, something to do professionally and just in case I may hit another law or a space where I still got to provide and keep a roof over my head and you know, take care of my family. That's what it did. And it also gave me another creative outlet to where you know, even now, when I when I think of projects or things that I may want to do or develop, That's also another world that I could kind of pull into my wheelhouse because I do have that experience of going to culinary school and working professionally, you know, in the back of the house at certain fine dining establishments and you know, knowing knowing what it is to you know, worked the line. And so I did that. I did that from like eight to twenty ten, and it really was it was a humbling experience for me, but it was much needed because when things begin to kind of pick back up work wise, and the industry was providing more opportunities for performance like myself to be seen and be heard, I went back into it with a you know, a new energy and reconnecting with my real purpose, you know, really understanding just how truly fortunate and blessed I am, you know, to be working in the industry. And so I, you know, although I've always taken it seriously and I've always been grateful, coming out of that chapter of my life, it just lit an even bigger fire up under me. Yeah.

01:09:51
Speaker 2: So to bring it back to summertime, switch, well, your character fast Freddy Egan.

01:09:56
Speaker 3: Is in the kitchen, and will you point it out You're like I did perfectly poaching eggs.

01:10:01
Speaker 2: I'm like, how is going to poach?

01:10:02
Speaker 4: You learn how to perfectly poach these, Like he's a chef, how is your chef?

01:10:06
Speaker 2: All of a sudden you.

01:10:10
Speaker 6: Back then don't do their c I'll give it. I guess it was somebody in the arms department of props. They did that.

01:10:16
Speaker 2: It was perfectly poaching.

01:10:17
Speaker 6: It was shadow and that's so hard to do.

01:10:20
Speaker 2: It's incredibly hard to do. That's what they say.

01:10:23
Speaker 4: It's like the way that you you show the skill of a chef as you go poach me an egg.

01:10:27
Speaker 2: I mean, that's one of the things they do is poach me an egg.

01:10:29
Speaker 4: So I'm like, he's he's twelve and he's perfectly poaching these eggs every days, Like, how is that happening?

01:10:35
Speaker 6: No way? Because that that's what I got hung up with in culinary school because in order to like graduate, you have to be able to prepare eggs five different ways, and your knife cuts have to be precise. So I could get eggs every other way. I can make a frenchime like it's nobody's business, but poaching an egg o, no.

01:10:57
Speaker 4: No, that two thousand, two thousand and eight thousand and so there was always an old adage that the only two businesses in the world that were recession proof were the mafia and the entertainment industry. And then two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine hit and that all changed. I mean, obviously, I'm not speaking for the mafia.

01:11:12
Speaker 2: I have no idea. They probably did very well.

01:11:14
Speaker 4: But the entertainment industry, I mean it was struggling, I mean really struggling.

01:11:20
Speaker 2: So yeah, it was bad.

01:11:21
Speaker 3: We had the strike too, I mean that's the thing, like, it was all, yeah, we're kind of we're kind of in it again. I know, I don't know how people make money, like I don't understand it anymore, or I don't know how you and how the companies make motes.

01:11:33
Speaker 4: They don't either, which is why a lot of these companies aren't. They're losing money hand over fist, and you know it's it's the Netflix model isn't working. Eventually everyone has a subscription, and where do you go from you so you know it's yeah.

01:11:44
Speaker 1: Well, Jason, we cannot thank you enough for coming and spending this hour with us reminiscing about your incredible career, most notably the phenomenon that is summertime switch yeah, the fans.

01:12:00
Speaker 2: Of the shoe.

01:12:02
Speaker 6: That's right, That's right.

01:12:04
Speaker 1: Absolutely. I just thank you so much. It was such a pleasure talking to you. You are so inspiring and motivational and all those things. So thank you for being a person we can all look up to and for spending some time with us.

01:12:16
Speaker 2: So great to see you, and thank you.

01:12:18
Speaker 6: No writer, Danielle will thank you guys so much. This is This has been a fantastic hour and I've been able to spend with you all. You know, I've admired you guys so much throughout the years, and to be able to share that with you all face to face and do via zoom to let you know how much I've enjoyed you all's work over the years and and just even now this this chapter and this this time in our lives as adults who were able to reconnect. Uh, this has just been a joy for me.

01:12:45
Speaker 5: Man.

01:12:45
Speaker 6: This has really made my day. And I wish you all continued success. This show is hugely popular. I'm going to continue to support it. I love it because you guys are going on tour as well. Are you guys coming to Atlanta?

01:12:59
Speaker 2: Not on this first round?

01:13:02
Speaker 6: Will do me a favorite if you guys are ever in Atlanta or Chicago, make sure you call me because I would love to come and see you guys lives. Yes, because this is great.

01:13:12
Speaker 1: Absolutely do that. Also, I just want to throw it out there. What about summertime? Switch to you guys are counselors and this time it's sum time here some time.

01:13:24
Speaker 2: I don't have to play basketball.

01:13:27
Speaker 3: You do not.

01:13:28
Speaker 2: You can give me a basketball.

01:13:30
Speaker 1: We will, don't worry. We know you're not into the sports ball, I promise.

01:13:35
Speaker 6: But I would definitely be open to working with writer a cat that wants to be a ball, I'm down for it as long as.

01:13:44
Speaker 2: All right, that's what they wanted to hear. All right, Thank you, Jon, Thanks.

01:13:48
Speaker 6: Jason, good afternoon.

01:13:50
Speaker 2: Thank you too. Oh man, what an absolute unsant human being. Oh you went a different way.

01:14:07
Speaker 4: Just a confusion O God, yeah, God, what a pro.

01:14:12
Speaker 3: I mean you talk about being a triple threat, like you can sing, you can dance, you can act, you have insane success in all three areas by the age of fourteen. I mean, that's why I felt like, you know he was so much older, is because when we showed up on that set, like he was there to work and knew what that.

01:14:29
Speaker 2: Meant, and he stole it toole.

01:14:32
Speaker 3: He stole the meeting, and like I had no idea what I was doing, you know, it was just like, oh, plug and Plush show up and I'll figure out what acting means. Like he was already and it really you know, like having a mom like his, you know, because we're all protected by our parents, Like we've all talked about it on the show, but when you're protected by your parents and they have a little bit of knowledge about how the industry actually works, it can go a long way, I know for you, Like, my parents had no clue what was going on, and we just got lucky that my first agent was Judy's Savage again no relation to events Savage and she was still to this day like one of my parents' closest friends. Like I just got so lucky because she was such a pro and protected me in a way that you know, my parents couldn't because they didn't have the knowledge, they didn't have a skill set, you know.

01:15:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, but he's also I mean, in any career, especially when you start as a child, anything that you do, if you get one project that endures where thirty years later, people still remember it you have hit a home run.

01:15:29
Speaker 2: He's got like five, I know, he's got all of them. I mean, it's insane.

01:15:33
Speaker 4: You get when when the third thing you talk about is the Lion King, right, It's like, are you kidding me?

01:15:39
Speaker 2: That was third of It's incredible, amazing, amazing. And he's still working, he's still just playing great shows, two shows, right, He's just he's a lifer.

01:15:49
Speaker 3: You know, it's so great.

01:15:50
Speaker 2: Yeah.

01:15:50
Speaker 1: Well, thank you everyone for joining us of this episode of Pod Meets World. You can follow us on Instagram pod Meets World Show. You can send us your emails pod Meets World Show at Gmail, and we have.

01:16:01
Speaker 2: Merch merchandise at the Rich Kids.

01:16:05
Speaker 1: Camp Podmeetsworldshow dot com.

01:16:08
Speaker 2: Well send us out. We love you all. Pod dismissed.

01:16:13
Speaker 4: Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfredell and Ryder Strong.

01:16:18
Speaker 2: Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman.

01:16:20
Speaker 4: Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Taras Sudbach, producer Jackie Rodriguez, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon and you can follow us on Instagram at Podmeets World Show or email us at Podmeets Worldshow at gmail dot com.