Andrew Phung: Run The Burbs Star Talks Family, Acting & Asian Representation | Ep.83 - Gent's Talk

[00:00:00] I've included my kid on this journey. You know, he sees what dad does for a living. He sees dad working hard, grinding it out. I show him he's been a set with me. You know, he came to set the season. He saw me do a scene and he's leaving. He's like, Dad, are we going? I'm like, nobody I'm here. He's like, till when I'm like, probably midnight, one o'clock. He's like, that's 10 hours from now. Yeah, buddy, dad's got to be here all day. He's like, you got to do it tomorrow. I'm like, every day for the next 60 days.

[00:00:30] Yeah, so I didn't realize that you know they had the like the big awards show the night before the Junos and then the actual televised version. The night after type of thing. Yeah. Well, I think look

[00:00:59] the night I hosted we ran through 50 awards. So, so it's a workout. But what I loved is like the camaraderie because there's something about the television format that's really rigid. Yeah, you get X number of minutes. You got to get these acts up. There's like a whole studio thing. But with this award show because it was fluid. You didn't have to cut people's speeches off. I remember when like bands were winning. People were cheering. You know, like there's like a camaraderie. Yeah. Like I remember when we were giving out the medals.

[00:01:29] The medal award medal album. The band names were ridiculous. And I just was like, who you think a second and like talk about how amazing these band names are? But like a woman had wanted you know she came up and she's like, I've been doing this for 40 years. And this is everything to me. And like the audience is sits there and there's like, yes, we are you. We've been there the rejection of the fight to get there. Right. Like I'm tearing up thinking about it. Right. And that same woman. The album was written by her mom.

[00:01:58] And these are like letters from the Holocaust. Oh wow. And she transcribed them into music. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, you get any more personal, you know, and so you're sitting there like history right like a life's achievement here. And then when they announced.

[00:02:12] Indigenous album of the year, the community was just like we are here for this right. They had just performed and it was you know, there's something special about

[00:02:21] a non-talivized show with artists because you're just like you're just giving it into the box. You're not doing it for TV, you're doing it for each other. You're not doing it for TV and you're doing it for each other. And it's we as Canadians are so terrible at taking time to just appreciate and recognize our worth

[00:02:41] and our strength that how good we are at something. So to take one night to do that for the music industry, I was so honored to be able to be the conduit of that.

[00:02:50] How do we do that for the film industry?

[00:02:52] We do do it for the film industry with the Canadian Screen Awards. But yeah, there's always like I think there's always ways of doing more and doing it better.

[00:03:01] Like today, just before I came here, I launched a thread on Twitter just like talking about all the TV shows that are coming out in Canada over the next month and just kind of gushing it like making a TV show is a miracle.

[00:03:14] Finishing any creative endeavor is a miracle. Like Johnny Chan when he won the World Series a poker would say you got to dodge bullets. You get really lucky. And like that's when you make a TV show, when you make a movie, you got to get lucky a bunch of times

[00:03:29] to get through that whole process. So you know, I think it's just taking more time to recognize ourselves. We're not we shouldn't be seen. We shouldn't see ourselves as competing against one another.

[00:03:40] You know, we're all trying to tell these very Canadian stories. And so I am all for taking more time to just like recognize how amazing we are.

[00:03:50] Yeah, man, like we're just like we're too polite. We're too damn polite for own good. Yeah, yeah, and we I really think that we could do so much more if we gave ourselves the credit we deserved.

[00:04:01] And we sort of helped each other up as well. I think we had Cameron Bailey on talking about how you know a lot of Canadians will feel like they need to go down south to the States.

[00:04:12] And that's the only way that they can make a career out of something. I don't know if that's true. Like I don't know if you have to go to the States.

[00:04:19] I see the appeal of it obviously bigger market, a lot more access to movies, a lot more studios, a lot more opportunities.

[00:04:25] Where do we need to go in the film industry maybe here so that there's more opportunities for young actors for existing Canadian actors to want to come and perform here?

[00:04:37] Well, you know, you're talking Cameron Bailey's, you know, who's like so right or die over a Canadian talent leading one of the big great art institutions in the country and in the world.

[00:04:50] I honestly think that like for us like there's always going to be an appetite for Canadian content. So it's just making really great Canadian content and finding audiences for it.

[00:04:59] It is a bit of like trying to change the public perception because like the public perception in Canada at times is like we do kind of avoid Canadian projects or this is a comment I got a lot on Kim's convenience.

[00:05:10] It's so good, I can't believe it's Canadian.

[00:05:13] You know, it's so good, I can't believe it's Canadian. Let her can he's so good. Can you believe it's Canadian?

[00:05:19] It's like yeah Canadian and I love so it's this I know when run the run the burbs trailer aired on access Hollywood Mario Lopez is like look at that a regular old American family.

[00:05:31] And I was like, oh, yeah, see the show he saw the trailer right he's like look at this show. It's amazing.

[00:05:39] But again, it's a Canadian show like Canada Greenlit this and literally so seasonal one and two of run the burbs just dropped on Hulu on New Year's Eve.

[00:05:48] And so many of the comments were damn Canadians know how to do comedy. This is coming from Americans who watch Canadian content say damn we are good at what we do right.

[00:06:00] So it's a bit of like fighting this perception that Canadian content in the country isn't great right. It's like we got a champion our own work.

[00:06:11] And so for me, it's like going to my friends who aren't industry like aren't in the industry like telling them about shows but also saying things like you're posting about these American shows all the time can we put a little effort into the Canadian shows because really that's what it is it's making the Canadian audience see and recognize the value of our work.

[00:06:29] And I'm not and I'm not talking about I don't want this to be charitable. I don't want this to be like don't give us pity because you know we're Canadian.

[00:06:37] No, just actually try to look at our work. Give it some attention and just judge it for its own merits but I really truly believe that the work we create here is incredible right.

[00:06:49] There's so many amazing shows like us before we blow up in the US and you're like oh damn I should have watched earlier.

[00:06:56] Yeah exactly. I got friends who were coming back to me now like season three of Ronda Burm, just like yeah I started just started watching season one.

[00:07:03] It's so good. I'm like what have you where have you been? We did improv together for like 10 years man come on you gotta support me here right.

[00:07:13] People who were like finding Kim's convenience like later on like season four and fire like it's so good I'm like where were you five years ago.

[00:07:20] So I think really that's it it's like we can't don't give up we can't give up we got to keep work and keep grinding it out keep hustling right and and back to what you said it's like when when Kim's convenience hit there was a very real conversation with my wife of like do we try to go to the US right.

[00:07:41] Like move to the US because there was a game little traction out there and we stayed in Canada because I love Canada.

[00:07:50] I love working here I love the people here but I also got a family and I really asked myself where I want to raise my kids and I want to raise them in Canada.

[00:07:58] I want to raise them in a community that I felt I felt a part of and felt connected to and so it's a conversation that a lot of creators are having.

[00:08:07] And so there's a like you know I've had these conversations with other parents who are in the industry like we stay in Canada to do this work and we kind of like we're bonded by it right.

[00:08:16] And that's not to knock like I think going to the US like if you're young and you got nothing to lose why not sure right we're seeing I saw my voice seem to go out there and like he had nothing to lose and everything again right.

[00:08:27] But I think it's really it's to the person and it's much like an artistic career whatever you do needs to fit you.

[00:08:33] Like I get asked for advice a lot of like what's your advice for a young actor and I say I don't got great advice because my advice is really vague but I always say do you love it.

[00:08:42] What do you love about it? You know do you love the award shows you love the glamour you love the magazines don't do it for those reasons.

[00:08:49] A lot of people love it for that reason they love for those reasons right.

[00:08:52] You see the popularity you love that don't do it because that is so far and few in between and it's such a small part of what you will have to end up doing with the rejection and the going out there feeling vulnerable feeling like you have no worth constantly questioning yourself right.

[00:09:09] I started improv comedy the amount of church basements I had to play in the amount of venues that had two people in the audience.

[00:09:16] I did an improv marathon 12 hour improv marathon with two audience members one of them was my wife one of them was a sound technician think about that right so you're looking out there there's one person right my wife my girlfriend now wife so it's like do you even sure if she would stay that way.

[00:09:34] I was sure you can leave you like I can get my own way home so I always say the young people I'm like do you love it right if you love it then keep doing it.

[00:09:44] I bet you if you ask any of the artists you've had on this show do you look like I learned shan Desmond story you know he was like a kid you know in like performing in Portuguese community associations right he has to love it to keep doing it all these years later

[00:10:01] and even when he hit his success and I love this you know like there was a period he talked with the dark times where he don't know if he should do it anymore even when you become the top of your field in this country you still question your worth right so all those moments we see him in music videos and award shows there's some low moments right

[00:10:20] and I think now the second phase of his career I think he appreciates it so much more now 100% yeah but you got to love it.

[00:10:26] You absolutely have to love it and he's talked about that how you know that window of time when he took off from like he took some time off from the music industry it was always there it was just burning dimly yeah and the minute an opportunity presented itself it was like where have you been all my life type of thing

[00:10:44] yeah he's passionate about it and I think that speaks to it but you said something interesting about dealing with the rejections and the low moments and all those things what was your low moment oh there's so many low moments man there's a lot of low moments like firstly so I come from the improv world where I would do two or three improv shows a week

[00:11:03] and so early on it was a low moment early on like I was not good I didn't have a comedic voice I didn't know who else trying to be it really wasn't until my friend like my friends and all joy and I all join this improv theater

[00:11:15] and it's when they they stopped coming and I stayed because like I I was no longer doing it to make them laugh I was doing it just for my benefit right that was the change right I stayed doing it when I was at university

[00:11:26] I was just trying to grind it out figure it out and I found my comedic voice but all those like that year or two before man like I was the least funny out of all my friends that joined the loose moves theater so grinding it out stayed there figured it out and then that's when you ride the wave

[00:11:42] you can have three or four good shows and they just have a terrible show and that's what I loved about living in Calgary because Calgary is not this epicenter hot spot of entertainment

[00:11:54] you know for real estate a real estate and country music yes but not for improv comedy so for me I could have terrible nights and my artistic director was like great come back next week

[00:12:04] you learn from it what are you going to do Andrew you need to come back next week and do it so I got to ride these waves and eventually like the high stayed longer and then every now and then there's a show that humbles you

[00:12:14] but the ride state the high stay longer you ride it out longer and that's when I found my voice

[00:12:20] but there's always like every every little while there's like a reminder of things that maybe a project you didn't get but the truth is now as I do it all these years later

[00:12:32] the lows are less common because I love what I do I love what I do and I know the lows come with it the hard moments come with it

[00:12:42] the hard moments on set there's hard moments where like I didn't take my kids trick or treating this year that sucks I was on set working that was hard that's a low moment your family is important to you

[00:12:52] we talked about that at the Junos yeah you like so you and I met at the Juno Awards on the red carpet and in that brief exchange you talked about your family

[00:13:01] and that always tells me something that when there's a small moment of encounter when you bring up something like that it means it carries such significant weight in your life

[00:13:11] how has that played a role in your life as an actor as a father as a husband as a human well you know as an actor I try to always think about the roles I take

[00:13:23] and whether or not my kids can watch it okay you know like it's true like I got offered a crime show years ago

[00:13:29] and I was like what's the crime he's like this guy rape people and then set them on fire and I'm like I'm out I can't do that is his crime like a cyber crime

[00:13:40] did he rob a bank because I'm like that's you know what I mean like that's a line of like I can show my kids like it's TV right so I always think about like what's what I'm my what roles am I doing that I can show my kids

[00:13:52] and it's a reflected in my work we're like now run the burbs show about a family in the suburbs like I hope to leave this as a legacy to my kids of like we're telling their stories on television

[00:14:03] we're telling the stories of of the children of immigrants and their kids on television like that's my hope right so I try to always put good into the world

[00:14:11] and prior to being an actor I was the director of a nonprofit called Youth Central where we got young people volunteering in the communities

[00:14:19] I was there for six years and I loved my work there and I remember something my executive director told me she said I always want to leave the world a better place as I inherited it

[00:14:31] so when she leaves the world she hopes it's better because of her presence and I always try to keep that in mind with whatever I do with whatever I do with whatever interaction I have I try to I want to make sure that my interaction with you my what I do in the world who I am is better because I was there

[00:14:47] and so that's why I value being a parent so much trying to find that balance making sure that my work reflects my family values, reflects conversations I can have with my kids

[00:14:59] and it's been really fun because I've included my kids on the journey like this happened recently

[00:15:07] and my son and older son and I binge cobra Kai love cobra Kai binge did he loved he watched all the karate kid movies and like I'm telling him the lore of it

[00:15:17] the fan expo reaches out and said hey can you moderate some panels I said I'd love to can you give me the cobra Kai panel bring him down the fan expo

[00:15:26] he doesn't know he just knows we're gonna go see cobra Kai he sees dad walk out with cobra Kai on stage right real high moment right then right after I'm like hey buddy you welcome watch me do some improv go down a comedy bar watches me do an improv show

[00:15:41] and I say to my improv partner beforehand you know Christie can we keep this a clean sense like yeah yeah no problem it is not a clean set I'm apologizing to my kid in the front row he's slapping his leg right laughing

[00:15:54] it's the joy of it I've included my kid on this journey you know he sees what dad does for a living he sees dad working hard grinding it out I show him he's been a set with me you know he came to set the season he saw me do a scene and he's leaving

[00:16:10] like dad are we going I'm like nobody I'm here he's like till when I'm like probably midnight one o'clock he's like that's 10 hours from now like yeah buddy dad's gotta be here all day he's like you got to do it tomorrow I'm like every day for the next 60 days right so he sees dad working but I want that I want him to see that I want him to be a part of it

[00:16:29] right work ethic appreciation understanding but I don't ever want him to feel like dad's job was separate from him I already miss out on a lot of my kids life because of my job and and opportunities so whenever I can I can bring it together I will absolutely bring those worlds together yeah

[00:16:48] is there was your dad in the film industry no my dad my dad owned a metal shop he was a welder welding metal fabrication and I guess that I guess what I just said is really related to when I turn 14 he started bringing me the shop

[00:17:03] to work in the shop and it was like little things like putting screws in did it became like working this like really mean you know machine like 10,000 pieces of bending a thing be paid me seven bucks an hour

[00:17:15] that's a lot yeah go all go blue notes go to bootleg or get some stuff right but those two yeah those two summers go to Randy river right

[00:17:28] well the little stitches stitches stitches still thing that's it still I think stitches is still thing

[00:17:33] um

[00:17:35] Lyshato Lyshato yeah Lyshato before it was really classy because Lyshato was like trying to be very got really classy yeah a while

[00:17:42] then I was I walked in and was like I can't afford anything in here anymore yeah nor you dress yourself a great eight grad you're not

[00:17:48] yeah to one of the other but those those two years I went to work with my dad on on summer breaks and all the school breaks was

[00:17:56] I really really formative for me so I think yeah I saw how hard my dad worked and in that moment I understood like in that moment

[00:18:05] a lot of my teenage angst towards my dad resentment because he was so busy became crystal clear why like I understood him now I understood

[00:18:14] what he was doing like he didn't he had to go to work right and he had to go to work for our family and so I really recognized it

[00:18:24] over those two years the immigrant story it is the immigrant story and so now as a child of immigrants I'm fortunate enough

[00:18:32] to be able to try to find that balance right and though I sometimes I'm just like I'm just making the same mistakes that

[00:18:39] I think my dad made you know but I'm trying to write them and I'm trying to fix them and I'm trying to do something with it

[00:18:46] do you ever reconcile that with your dad yeah yeah I have a great relationship with my parents you know often you hear with Asian families

[00:18:52] you know there's a lot of struggle with their parents I got a great relationship because my parents when I was like 21-22

[00:18:59] I started inviting them to my improv shows and they didn't see me at year one they saw me year five

[00:19:05] okay so like I was on the college yeah so much better and I remember my mom and dad were costing like Andrew you got to go you got to

[00:19:13] go to Hollywood you gotta do this I'm like okay ease up mom take it easy okay but my parents were always the ones who are like

[00:19:19] you should go do this so my parents really encouraged me because I included them on the journey

[00:19:24] because I think there's a fear of immigrant parents are like they don't want their kids to be poor and hungry

[00:19:29] but I think they saw that I was on to something they also saw me going university getting a degree getting a real job like hustling another passion yeah

[00:19:39] what was the other passion well it was nonprofit work right I remember Avenue magazine I'm Calgary did a top 40 and or 40 and I was listed top 40 and

[00:19:47] 40 for my nonprofit work wow and at the very bottom this is Andrew also pursues comedy right and now all these years later 10 years later the comedy

[00:19:57] is the career yeah right but yeah I have a great relationship with my parents and one that bonded even more when I had kids

[00:20:05] because I remember when I had kids my parents love hanging out with my kids and my dad and my mom and dad were just coming over

[00:20:15] with treats given the money whatever taken the 7-11 get them whatever and I'm like mom dad what are you doing like where where are these parents

[00:20:25] like where were the parents I had when I was a kid but I looked at me says that's your job now my job now is to have fun with them

[00:20:34] your job is to do the things I did with you to make sure that you're a good person to make sure that you go to school

[00:20:41] to make sure that you work hard that's your job now and it really put so I get to see the fun of my parents come out

[00:20:47] so my parents weren't hard on me because they were just joyless people they're hard on me because they need to raise a good human being

[00:20:55] well I think we a lot of people sometimes forget that yeah and I've said this so many times and every time I say it's like a nice reminder for myself

[00:21:01] and anyone who hears it is that our parents were going through life for the first time they're growing up

[00:21:06] they're learning and figuring it out as they go yeah and when they when they take a harder stance or a

[00:21:13] stoner stance my parents were both loving similar to yours very loving but they had to work all the time

[00:21:18] yeah and in those moments where they were able to sit down with me and show me affection and spend time watching movies and ordering pizza

[00:21:26] and watching the leafs lose and all that other fun stuff yeah it was those moments were where the important moments

[00:21:33] and when I think about what you just said it makes me remember again they were just doing the best they could with what they had

[00:21:41] yeah yeah we were watching our parents grow up man and our parents were young sometimes like sometimes like

[00:21:46] like 28 back in the day is like 45 like a look at a photo of my dad and I'm like oh man we're the same age

[00:21:52] right and except they they moved countries they didn't know the language yeah yeah no money

[00:21:59] I have to it's like if I had to I had to move from one part of a Tobacco to another and I was like I don't know how I'm going to manage my life

[00:22:06] yeah I mean I don't know anything about this place right they moved entire countries face different challenges

[00:22:12] prejudice right lack of language like sometimes lack of education that transferred over with kids with kids

[00:22:20] yeah right and so and then kids who are complaining but like I can't bring food that you make the school for lunch

[00:22:27] you know like we're ungrateful for right and now all I want is my mom's cooking 100% all I want right is my mom's food

[00:22:35] it's yeah it's tough but like yeah so so you know my relationship my parents is really good I'm an only child as well so I think it's really helpful because like

[00:22:43] we had no one else but each other right right and so yeah we've we've bonded were always texting each other my mom and dad are really into emojis right now

[00:22:53] which is like really just trying to understand their like they have English the second language and other learning emoji so I'll try to really

[00:23:01] understand the emojis via that world so it's been fun like I love it and my dad and I sure you sorry an Netflix account okay obviously

[00:23:12] sometimes like he'll see that I watch something and he'll watch it he'll come with like ask me about it and I'm like wait you

[00:23:19] watch that why are you watching this like when you were watching it your two seasons in I thought it was me really good I was like that's

[00:23:25] pretty sound logic that is really sound logic yeah but yeah I have a really joyous relationship with them now and I'm really thankful for it

[00:23:33] because of you know because they included me in their life and I got to see everything they did and you have two kids I have two kids

[00:23:41] yeah what's the lesson you learned from your parents that you want to impart on your kids while my mom and dad were really into being good people

[00:23:51] so like manners and being good to your neighbors and always helping each other and supporting one of them so really like that's been my goal in my

[00:23:58] kids to really just try to raise good human beings thoughtful human beings who care for their neighbors who care for each other

[00:24:05] who yeah care for the people around them and because I feel like I feel as I get older the people I notice that like are

[00:24:17] are caring they're like magnets for good people and friends they'll always be taking care of I often find the people that are

[00:24:24] muttering on the street are like angry or like it caught up in those videos where they're yelling and like are people who are

[00:24:30] who don't do those things no you know what I mean and so hurting on the inside part they're also probably hurting on the

[00:24:37] they're hurting on the definitely hurting on the inside and so it's really just trying to raise good human beings

[00:24:43] and trying to have a lot of fun with them that's something I learned from my parents and then what I try to mix that

[00:24:48] with is what I've learned is like trying to have fun because I didn't always have the most fun growing up

[00:24:53] because like you know my parents were pretty pretty strict on me so it's like because it coming from the

[00:24:58] I'm coming from the improv world where everything about improvisation is is having fun

[00:25:03] yes and in the situation living in the moment so I'm trying to really work with my kids to like to be that

[00:25:08] to have that right but like I'll say this I sometimes with my kids if they're like I got two boys

[00:25:20] that they're fighting or how do you tough damn always like oh it's so tough and then I go out and I see other siblings in the

[00:25:25] world and I'm like oh I got it easy my kids my kids don't like don't do that you know or if I see a meltdown

[00:25:32] at the mall I'm like oh I'm glad my kids have never done that and so I'm really glad that like

[00:25:37] because I think sometimes like modern parenting gets a little bit of a bad reputation of just like people

[00:25:42] like making fun of it you know making fun of it for being too woke you know but for me it's like

[00:25:47] it's more of just having conversations with my kids right and like I'm strict when I need to be strict

[00:25:52] well it's that fine balance too yeah like it's a having there's moments where I would think back to my

[00:25:58] child when I go you know my there are moments my parents were strict and they didn't give me answers

[00:26:03] in times where if they simply sat me down and explain something to me yeah it would have made so much

[00:26:08] more sense for me and it wouldn't have taken me as long to understand the lesson

[00:26:12] totally or to listen to the instructions you know what I mean totally and that conversation is so

[00:26:17] important it's really that trying to have conversations with my kids trying to get ahead of

[00:26:22] things that come up yeah and I you know I say that we I see the way my kids handle things

[00:26:28] and process things like we were watching the my ducks movies great movie great movie

[00:26:33] great movie there's a joke in my ducks one where Emilio S. of S coach bomb base has

[00:26:38] you're playing like a bunch of girls and I paused it I said to Nicole I'm like hey buddy you know

[00:26:43] this this movie came out like 1991 we don't make that joke anymore because we're seeing a professional

[00:26:48] women's hockey league right now so women about time they can play hockey my son looks at me he says yeah

[00:26:54] dad I know like he knew he's like yeah we don't make that joke anymore I'm like okay good

[00:26:59] yeah keep it really wicked in play right so so you know we're having these conversations

[00:27:04] but sometimes they don't even need it sometimes like they're just like yeah I'm cool this like I get it

[00:27:09] this movie is a little older I got something some of these jokes don't make sense right and so that makes me really happy

[00:27:14] you know and it makes me really happy that you know I got these kids that will see the world in that way

[00:27:19] that will give their peers the respect right and the women's hockey like I gotta make a side note like

[00:27:25] they're like 800,000 viewers for their debut game that's freaking incredible

[00:27:30] yeah that's like raptors numbers it bug was my mind to think that it's taking us this like

[00:27:35] it's one of those things that now that it's happened you're like yeah this is obvious it's it's

[00:27:39] happened like why wouldn't it and then you start to think through yourself how has it taken this long

[00:27:44] to get to this yeah like they should have been a thing years ago should have been a thing years ago

[00:27:49] but at the same time what I'm appreciative of it happening now is that

[00:27:55] that we get to finally get to actually appreciate it because I think if it happened earlier

[00:27:59] and society wasn't ready yet it would have survived and it would have been they

[00:28:05] would you know already their comments are like the worst comments right like the comments you get on there

[00:28:10] like there's a there's a TikTok that a player posted where she's like finally get to go to work

[00:28:14] making money for my dream and the comments were just terrible right and they're from the same dudes

[00:28:20] angry so I think if it happened earlier but now I think there's like now that like

[00:28:26] there's a conversation around this topic and around equality and around so many social issues

[00:28:32] that we can appreciate it and support it you know like I don't know why the raptors

[00:28:39] didn't bring in WNBA team here because I'd be all for it right women's basketball

[00:28:44] over the last couple years has been incredible and so you know it's like it's not like that

[00:28:48] but like you know going back to my kids is like that's the stuff I'm really proud of

[00:28:52] being able to have those conversations and especially around like I love our conversations

[00:28:56] around feelings around feelings around struggles you know I've had like my all this happened recently

[00:29:03] my son was came home from school and I was like what I knew so far as long like what's wrong

[00:29:08] he's like I don't want to talk about it I'm just having a bad day

[00:29:11] and he went upstairs and like I was like didn't even I didn't go to the room

[00:29:15] just left him hour later he came down he's like I'm ready to talk about it

[00:29:19] perfect let's great let's talk about it yeah he told us about his bad day

[00:29:23] we listened he had some ice cream

[00:29:27] the amount of men that struggle to talk about their feelings you know

[00:29:33] and so I'm so proud that I'm happy that hopefully my young men are able to talk

[00:29:38] about their feelings process them and have a bowl of ice cream

[00:29:42] so that makes me really happy about this generation of parents

[00:29:46] and these conversations were happening which is so important because that's how you build the next

[00:29:50] generation of healthy men yeah right healthy men mentally emotionally

[00:29:55] and then they're in better relationships with their parents with their friends

[00:29:59] with their partners with their co-workers yeah like I don't quite comprehend

[00:30:04] the resistance to stuff like that still

[00:30:08] well thanks resistance to change yeah but it just it seems

[00:30:12] it seems nonsensical when you tell like that perfect that story right there

[00:30:16] where's the where's the issue and something like that

[00:30:20] I you know where's the issue I think you know and but someone will always find an issue with something

[00:30:24] no 100% you know I posted a picture of me doing art with my kids on twitter

[00:30:28] one time it was like we were making bird houses

[00:30:30] that's it we just decorating bird houses and one woman responded

[00:30:34] you don't have to keep your kids occupied all the time Andrew

[00:30:36] I was like oh damn you saw a dad doing art with his kids and that was your response

[00:30:40] yeah okay you know like there's always you know there's always someone yeah so

[00:30:46] literally before I came here my girlfriend loves home sense

[00:30:50] is in like this group on Facebook that you know when they post all these new things

[00:30:54] and one of the moms I guess just moved to the area and she asked

[00:30:58] you know what are good schools in the area and somebody in the comments replied

[00:31:02] uh it's not the school that teaches the kid it's you you need to be a better parent

[00:31:06] and just went off like with an essay yeah and I was

[00:31:10] I started reading the comments and I'm like that I don't like that is what you take

[00:31:14] away that is what you felt you needed to say yeah it's wild

[00:31:18] yeah so how do you deal with the comments on the stuff you post about you

[00:31:22] about the show about your career well a couple things

[00:31:26] one I ignore some of them you know sometimes I use

[00:31:29] ignore it but the but what I tried to do is I just try to like have

[00:31:33] sometimes I've rational responses to things you know um

[00:31:37] like someone you know recently made a comment big fan of the show just made a

[00:31:41] comment saying you know what I love Andrew show

[00:31:44] I don't think Andrew and I would have the same political beliefs

[00:31:48] and I said I wrote back I'm like hey man thanks for watching the show I really appreciate it

[00:31:52] I disagree I think you and I we sat down and had a drink would agree on 99% of things

[00:31:58] that's just be friends you know and he's like thanks Andrew I'm like we can disagree on things

[00:32:02] yeah I'm not gonna hate on you for that you know and so

[00:32:05] sometimes with the comments but like I just try to put joy into the world and

[00:32:09] it's like a joy force field and so for the most part

[00:32:13] you know sometimes I'll get the random comment here and there

[00:32:16] with stuff um but like I just sometimes we just be responding like one time I

[00:32:21] used to respond like hey thanks really thanks for the criticism I really appreciate it

[00:32:24] I'll really internalize it try to make it better and that was it and they're like yeah okay

[00:32:28] and I don't I don't think they properly knew how to respond to that because someone came back

[00:32:32] I'm not gonna argue with you you feel like this this the scene I wrote wasn't

[00:32:37] right for you hey man I'm sorry you feel that way I'll try to you know I'll try to like

[00:32:42] internalize that criticism and and and and and and and and address that but this is a very personal

[00:32:47] thing to me and it's accurate to me and you know with run the burbs the very personal

[00:32:51] show and there's a lot of moments of a Vietnamese representation there's a lot of moments of

[00:32:55] Indian South Asian representation so we try to connect it to people in the writers rooms

[00:32:59] that doesn't but like my Vietnamese experience isn't every Vietnamese person's experience right

[00:33:05] yeah and so like you know there uh one of our things came up where like someone made a comment

[00:33:09] say this is not how Vietnamese people do this and I'm like firstly you you live in the US

[00:33:17] so US Vietnamese and Canada Vietnamese are very different and Vietnam Vietnamese are very different

[00:33:24] like they would look at us be like you guys no you don't care yeah it's like in the sopranos

[00:33:28] where Tony soprano went to Italy and even Tony soprano was like a bit were scared of the Italian

[00:33:34] mafia out there I'm like yes a reminder that even in the sopranos the New Jersey Italian mob

[00:33:41] was very different than the Italian Italian mob right so so I think there's just nuances all over

[00:33:47] so I actually talk about the specificity in my work I try to be very specific to this family but

[00:33:52] in regards to dealing with the haters one you ignore it if you feel like if I feel like it's like

[00:33:57] unhinged or like just hate for hate I just ignore it if I feel like there's an opportunity to

[00:34:03] properly respond out properly respond and it's been uh I'm thankful it's been really good you know

[00:34:09] it's been really good for my mental health but I do I do I do actively check how much time I'm on

[00:34:14] social media for my mental health you know because like there's yeah and there's also things I

[00:34:20] won't conversation things I won't go into on social media because it's misinterpreted in so

[00:34:27] many ways yeah I just I just try to put joy onto the world well ever since I started doing the

[00:34:32] podcast I've realized more and more why long form conversation is so important totally like you

[00:34:37] can't there's no way you can get the gist of a whole person's being thought process beliefs in a

[00:34:45] comment on a social post yeah there's too much that you're gonna like you can go any which way

[00:34:50] you can interpret it any which way yeah and then to engage with the haters that way I think is

[00:34:56] you're right just uh you're better off not engaging not sort of wasting that energy on something

[00:35:03] like that I like the approach though of just being positive yeah try that too at times or it's just

[00:35:08] like hey you know what appreciate that you even took the time to write a comment yeah I hope you

[00:35:12] have a great day yeah and end it there yeah and sometimes the feedback to that is like thanks man

[00:35:17] that was actually really nice I so it's killer with kindness was something you know I learned early

[00:35:26] um and also like a big trait of improv comedy like improv comedy is like

[00:35:31] like actually like the the hard the for improvisers the hardest thing they struggle with early on like

[00:35:37] new improvisers is being positive hmm like oftentimes in improv scenes they'll come in and create

[00:35:42] an argument right away and one of my exercises when I was teaching was just like doing a scene

[00:35:47] where you don't argue about anything for a minute and see where that takes you right and

[00:35:52] and what it ends up doing is it actually creates more enriching and more detail oriented scenes so

[00:35:57] my hope is when I go into the world being really positive it creates a more enriching life

[00:36:02] for me and my family how does improv tie into how you uh behave might not be the right word but

[00:36:09] interact with other people in your normal day to day I would say just even exist like improv improv

[00:36:14] improv totally changed because like when I joined the theater I was 16 really struggling I didn't

[00:36:19] I wasn't comfortable on my own skin I wasn't comfortable who I was my grades in school were like

[00:36:24] mediocre when I started doing improv my grades got better because if I knew if I'd good grades I

[00:36:29] can go do improv right and um firstly thankfully the the theater never charged for lessons which was

[00:36:36] like a reduction of barrier I'm really always really thankful for that yeah because they always ask

[00:36:41] I'm like how did an Asian comedian out of Calgary even make it to this I'm like wow it's because

[00:36:46] I never had to pay for classes at the beginning right it was like I could just kind of go do it

[00:36:50] just the space to exist but um in regards to improv in my life it taught me these basic pillars like

[00:36:58] with an improv scene when you go in you want to go in one positive you go into situation positive

[00:37:03] I go into interaction on positive if I came in here and I'm like how long is this gonna take

[00:37:07] how would that make you feel right yeah you'd be like well this guy doesn't want to be here yeah

[00:37:11] if I came in and I was like okay well what's your name what's your name where are you going

[00:37:15] okay whatever you know like that's like that would obviously immediately put you off

[00:37:19] oh 100 percent positive well I mean I saw the way you interacted with that lady outside yeah

[00:37:24] oh that's really nice well how could you not she was she was a gem yeah she was she was she

[00:37:29] she saw it in her gym yeah you're here yeah I was like yeah okay and you know you give

[00:37:34] her give you hug of course you can give me hug when when a mother of that energy and that

[00:37:39] bubbliness wants to give you a hug you give her a hug yeah you know you give her hug and if she

[00:37:44] offers you leftovers in the top of our container they speak like a margarine container you take it

[00:37:48] you take it because it'll be good um but improv taught me to be positive it taught me to be genuinely

[00:37:54] curious have big ears listen to your partner it taught me to live in the moment it taught me to

[00:38:01] um yes and so if I hear a suggestion yes and right agree and right so you do that that's like

[00:38:10] a tool book a handbook a guide so just living life like so you go and you approach the world like

[00:38:18] a big long improv scene because truthfully improv is making things up as you go what is life

[00:38:24] making things up as you go I don't got to script a life I don't got to script improv so you just

[00:38:29] go out there and you just do it and like literally my whole life is just a big giant improv scene

[00:38:34] it's just trying to do the scene trying to make it you know through the day try to figure out try

[00:38:40] to have fun with it try to make people around you laugh and smile really right so I think improv

[00:38:45] is the best training not just for performers but it's just for people to handle life like um

[00:38:52] I love uh I love when they bring improv into the workplace and so I've done a lot of workshops

[00:38:56] I did a workshop with Uber um my artistic director and calorie did a whole workshop with a bunch of

[00:39:01] teachers I've done it with teachers I've done it with different staff um I've done it within the

[00:39:06] corporate world in regards to HR people I've gone in and taught improv workshops but it's just a great

[00:39:12] way of handling what can be interpreted as stressful situations because I think people are

[00:39:17] sometimes stressed out about well look some people are stressed out when he's going outside yeah some

[00:39:20] go to stress out when you're making a phone call right so I think like improv really helps you

[00:39:24] kind of navigate those worlds right so when I go and do a different thing I put on a different hat

[00:39:29] for that situation but that was improv and so I'm so thankful I got to go do that and continue

[00:39:34] to get to do it yeah that's awesome I never thought about life and essentially life just being one

[00:39:40] giant improv scene it is man it's a great analogy oh I like that yeah life much like Tom Cochrane said

[00:39:46] life is a highway and it's just a long improv isn't long yeah okay so I want to go back to run the

[00:39:51] verbs for a second yeah by the way thanks for those two of course man this is a cool two yeah

[00:39:55] we're looking at this poncho yeah um you at one point you talked about how putting something together

[00:40:05] is like a mixture of work but also luck um talk to me about the process for putting this together

[00:40:14] as a new season like how all that came to be the work involved in it because I think sometimes

[00:40:19] to the point you made about the story earlier with your son sort of showing up and then leaving

[00:40:23] going wait you got a beer for another 10 hours yeah not a lot of people really grasp what goes on

[00:40:28] behind the scenes of a show like this yeah well I would argue like my whole career is like

[00:40:35] little bit of luck to get to a certain point you know hard work and luck like I got cast out

[00:40:40] of Kim for Kim's convenience out of a fringe show look at improv show at the fringe in Edmonton so

[00:40:46] like that's a little bit luck right but they didn't see your one Andrew they saw your 15 Andrew

[00:40:51] they saw literally 10,000 plus hours of Andrew doing comedy and now it built a sold out show at the

[00:40:58] fringe so they saw the best version of myself right and I think that's a so not to go you have

[00:41:02] that to keep point there is they saw your 15 yeah like this isn't overnight six all like you just

[00:41:08] started yesterday and you hopped on set and you're like correct here I am yeah if you've put in days

[00:41:13] months years yeah until we were sometimes like where does guy come from it's like no I've been

[00:41:17] digging it out two person audiences right so you know it's a lot of hard work but it's a little

[00:41:23] bit of luck like you know in's joy was there you know to come and inviting me to audition for the show

[00:41:29] I don't know if I would have auditioned for the show if it wasn't for that interaction because

[00:41:32] it wasn't in the theater world and so you know you make a show that becomes a hit you know

[00:41:39] and then with run the burbs it was like we had I had another show in development

[00:41:44] that was like it was a sneaker show around like a me traveling exploring sneakers

[00:41:50] that was put in development and that show had a lot of high hopes the beginning didn't get picked up

[00:41:56] you know at the end of it my partner Scott Town and I were just like we should move on so it's

[00:42:02] like you know hard work a little bit of luck to get that first initial look but then also come

[00:42:07] back down so the waves again right but then from there it's like what do we really want to make

[00:42:12] and that to me is a bit of a luck because I think actually this show not getting picked up was

[00:42:15] a little bit lucky because it allowed us to make what became run the burbs and then being able

[00:42:21] to bring run the burbs to again luck I was in Montreal at the Just For Last Festival

[00:42:27] I was hanging out with my friend Raki Morzaria my comedy friend and we see Bill Lundy appear 21

[00:42:33] he's an exact that says I want an Andrew Fung project said okay man a little bit luck seeing him

[00:42:38] there right this random interaction make the show right no here's other luck I hosted I was I was

[00:42:45] the host of the pilot for this cooking show right that was going to shoot in December I got dropped

[00:42:53] as the host for another host so I took that month of December that I had sectioned off to work on

[00:42:59] the pilot that became run the burbs wow again a low moment yeah you could have packed it in right I

[00:43:05] could have packed it in yeah or I could have been making that show and not have to make spent the time

[00:43:10] doing this show right so um wrote put the show we we wrote like what became the Bible of the show

[00:43:18] the pitch package um brought it to pure 21 they optioned it brought it to CBC and then a way

[00:43:24] ago a way to like it doesn't happen that way right but you know some things have to go right our way

[00:43:29] discovering it but what I am happy about is that the show was always about this family it was

[00:43:35] always about this outlook and this was always the way they saw the world you know things might have

[00:43:40] changed with it um but it's always been like this has always been the family um but yeah some

[00:43:46] things have to break right and that's like literally any career and that's why for me like in anything

[00:43:51] there's always ups and downs but like that's why like I approach it like I'm positive you know

[00:43:56] other things will come up so when when things in the world change or something doesn't go your way

[00:44:01] if you're working hard if you're doing your thing and you love it things will come up again right

[00:44:08] and so I'm I'm always like I'm always kind of salivating at like other opportunities of things

[00:44:13] I can do and I'm always like oh that'll be really fun when I get the chance to I'm gonna do it

[00:44:17] and I always act on those things I always like my Instagram is like full of saves

[00:44:22] I'm like things I'm gonna eat places I want to go um uh things for my kids you know that kind

[00:44:28] of stuff so like really that was the process of making run the burbs and run the burbs was inspired

[00:44:32] by my upbringing in the suburbs but like I don't know about you but like your suburbs like

[00:44:38] the suburbs were a place where immigrants families of color new colors of the country

[00:44:44] they could have a life for their family but oftentimes the suburbs are portrayed as very white

[00:44:50] yeah so I wanted to portray the suburbs as I saw them and this is an fictional thing this isn't like

[00:44:56] me trying to make something it's a real thing it's like taking the camera that was on the Tanner

[00:45:00] family in full house and pointing it to the family next door right and so it's like the people

[00:45:06] that surround you and so that's that's been the joy of making the show it's awesome I like that

[00:45:10] I think that's important to showcase that yeah and then to also have the creative freedom

[00:45:16] to sort of be the person pushing for something like that is equally important

[00:45:20] look man I'm every single day I'm always like I can't believe I get to do this like every time

[00:45:24] I go to sad I'm always like we get to do this today this is bonkers or like something

[00:45:29] if uh sometimes they'll do a thing on set and I'm like I can't believe I wrote that

[00:45:34] and y'all are doing it like I wrote that thing right and so that's so cool so Scott and I are

[00:45:40] always in awe he's my creative partner we're always in awe of like being able to make and do

[00:45:45] these things to write them and they come out into the world um and you know it's also really fun

[00:45:52] to like draw on personal experiences like episode two of season three which is uh premiering now

[00:45:57] is about finding a new family doctor and I don't know about you but finding a family doctor is

[00:46:01] I'm it's it's the Hungry's yeah it's so hungry there's a health care yeah not easy no it's not

[00:46:07] easy and then when you find one there's like a a dating period yeah you gotta get to know each other

[00:46:13] and that's totally the episode the episode is like just try to woo a new family doctor but we're all

[00:46:17] like you know all the episodes are like really really really related and grounded to things that

[00:46:21] people in the writer's room uh understand or went through right and then it's a lot of stuff

[00:46:25] around parenting that we get um but yeah that's like the process of making the showman like

[00:46:30] connecting improv to it like how I approach the world how I approach this whole process and I will

[00:46:34] say just for laughs I was hanging on my friend Raki Morzaria who plays my wife on the show Raki

[00:46:40] Morzaria and like what a what a kismit moment yeah that the person I was with when Bill said

[00:46:47] I want an Andrew Fung show and I'm like I got one for you it's literally the person that is my

[00:46:51] wife on the showman yeah right so yeah it's it's been very cool I'm always like really thankful

[00:46:56] and I always say people this isn't how it is because like when you're developing TV it's a years

[00:47:02] you hear about things that are pitched and developed for year squid games was like six years to go

[00:47:07] wild yeah all this computer at one point so it's like there's ups and downs right but again

[00:47:14] do you love it yeah right so I interviewed uh I interviewed someone years ago and um

[00:47:21] uh they were talking about their success and television I'm like oh telling about the lows

[00:47:26] and they're like why it I'm like because it's really easy to talk about successes you know it's

[00:47:31] really easy to hype it up but I'm like we actually want to hear about some of the lows because

[00:47:34] they inform our understanding of the success they actually make it sweeter but also a lot of people

[00:47:40] in this room right now are here because they want they look up to you and your career yep

[00:47:45] and they if they get a rejection they think they might as well quit and I ask how many development

[00:47:49] deals did you get before your show took off and he's like probably 40 and I'm like 40 development

[00:47:55] deals 40 projects in development before your project took off that's wild right that's huge yeah

[00:48:03] that's not a that's not an easy thing to to go through that's not I mean just imagine once you're on

[00:48:08] number 10 yeah and you're still going through it and then like the last 30 have failed

[00:48:13] totally you're still pushing through and I love stories like that because it makes success so much

[00:48:17] sweeter and like I said earlier we need to just celebrate our wins and there's a there's an

[00:48:23] actress on season one of Run the Burbs are when I'm freeze and she had posted a thing on her Twitter

[00:48:28] one day she's like I believe I'm still auditioning I audition for like let's say like a hundred

[00:48:33] projects and she I'm oh for 100 right now this year and she had she had like a very she's like a

[00:48:37] recurring role on a very successful television show but she was auditioning for other things like

[00:48:41] looking for more work because we got to get more work yep and then she auditioned for Run the Burbs

[00:48:46] and I just tweeted back one out of 100 because she booked the role right and so it's like again

[00:48:51] we get to celebrate those wins those sweet sweet moments and I love that you did that because I

[00:48:56] think it's it's such a nice wholesome moment and a nice reminder to anybody who sees that like

[00:49:02] you know you can get 99 knows but the one yes is the one that matters it is all that matters

[00:49:08] yeah you know and that was it for me like you know I guess a low for me would have been the fact

[00:49:14] that I didn't think I had a career in TV and film because I was out in Calgary auditioning for

[00:49:19] staff and never getting anything never booking much if I booked it it was like very specifically

[00:49:24] they wanted me because they've known me from doing comedy but if it was like general stuff I was

[00:49:28] never in the mix for it and you know it wasn't until in the Detroit told me audition for Kim's

[00:49:34] convenience and what's wild is like I get I didn't think TV and film was for me because I didn't

[00:49:40] see a place for an Asian doing comedy an Asian person doing comedy right and if you told me like

[00:49:47] 2010 2012 that this country would know firstly a Canadian actor is like pretty rare already

[00:49:55] and then on top of that to no one recognize a Canadian actor that is Asian and so what Kim's

[00:50:01] convenience was able to do you know the interaction you saw in the hallway is like pretty incredible

[00:50:06] to me right and so the industry has changed the world has changed and I am so thankful I get to be

[00:50:11] a part of that change and I want to keep pushing for that change which is what which was like my

[00:50:15] mantra with Run the Burbs was the way we cast the show we're always looking for like talent that is

[00:50:21] like like hidden gems like Ali Hassan who plays my father-in-law in Run the Burbs I think is one

[00:50:29] of the most talented performers in this country and to finally for him to get his due to finally

[00:50:34] getting the recognition he deserves making me so happy because he's so talented he doesn't need

[00:50:38] me telling him that he's been so talented you give this guy a scene a line he'll crush it right say

[00:50:44] with Raki more Zarya my kids Roman and Zarya these are young up and coming talents we're just trying

[00:50:49] to change just trying to like elevate talent that is amazing already giving them an opportunity to flourish

[00:50:57] that's the mantra of the show yeah the show is highlighting a family we know exists in the

[00:51:02] cyber as what we haven't seen with performers that are quietly crushing it in Canada that you

[00:51:07] should see more of so what's uh you talked about projects that you're interested in you know like

[00:51:15] you might be sort of on the horizon is there something up your sleeve that you're working on

[00:51:20] that right now you're kind of sleeveless but yeah that you're thinking of you know would be nice

[00:51:24] to work on like do you want to do the the feature film down in the States is yeah like do you want

[00:51:29] to do more TV do you want to get back into more improv comedy I'm always working on stuff like

[00:51:34] like you know I try to play like once improvised once a month because but like it's it's like hard

[00:51:39] because like you know shows are like an hour clock and you're our kids yeah kids you know

[00:51:43] when you put the kids up at your like I got to go do a show now I've been doing a show for

[00:51:47] last 10 hours so you know by try to play once a month yeah I got a bunch of features uh you know

[00:51:54] up here but it's like run the verbs has been taken out my band with but there are a couple projects

[00:51:58] I'm connected to coming up that I'm like genuinely really excited about um but again like I said

[00:52:03] earlier making a TV shows in Miracle is very time consuming so I've been in run the verbs for

[00:52:09] last three years I try to every year go out and make another project so uh I mean last one

[00:52:15] laughing for Amazon Prime which is really fun uh I did two features this year you know I try to

[00:52:19] break out and do other people's projects like if someone comes with me with their project I'm like

[00:52:24] what do you got in mind what are you doing oh I get to come and show up be fun person I love it

[00:52:29] I love it because like when I'm on staff around the verbs like I have wearing five hats yeah I

[00:52:33] got to go to someone else's project and just like be silly and goofy though I did do uh

[00:52:38] I did a a feature this year that was like it was a pre as a drama and the filmmaker who I'm a big

[00:52:45] fan of Julian she wrote me and she's like I think you're perfect for this role it is a role unlike any

[00:52:51] role you've done and so the scene that one of the scenes is it's about it's a movie about gambling

[00:52:56] addiction and the depths we go to it's like it's drama it's a pretty gritty movie and I'm telling

[00:53:02] this character that he has a gambling problem and uh I had just come off run the verbs and so we do

[00:53:08] a take it comes up and she's like Andrew that was so good can you be 80% less funny

[00:53:14] like what do you mean I'm not even playing she's like you're just you you're too happy about this

[00:53:19] you mine every line for comedy so it's actually making crew members laugh when you're delivering

[00:53:25] this really sad news and I'm like got it so it is like an opportunity to play challenge myself to

[00:53:31] do and go out and do different things because like I'm so in the comedy we're also to go out

[00:53:35] to do dramas really nice like yeah tons of stuff but I will I will also say this it's like

[00:53:41] our industry is often focused on what's next what's next my kids are growing up too fast

[00:53:49] and I'm seeing it so what's next for me is also balance where I'm not working

[00:53:56] and I'm just being with my kids and just doing stuff with them and I'm very okay with that

[00:54:02] and I've had to like really internalize that because when you come from an arts upbringing

[00:54:08] and you come and you're grinding it out you're trying to get where you are sometimes you

[00:54:13] you forget about those little things that's like that's what I'm fighting for right I'm fighting

[00:54:17] for that I'm fighting to have the flexibility and the freedom to be able to spend time with my kids

[00:54:24] with less worry and concern my father couldn't because he needed to make money for the family

[00:54:30] I can because of their struggle what they did and what I've been able to do so I'm actually like

[00:54:37] super okay with like I was like what you do in the fall I'm like I'm gonna finish posting

[00:54:41] on the burbs I'm probably gonna spend some time with my kids is hanging out just like go to their

[00:54:45] school lot be around a lot going to vacation with them do a lot of like road trips I got a list

[00:54:50] of things saved I want to build some things you know it's nice it's nice to be in that position

[00:54:56] you know like and to take advantage of it yeah if it's moving by like that if you ask

[00:55:00] it what's your next project I'm like my kids that's my next project I'm I'm really happy about

[00:55:04] that my kids being my my next project to spend time with them because you know I've been away

[00:55:09] for three months making around the burbs I just wrapped season three at the end of November you know

[00:55:15] and so it's it's a fast turnaround yeah I'm out here doing press now grinding it out so I'm okay

[00:55:21] to just spend time with them and honestly to celebrate a lot of firsts with them took my son

[00:55:26] to his first like pro indie wrestling show in Greek town nice he was like dad what is this

[00:55:33] my buddy this is pretty cool I'm excited for first right my son's playing on the basketball to

[00:55:38] my older son's playing on the basketball team now I am ready to bring snacks to drive players

[00:55:44] to games are ready for that yeah that's amazing um I want to I want to ask you one one more thing here

[00:55:52] yeah man we've been trying to develop kind of like a tradition where our guests give some sort

[00:55:58] of advice they talk to the people yeah so take a look at that camera there yeah I think it's this

[00:56:04] camera yeah yeah what advice would you give to new actors young old doesn't matter yeah just new they

[00:56:11] they see what you're doing they're inspired they want to get into the industry they don't know where

[00:56:16] to start yeah what's the first step well really the first step like my advice to young actors and

[00:56:22] I've talked about it here today is it's love what you do if you love the craft like if you love

[00:56:27] the process of dissecting a script discovering a character creating characters creating moments creating

[00:56:34] stories creating laughter creating tears right you gotta love it you love it for what it is because

[00:56:41] this industry is so hard there's so much rejection there is so much out of your control like the reason

[00:56:49] you don't get something is often sometimes like oh you're too tall you're not tall like you know

[00:56:55] me you're not you're not tall enough right I color it's like not the right color it's like so it's

[00:57:00] so such little things um but if you love it you'll keep going and if you love it you'll find ways to do

[00:57:08] it and if you love it um it doesn't have to be your just career it can be your joy it's the thing

[00:57:14] you love and you find other things to break it with and like I always reference my career but if you

[00:57:19] love it do it so I got a lot of people who love comedy they love making comedy they want to do improv

[00:57:25] they don't know where to start like we'll take a class or I go from there which is keep taking more

[00:57:29] classes try to get more shows just keep doing it if you want to do it do it because you'll find

[00:57:33] a hundred reasons why you won't do it but you need one reason why you will do it so he's gotta

[00:57:38] do it and it's hard it's not easy but again if you love it you will find joy out of it that's

[00:57:45] what it was for me I love doing improv comedy I love making people laugh even if it was one person in

[00:57:51] the audience who ended up being my wife the best laugh but you gotta love it yeah at the end of

[00:57:58] the day anything you do you have to love and I think back to all the wonderful speeches I've heard Jim

[00:58:03] Kerry had a great one about his father giving up on comedy to becoming an accountant because he

[00:58:09] wanted to provide for the family but eventually getting fired so you might as well fail at something

[00:58:13] you love as opposed to failing something you really don't like doing you gotta love it and so I

[00:58:19] just want to teach my kids I want that's my advice to all the young actors out there do it because

[00:58:24] you love it and if you love it you'll be in it for the long haul because I book Kim's convenience

[00:58:30] at 29 so when you break things later I'm seeing young actors like 23 give up on their career I'm like

[00:58:37] don't give up yeah like maybe find another thing but keep doing it keep trying it right if there's

[00:58:43] something you don't like find a different place one of my favorites is a friend of mine you know she

[00:58:48] was doing uh she was like stand up comedian but like after a while fell out of love with it and it's

[00:58:52] now deep in doing makeup and prosthetics and we'll just post the most gruesome they're cut

[00:58:59] and you know that kind of stuff and I'm like that's great because she loves what she does right so

[00:59:03] pivot but at the end of the day always love what you do and I think if you ask any successful

[00:59:09] artistic person you've had them on this show there's one thing that connects them all

[00:59:15] they love what they do they will go through all the ups and downs and they will all talk about

[00:59:21] the downs there's been lots of downs right you've you've had you had Cardinal Fichal, Sean Desmond,

[00:59:29] Julie Black these are all people ride and high right now but they've had their downs right so

[00:59:35] we'll all have our downs but as long as you love it is what matters amazing Andrew you're a gem

[00:59:41] oh you you know this was this was lovely I love this format I love your clips and honestly like

[00:59:46] we talk about doing because you love it it seems like you genuinely love this thank you I do

[00:59:51] because I go to I went to the YouTube page and was watching videos and I was like oh damn

[00:59:55] like you love what you do your calm your collected the conversation is so fluid um I love it

[01:00:02] and I remember when I met you in the red carpet in Edmonton you asked me the question of like

[01:00:06] what do you do when you're down how do you recalibrate right and that's honestly a question

[01:00:12] I don't think I've gotten you know over the years so it was like oh this this interviewer is

[01:00:18] gonna go kind of off the curve a little bit and really get to know the person and look for answers

[01:00:23] we might not have heard before but answers that at the end of the day make a person tick because

[01:00:30] you're getting at the core of me and that's what happens conversation it was lovely thank you

[01:00:34] it's very kind of you to say thank you for saying that and thank you so much for sharing your time

[01:00:38] I really really appreciate it you're a gem of a human um and I'm rooting for you oh thank you

[01:00:44] so rooting for you oh that's great I'm supporting you all the way that's one less enemy I

[01:00:49] mean because I don't I don't want I don't want you as one of my enemies you be a top

[01:00:54] enemy to overcome no no I'm your best friend thank you thank you so much yeah run the burbs

[01:00:59] season three yeah season one and two are on who season one and two are on Hulu

[01:01:04] and in the US uh and a CBC jamming Canada and they could stream season three on CBC jamming

[01:01:10] Canada or watch it on Tuesdays at 9 30 on CBC amazing after you put the kids to bed

[01:01:15] yeah yeah or keep them up or keep them up it's a family show keep them up yeah yeah Andrew thank

[01:01:21] you so much thank you I appreciate it thank you everybody