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[0:15] Joe Rosko: Hey, what's going on? Welcome to Built for the Stage Podcast. This is Joe Rosko, founder and host of Built for the Stage, Broadway's number one fitness platform with clients at over 20 Broadway shows and other stages across the world. We are your one stop shop for all things theater and fitness. It's my goal to establish a bridge between the theater community and a pursuit in training like the athlete that you are. Actors are athletes, so train like one. If you want, go to the website, BuiltForTheStage.com, and we can do a one-week free trial together where you will check out a Broadway client fitness program and we'll work on an interactive fitness app. Alright.

[1:05] Joe Rosko: Special guest as always. I was just in London around three weeks or so ago. And the last I think the last show, my 13th show that I saw was & JULIET. Also has been seen as Fiyero in Wicked. He's talented, he's very kind. Uh let's bring him on. Please welcome to the podcast, Carl Man.

[1:58] Carl Man: Hi, Joe. Hi, everyone. Good to see you again.

[2:01] Joe Rosko: So good to see you from across the pond. I wish we were side by side, but I guess technology is gonna make it as best as we can do here.

[2:10] Carl Man: Yeah, absolutely.

[2:12] Joe Rosko: Love your sweatshirt. Where can I get one?

[2:15] Carl Man: Built for the Stage. I'm sure it's available on the website.

[2:18] Joe Rosko: Um on the Instagram.

[2:19] Carl Man: That one, that one was limited edition. You are there, those are extinct.

[2:25] Joe Rosko: That's that's all I'm doing. Can I tell you? I wear this, I wear this like every day. I'd so comfortable. I'm not trying to sell them here, but it's so comfortable. The fabric is so soft. I literally wear it every day. So thank you for this gift. I love it.

[2:37] Carl Man: Yeah, more to come, more to come. I'm actually chatting with uh you're familiar with Theater Cafe, the sure, yeah.

[2:47] Joe Rosko: Theater themed cafe by I think Notes Coffee Shop and that the opera house over there.

[2:55] Carl Man: Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, anyways, been chatting with them, and they're helping me with a distributor in the UK, so I can ship all my apparel directly from there so it can get to you quicker and more frequently. So, more to come for you. Uh, we got some straw, it's called Stronger Than Before. It's from Casey Garvin. He's a Built for the Stage uh member, long time friend. He's in uh Some Like It Hot right now. So I'll send you some Stronger Than Before stuff soon.

[3:27] Joe Rosko: I would love it. The fabric is really, really, really comfortable.

[3:30] Carl Man: Yeah. Really good fabric. We try to we try to do it, we try to do it right.

[3:33] Joe Rosko: We try to do it right like you do all the time on stage. I saw you as Romeo. You were familiar with it. It was my birthday, I think. Was it my birthday? Or the day before my birthday?

[3:44] Carl Man: I don't think it was your It might have been around it, but I don't think it was your birthday day.

[3:51] Joe Rosko: Okay. But it was around that day. I think it was before it because when I followed up with you on the Insta, I think I remember saying like, oh, holy crap, it's your birthday. Happy birthday.

[4:02] Carl Man: Right. Okay. But yeah, you saw me as Romeo, which is amazing. I'm so glad that you were able to catch it because I obviously I don't play it every day. I play it like, you know, every few weeks or something. So it was really cool that you got to see it. So yeah.

[4:13] Joe Rosko: Yeah. Wasn't my intentional first question, but let's just throw that out there. Since you're not always on, how do you like stay in a flow or a groove when seemingly it's like you start and you stop? You start and you stop. You know, how do you find your rhythm when you're not on every night?

[4:34] Carl Man: Right. Um, I um well, I have an ensemble track as well, so I'm in the show every day anyway, but obviously I'm not singing as much as like when I play Romeo. So I guess the show um just being in the show every day keeps me focused. If I have a week off like a vacation and I go back to the show, I it takes me like a show to get kind of back into the world. Do you know what I mean?

[4:57] Joe Rosko: Yeah, so since you're in the ensemble, you're not necessarily playing the role, but it's still like subconsciously in your ear the entire time, so it's still kind of yeah, yeah. Living in your brain a bit.

[5:09] Carl Man: Um what's your favorite song to sing?

[5:11] Joe Rosko: I I told you that I was an NSYNC person at heart, uh, and there's a lot a lot more Backstreet Boys in there. What's your favorite song that you get to sing?

[5:22] Carl Man: My favorite song, actually, as Romeo, my favorite song I sing is um Love Me Like You Do. Okay, which is uh which is uh originated by Ellie Goulding. Um obviously every song in the show is written by Max Martin, who is like a complete genius. So that's a like I feel like that's a little less known song that he's written. Um because everyone knows like oops, I did it again and all these kinds of huge Britney songs.

[5:45] Joe Rosko: Wait, so wait, clarify this for the ignorant listeners, aka me. This uh writer, all the songs that are covered are written by the same person.

[5:56] Carl Man: So every song, yeah, exactly. Every song in & JULIET is written by Max Martin. Um, who if you just literally Google his name, like the catalogue of songs he's written is like it's I don't know another songwriter that's written the song, the amount of songs. Obviously, he collaborates, it's you know, Max Martin plus like some other writer, but he's written or produced every single song from like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, like his catalogue is insane, and and every time I've met him, he's just this most down-to-earth guy that I'm like, your mind is like, I don't know how you have that in your mind.

[6:31] Joe Rosko: So he's the mastermind behind all of these pop hits.

[6:35] Carl Man: Yeah, I think on Broadway, they're billing him as like the Shakespeare of pop, you know what I mean? Like he literally is very you know, very fit.

[6:45] Joe Rosko: Yeah, no kidding. Uh speaking of, there's a lot of buzz going around in America because & JULIET is getting on its feet over here, so that's been really exciting. And I feel like I'm a part of like a special club because when I go see that, I'll have gotten to say that I saw both productions.

[7:07] Carl Man: Exactly. Um, yeah, so let's we'll jump into the show a bit more and jump into you as a person, highlight you, but let's shake it loose a bit and go straight into something that we like to call the BFTS hot seat.

[7:24] Joe Rosko: Alright, does it sound like oh my goodness, I didn't tell you about the hot seat, did I? Here we go. See the music. I'm excited.

[7:36] Joe Rosko: Alright, welcome to the BFTS hot seat with Carl Man. Alright, Carl. Here we go. Question number one. You're walking into a room, the TV's on, and a movie's playing, and the same movie that's playing, you have seen over a hundred times. But no matter what, this movie stops you, and you have to watch the movie. What is this movie?

[8:02] Carl Man: Clueless.

[8:04] Joe Rosko: Yes. 100%, 100%. I'll be like, yes. Okay, amazing. Good. One for one. Great quick answer. Awesome. Alright. We get to see your music playlist. Three different categories. We'll start with category one. Category one is our uh commuting song. So either you're in the tube or you're walking down the street, you're on your way to the theater or the market, wherever. What's that song?

[8:35] Carl Man: Oh god. Um uh probably like something uh Lady Gaga.

[8:41] Joe Rosko: Okay, Lady Gaga. Alright. Any anyone that pops to mind?

[8:46] Carl Man: Rain on Me.

[8:47] Joe Rosko: Okay, Rain on Me. Perfect. Alright, yeah, yeah. We'll go with it. Alright. You're at home, and you're either like slowly starting your day or you're unwinding at night. What is that like chill vibes song that's always on repeat?

[9:03] Carl Man: Oh gosh. I don't know about song, but I have like a playlist. It's like late, late at night work and it's very like chill vibes. There's no singing on it. It's just like kind of vibey, like low beats.

[9:14] Joe Rosko: Techno, jazz, what is it?

[9:16] Carl Man: It's uh I would describe it as like if you're going to like a really cool hotel and it's like what they're playing at, like in the like the lounge when you walk in. Do you know what I mean? Like very like mellow, very mellow.

[9:25] Joe Rosko: Okay, got it. Alright, last one. You want to turn up. Maybe you're like at the gym or you're feeling like groggy before the show and you want to get just amped up. What's that song?

[9:38] Carl Man: I should have said my first answer for this one, because it would be Rain on Me. But if I had to pick if I had to pick another one, maybe like Work Bitch by Britney.

[9:48] Joe Rosko: Okay, great. Okay. You're uh reincarnated, you're coming back to Earth as an animal. What animal are you coming back as?

[9:58] Carl Man: Um, like an eagle, because I would love to fly.

[10:01] Joe Rosko: Okay, an eagle. Where where would the first place you would fly to? Where would you go?

[10:07] Carl Man: Where would I fly? Um maybe like over Buckingham Palace, see what they're doing over there.

[10:13] Joe Rosko: Okay. Spine. Fly on them over there.

[10:16] Carl Man: Okay. Uh last one. Um, the last question is.

[10:25] Joe Rosko: If you weren't on a stage performing, what would you be doing as your career?

[10:31] Carl Man: If I weren't performing. Um, can I still be in the arts?

[10:36] Joe Rosko: In the Yeah? Let's see how close it is.

[10:42] Carl Man: Uh maybe casting if my if I wasn't an actor. Maybe casting would be really cool. Because I always think I watch like a show and I think, oh, that I know another actor that would be so great for that show. You know what I mean?

[10:53] Joe Rosko: Yeah, definitely that. Alright, cool. Congratulations. You are off of the BFTS hot seat. Way to go.

[11:01] Joe Rosko: That's hot. Everyone, make sure that uh I just brought it back up on the screen that you're following Carl Man official on the Insta. You can also check out more on Carl uh in the description of this episode. So just scroll on down if you haven't subscribed and rated and done all the things. Alright, Carl. When once upon a time in your past were you like, oh, I like this singing, dancing, acting thing. When did this happen?

[11:27] Carl Man: Um I was like six years old, and my grandma took me to see Oliver. Do you know that musical? It's like a very old. There's loads of there's loads of kids in it, and I remember seeing like all these kids on stage, and I was just like, I said to her, I was like, How do they get that job?

[11:42] Carl Man: And she was like, they just work really hard, and then they get there. So I was like, okay, cool. I'm gonna do it. This is uh the please, sir, I want some more, Oliver. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Come on. I'm pretty sure I went to uh like one of the school field trips when you go see a play. I'm pretty sure it was Oliver. I think that was one of the all right. So your grandma you said. Bless her. She took yeah. Okay, so then what? What happened after that? Did you get into like classes? Did you go to some type of what happened?

[12:17] Carl Man: Yeah, I went to like a local like dance school and did like, you know, dance classes and drama classes, and then did local theater. I guess you would call it community theater in America. Yeah. So I would do that. But I was like doing the kids stuff, like I was in like the sound of music and like the king and I and all that kind of stuff. And I did a production of Oliver as well. Um and then I was doing a lot of competitions and things like that. Um and then I didn't go the route of like going to like a drama school or a college. Um I left school at 18, and then I just my first gig was actually for a cruise ship. I auditioned for to be a singer on a cruise ship, and I got it um, which is like I was 18. I was like, okay, cool, I'm gonna do that. And then I just progressed from there and never looked back.

[13:04] Carl Man: So your school was the school of hard knocks, which is life, just going through life and learning from the actual business. Which yeah, what better way to learn than to be doing as you're learning? Any like experiences where you know you were learning on the fly and you can remember a person or a situation that really like helped you grow?

[13:30] Carl Man: Well, I would say um actually, so I spent some a few years in New York actually, um, and I took some classes at um an acting studio there. Um, and that really kicked everything up a notch for me. It was like, oh, okay, this is what I need to be doing. And I really it really opened my mind about acting.

[13:51] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[13:52] Carl Man: 100%.

[13:54] Joe Rosko: All right. When did you when did you go back to the States?

[13:57] Joe Rosko: I saw it in your bio, Aladdin in Disney's Aladdin USA. What's that all about?

[14:02] Carl Man: So I actually did a few years ago, there was a show, it ran for a long time actually, but I only did it for like six months. It was a production of Aladdin in Disneyland in California.

[14:13] Joe Rosko: Right, okay, cool.

[14:14] Carl Man: I don't know. I don't know if anyone's seen it. Um I think Frozen took over. I think he might close now. But um, yeah, so I was in there in Anaheim for like six months, living my best life as Aladdin.

[14:26] Joe Rosko: Yeah, I was gonna I was gonna ask in California, are you a fan?

[14:31] Carl Man: Was I a fan of California?

[14:33] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[14:34] Carl Man: Uh like a city guy.

[14:38] Carl Man: Like I like New York, London. I like to walk around and get your coffee and walk your dog and New York um LA, sort of California was very like get in your car, go to work, go back. It wasn't really a vibe for me. But I do miss the weather.

[14:51] Joe Rosko: And sit sit in traffic for way too long.

[14:55] Carl Man: Exactly, yeah.

[14:56] Joe Rosko: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[14:58] Joe Rosko: Before this, before Anne Juliet, what was your what was your what was the last show you're in?

[15:04] Carl Man: Trying to get a tie with it.

[15:06] Carl Man: Wicked.

[15:07] Carl Man: I did Wicked for um I was attached to the show for four years, but like in between that is like COVID. So I was a year and a half of that, I was not doing the show. But yeah, Wicked was a big part of my life before And Juliet.

[15:20] Joe Rosko: Yeah, so you step into an iconic show like that. Were did you feel the same amount of freedom as like maybe a newer show like Anne Juliet? Or did you have any pressure of like, oh, this is wicked, I gotta check the boxes of like what everyone expects out of Wicked in this role Fiyero?

[15:43] Carl Man: Yeah, very much that, and very much like stepping into this. I mean, Wicked is very like as a machine that especially here has been running for like 16 years. So every the way they teach it is very like you stand here on this number of the stage and you turn here at this line. So it's very like that, but at the same time, I knew I was a very untraditional casting for the role. At least I felt that way. Um, so I was like, I'm never gonna be like this guy and this guy and this guy. I'm always gonna be just myself.

[16:18] Carl Man: So I feel like I've really brought something a little bit different to the role in just me, like just being myself. Um yeah, so I I never felt pressured. I was just like, I'm gonna do me. And then that's always the best feeling when you feel like you're reinventing something for sure.

[16:37] Joe Rosko: Definitely, yeah.

[16:38] Joe Rosko: And then how how was the process uh with Anne Juliet? Was there a lot of figuring out like was it collaborative between the cast and creatives? How was your rehearsal process within JULIET is a very it was a very different experience to Wicked because it it's a fresh show, it's a new show.

[16:59] Carl Man: The creative team were a lot um a lot younger and I guess forward thinking, and it's a very much a woke show, so everything was very like organic. Um the choreography was very hard for me to pick up because it's like very hip hop influenced, and I was like, I'm not a hip-hop dancer. Um, but yeah, it was a very nice experience, like especially like learning Romeo, because they were very like I was used to being told, okay, stand on zero, go to one, say this line. But here they were like, it was very much like kind of like whatever takes you, you know, is very, very cool like that.

[17:33] Joe Rosko: Nice, cool.

[17:34] Joe Rosko: Uh all right, so backtracking to your 18, you book your cruise show. How long six months, one year, how long was the cruise?

[17:44] Carl Man: I guess that was like nine to ten months, yeah.

[17:48] Joe Rosko: Okay.

[17:48] Joe Rosko: And you like being out on the water that long, it's not for everyone.

[17:52] Carl Man: Back then I was like, this is amazing. It was like I was away from home. This was like my college, like going away for the first time. Like I loved it. Um then I subsequently did a few more, and as I would go back to them, I'd be like, This is so restricting. This isn't really for me, but the money you earn is great.

[18:10] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[18:10] Carl Man: And you're traveling. I think it's really cool if like it's your first job, um, and you're nothing to compare it to. But now I couldn't think of anything worse to go back to a cruise ship.

[18:20] Joe Rosko: But yeah.

[18:21] Joe Rosko: Um what were like a couple of your favorite places that y'all visited um with the cruise that you got to see?

[18:29] Carl Man: Like a country, a city, uh I think uh there's an island that's just off of like Australia. It's called the Isle of Pines. And it was like when I thought of Paradise, this was like this was it. Bora Bora was a really cool as well.

[18:45] Joe Rosko: And uh would you uh let's say like you hang up acting, would you stay in London or would you go to one of these types of places?

[18:55] Carl Man: No, I d I think I hate being like a far apart, far away from people. I think it's too you know what I mean? Like I need to be connected to people.

[19:03] Joe Rosko: Are you originally from London? Where are you originally from?

[19:06] Carl Man: Yeah, so I'm from a place called Kent, which is like an hour and a half from London. Um so yeah, so I'm not too far. It would be the equivalent of like if you were from Jersey. Do you know what I mean?

[19:17] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[19:18] Carl Man: Like it's on the shore, it's on the shore.

[19:20] Joe Rosko: So I see you trying to sprinkle that extra.

[19:23] Carl Man: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[19:25] Carl Man: One thing I noticed in London was that compared to New York, New Yorkers, like Broadway people, whatever, they're pretty much like in the city area, the boroughs, or maybe just on the outskirt of Jersey. But the more I was chatting with people from London, some were commuting from like 60 minutes or more away. Is that something normal within the industry, you think? Or was I just kind of coincidence?

[19:50] Carl Man: Uh yeah.

[19:55] Carl Man: Sorry, one sec.

[19:56] Carl Man: Yeah.

[19:57] Carl Man: Um there are um a lot of people do have like live further away. Um but I yeah, I think it's kind of I wouldn't say a lot of people do. A lot of people live maybe like 30 minutes away.

[20:12] Joe Rosko: Okay.

[20:12] Joe Rosko: Maybe it's just because your tube is so much more reliable than our subway over here.

[20:18] Carl Man: Maybe.

[20:19] Carl Man: Maybe I was very impressed by your public transportation in uh comparison to New York.

[20:26] Carl Man: Um our tube system is great, actually.

[20:29] Joe Rosko: Yeah.

[20:30] Joe Rosko: So with coming off of the ship when you're younger, when did you get like your first uh professional stage gig, and was that overwhelming for you, or did you feel ready after what you experienced when you're you know on the boat?

[20:50] Carl Man: I think I always I think it might have been Aladdin actually, that was my first sort of like musical. Um and I had seen the show previously, and when I got it, I was like, okay, cool. I think everything that's coming to my life, I've always kind of just like um I don't know, it didn't like shock me. I was just like excited that I do know what I mean.

[21:11] Carl Man: Yeah, I was kind of ready for it, yeah.

[21:13] Joe Rosko: Okay, let's then let's then rewind and zoom in either about like you growing up or you meeting someone, like somewhere along the way, this mindset of yours was uh implemented, you know, like uh rubbed off on you. Was that a family member? Did you have a mentor? Like who gave you that confidence of just like, hey, you're equipped, you're able, whatever comes your way, like you can do it.

[21:39] Carl Man: I definitely my dad. My dad um always just kind of and my and my mom really, they I've always been encouraged um from a young age that I could, you know, whatever I wanted to do, I could do it. You know what I mean?

[21:52] Carl Man: Yeah, and I think that is so important in like every I mean you're a trainer, right? You're a you're a personal trainer, and I think it's you can probably see your clients like if you believe that you can achieve a goal and that's you're already halfway there, you know what I mean?

[22:05] Joe Rosko: Yeah, more than halfway.

[22:07] Joe Rosko: The more you know the longer I the longer I do this, the the the less I concentrate or focus with people about the actual exercise or nutrition, it's more about the mindset because 100% wherever your mind is, the body will follow. But if your mind is not uh in line with what we're trying to do, then it's all for naught for sure.

[22:32] Carl Man: 100%, 100%.

[22:34] Joe Rosko: How do you how do you stay uh mentally sharp or mentally healthy?

[22:40] Carl Man: Uh do you rely on exercise, meditation, friends? What do you rely on to keep yourself like grounded?

[22:50] Carl Man: Well, uh grounded, uh well, I think I know I'm always in a better mood when I worked out a hundred percent, and if I haven't worked out in a week or whatever, and I do work out, I'm like, oh why did I not work out? Like it I feel so much better.

[23:06] Carl Man: Um and also I um it's so easy, especially on like a West End abroad schedule, to kind of just like do your show and go home. And I feel like if I do that for extended periods of time, I'm like, no, I need to see people, like I have to stay connected and and keep the conversation going.

[23:22] Joe Rosko: So I think that that's really important. And it's it can be so easy and easily neglected, you know what I mean, in the in our busy schedules, all of us.

[23:30] Carl Man: Yeah. So definitely that exercise and staying in touch with people 100%.

[23:35] Joe Rosko: Yeah, I bring that up a lot with the fitness side of things, like being in a show, like, hey, you think you're moving or you think you're working out, or you think you're um keeping the body sharp, but in reality you're doing the same repetitive show day in and day out, and you need to train the body to mix it up to be durable, to be better than your show. But it's the same thing with what you just said with like the social aspect and the interacting as a normal human. You are with people and you're talking, but it's all within like the confinement of how the show operates. You know, you have two to five minutes backstage before this scene, or you have your normal pre-show chat or after the show, but again, it kind of runs that risk of monotony and getting into a I don't want to say a lifeless habit, but like you're it's not new. It's it's something that the brain is just becoming neutralized to.

[24:42] Carl Man: Yeah, it's literally you literally nailed it as well. And I feel like especially in a show, because you have like you know, two seconds at this moment between this song and then another moment, the conversations kind of like uh have an expiration.

[24:54] Joe Rosko: Yeah, like you know you can have this conversation and say this meaning meaningless whatever for like 60 seconds, like okay, gotta go. I'm like, you know what I mean? It's like yeah, very, very now that, yeah.

[25:07] Carl Man: Yeah, I think you can grow with the same people in different situations, or you can grow with uh different people in the same situations or a combination of both. Not sure if I just confused you and everyone listening, but like if you're doing the show every day with the same people, it's kind of like the same operation. But I'm sure if you met someone at for a coffee or the gym or to go do another reading or something, there's like that new new life that that comes with it.

[25:44] Joe Rosko: 100%. I love actually when you you said reading, I love doing like a workshop. We call them workshops here. I don't know if you call them that in America.

[25:53] Carl Man: Yeah, sometimes a workshop, sometimes readings.

[25:55] Joe Rosko: Yeah, I love doing those because it's like something fresh again, especially when you're on a show for like a long time, um for like a year or two years, and it's the same show every day. It's nice to go and do something for like a week, whatever. It's like something so different. And you can use a different part of your brain again. Let's say that doesn't come up though. How in the past, when things do get redundant in your show, how have you kept life or creativity fresh?

[26:21] Carl Man: Oh, I'm really bad at that, but I I did like a panel talk with um someone um the other week, and she is also in a long-running show, and she said that her being in this profession, like our passion and our sort of like hobby, I guess when we're younger, so suddenly becomes your career. So it's so important to have something that is not related to um singing or acting or do you know what I mean? Something else.

[26:49] Joe Rosko: Right.

[26:49] Carl Man: Um, so that's something that I actually have lacking in my sort of like day-to-day life. So I should probably like start like gardening or something.

[27:00] Joe Rosko: Well, let's let's workshop it right now. Let's workshop it. Anything off the top of your head, like that, like for me, right now it's either starting salsa lessons because I'm in I'm in Miami, and everyone I'm in Miami a lot, also in New York, but Miami, salsa and bachata is just like everywhere, and I'm like, I gotta learn. I gotta learn.

[27:25] Carl Man: And another thing is I've always loved uh watching tennis, but I've never had like a proper tennis lesson. So I've either been thinking about salsa or tennis. All right, how about you? Anything off top of your head you're like, oh, I I should do this, I should get around to doing this.

[27:44] Carl Man: Do you know what? I am obsessed with this TV show called The Great British Bake Off. I absolutely love it. So I actually did a workshop for the there's a new a new musical that's just opening here in the West End, which if it if anyone gets the chance to see it, it's amazing. So I did a workshop for that um last year. Um and subsequently I started watching the TV show.

[28:04] Joe Rosko: So I think that uh baking could be really fun.

[28:04] Carl Man: All right. All right what's your what would what's your first attempt gonna be? Like a basic like a cupcake, a cake a brownie?

[28:11] Joe Rosko: I love cupcakes I love cupcakes let's do cupcakes.

[28:11] Carl Man: All right and is it gonna be with with chocolate chocolate um icing on top that's my favorite will it be like chocolate chocolate like chocolate cake with chocolate icing or is it oh yeah all right double double mammy baby all right I'm gonna check in with you I'm gonna be like hey okay this is good this is good this is you could do this by let's let's have it be this week sometime okay I'm gonna do it and I'm gonna take a picture and I'm gonna tag you in it.

[28:11] Joe Rosko: Yeah yeah amazing well I wish I was closer so that you could send me some so I can have them.

[28:11] Carl Man: I still could it wouldn't be good but you can just I I wanted to ask you about your uh experience with Starlight Express um you're a good skater or did you have to learn the skate once you got the once you got the role?

[28:11] Joe Rosko: Well this credit on my CV is very misleading because I didn't do so like three years ago um but I was still involved with Angeloid Weber so obviously Angelo Weber wrote the show and I think about no it wasn't three years ago maybe maybe five years ago now it was like the 30th anniversary of the show and they wanted to add some new so the show is running in Germany still right um and Diloid Weber yeah he he wanted to add some new songs and revamp the show so we did this like week workshop for new songs and then we did a three a three performance, three-day performance, three performances in concert of the new the new show. So technically I did the show, but I wasn't really skating.

[29:56] Carl Man: But to be fair not not uh hopefully I highlight a credit where you are skating. You you have Christmas on ice, so were you were you skating in that?

[30:07] Joe Rosko: I was not so I was in that uh I told you we'd laugh. I told you we'd have a good time.

[30:17] Carl Man: You were what were you a singer? So like off to the side?

[30:18] Joe Rosko: Yeah, so it was like it was like a Christmas show, and then it was like on a like holiday on holiday on ice or whatever, you know, like that kind of thing, and then they had like some singers as well that would like we did have to walk on the ice though, because I was like, you want me to walk on the ice? Okay, and then there was a few slips along the way, but yeah.

[30:38] Carl Man: Did you fall?

[30:39] Joe Rosko: But the sort of skaters would I must have fallen at some point. I think everyone fell at one point on that show, but the skaters would like skate around you, and you're singing like we wish you were Merry Christmas. Like crazy stuff.

[30:52] Carl Man: You better be careful with these two credits on your resume. Someone's gonna cast you blindly in a skating play or movie or something, and you're gonna have to skate.

[31:01] Joe Rosko: I know, I just think fast and learn fast. Do you think do you think you would be a better uh roller skater or roller blader?

[31:10] Carl Man: You know how there's either the four wheels or the all the wheels in line. What do you think you would roll up rollerblade?

[31:10] Joe Rosko: The wheels in line. I I used to roll a blade like as a as a when I was like younger. Roller skating is harder because it's like you can't turn as as well.

[31:27] Carl Man: Yeah, you can't, you know, you can't be as like swift.

[31:30] Joe Rosko: I I'm horrible at both. So either way, either way, I'm screwed.

[31:33] Carl Man: All right, let's uh try to get a little bit more serious before I let you go. I appreciate your time. Um along the way, in your journey, what was like an up and down moment where uh things weren't all butterflies and rainbows. I asked this question for insight for our listeners a lot of the time.

[31:58] Joe Rosko: Uh my training with clients that listen goes hand in hand with like their you know pursuit in this really challenging career. So hearing someone else's story of like, oh, it wasn't just some red carpet rolled out and it's a smoothest journey ever.

[32:18] Carl Man: Yeah, I mean, I'm so I think I'm so grateful for all the shows I didn't get and all the no's I got. I think there are some people who you know graduate from their college or whatever and go straight into a show or a leading role, and I'm so grateful for the perspective of like having the no's and having like the disappointments because I think when you get a certain job or you get to a certain place, it's so much more rewarding and you really appreciate it so much more.

[32:45] Joe Rosko: So I think anytime I've I've gotten a no, it I always say it's not uh rejection, it's redirection.

[32:53] Carl Man: Um so I think that is so important to remember, like and it helps you build resilience, yeah. So yeah, I mean I've gotten some really heartbreaking no's and I've gotten close to a lot of things, but then I would get something else. I'm like, actually, I'm so glad I got this instead of that.

[33:09] Joe Rosko: Yeah, so I'm glad that was a no, you know what I mean.

[33:12] Carl Man: I love I've never heard that redirection instead of rejection. That's great.

[33:17] Joe Rosko: Yeah, I'm picturing my head like every time you're coming up to a yes or a no, it's it's not necessarily a T in the road, but it's a fork. And if it's a no, it's not a dead end. It's just a remote. Like you said, left or a right. Nice.

[33:35] Carl Man: All right, cool.

[33:36] Joe Rosko: Yeah, and here you are. And if you would have had a couple of yeses when you had no's you might not be you might not be chatting with me here today.

[33:43] Carl Man: You never know.

[33:44] Joe Rosko: Exactly wearing this cool shirt. Talking about chocolate cupcakes.

[33:49] Carl Man: Yes.

[33:51] Joe Rosko: All right well I hope this 33 minutes and 45 seconds was painless for you. I had a really good yeah I had a good time chatting with you. And the last time I got to see you in London it was great to uh get to chat it up so can't wait to see you again hopefully in March so I'll be I'll be knock knock knocking either on the door of the theater or wherever you're going to be at in March.

[34:15] Carl Man: So thanks so much.

[34:16] Joe Rosko: Carl Man everyone round applause for Carl thank you.

[34:21] Joe Rosko: You can follow Carl Man official on Insta. See ya thanks Carl all right everyone that's it I'm Joe Rosko with Built for the Stage. If you want to try a free trial go to BuiltForTheStage.com and we'll be on our way to a seven day free trial where we'll work on an interactive fitness app. Don't forget actors or athletes train like one later.