This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Linedy Genao: Hello, hello, mi gente. Welcome to Entre Acts. I'm your host, Linedy Genao. And ya tu sabe, your favorite podcast. You already know, I don't even have to tell you. I'm so excited to introduce this week's guest. My guest today is a true triple threat in every sense of the word. You currently know him as the star of the Tony Award-winning MJ the Musical on Broadway where he commands the stage as the King of Pop. But long before he was headlining at the Neil Simon, he was a Kidz Bop Kid touring the country, which is so major to me, I can't wait to talk about it. A working actor on shows like The Good Doctor, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and a songwriter for massive franchises like High School Musical and Zombies 4.

He's a true creative powerhouse who's currently developing his own original musical Oakwood with his closest collaborators. I'm so excited to introduce another fellow Dominican on Broadway. Mi gente, please welcome the incredibly talented Matte Martinez.

[1:06] Matte Martinez: What's up? That was great. That was cool. I felt really cool listening to that back.

[1:12] Linedy Genao: You are really cool. You are really cool. Thanks for being here.

[1:18] Matte Martinez: Thanks for having me.

[1:18] Linedy Genao: It's also the hottest day in New York City like summer has actually begun. It's crazy how quick that switch up was. I feel like are we in Dominican Republic or are we in New York City?

[1:26] Matte Martinez: Right. And I just walked out with this hoodie on like a crazy person. But it's okay. We're here. It's okay. We're here. We survived.

[1:36] Linedy Genao: I love it. Thank you for being on Entre Acts.

[1:36] Matte Martinez: Yes, thanks for having me.

[1:42] Linedy Genao: So I like to format this as a little sandwichito. I'm a foodie. So I have to kind of associate everything with food because I love food.

[1:46] Matte Martinez: Dominicans love food.

[1:46] Linedy Genao: Exactly. So we like to have some fun in the beginning with some icebreaker questions and things like that. Then get into, you know, the nitty gritty, the heartfelt stuff and then end with some fun. So we're going to start with a game of dominos. You just we're playing the Entre Acts way. Let's be real. You're just going to pick a domino, sum up that number and that will pertain to an icebreaker question. Are you ready?

[2:09] Matte Martinez: I think I am. Vamanos. Let's do it. Let's do it. Do I go first?

[2:13] Linedy Genao: Yes. Whichever one calls to you.

[2:13] Matte Martinez: This one right here. Oh, I got it. That is number three. Okay. The MJ style fedora or the iconic leather jacket.

[2:19] Linedy Genao: Oh, you. Okay. Already starting off with a very tough question.

[2:25] Matte Martinez: I know. I'm sorry. It's okay. Listen, I think I think you can't. Okay. It's the fedora. It's got to be the fedora only because it's the it's the it's the constant. You know what I'm saying? The jackets switch in and out. You have numerous iconic ones. But like the thing that always sticks is that it's that it's the fedora is that covering the eyes. You know what I'm saying? It's just that that mystifying feature of it all. I think it's got to be fedora. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

[2:58] Linedy Genao: Okay. Next. Next one. Number seven. Okay. Okay. Hot coffee all year round or iced coffee even in a blizzard.

[3:07] Matte Martinez: Iced coffee. Even in a blizzard. Is that crazy? That crazy? Listen, I love me a refreshing drink. You know what I'm saying? Like a like even like a like a lemonade or like a like a piña colada. You know, that's that's my vibe. And I think even in coffee form, I gotta have a little even when it's like a blizzard outside and your fingers are frozen and you're still holding that cold cup. I'm gonna wear gloves.

[3:35] Linedy Genao: Okay, that's good. That's cool. I love that. Okay, next.

[3:35] Matte Martinez: Okay. Number eight. Okay. What's the one ingredient you think ruins everything it touches?

[3:43] Linedy Genao: Oh, if there's any for you, listen. You know, it's interesting. My palate has grown so much over time. Like I used to say cheese was like the most disgusting thing ever.

[3:51] Matte Martinez: Really? And now I can eat cheese alone, which is a new development. That's great. Um, oh, I don't know. Maybe cilantro.

[4:03] Linedy Genao: Yeah. Okay. Because I know some people have that gene where it tastes like soap.

[4:08] Matte Martinez: That's my brother. My brother is like super like he's disgusted by it. And it tastes like toothpaste to him.

[4:13] Linedy Genao: I'm so sad for your brother.

[4:13] Matte Martinez: I know me too. Because cilantro hits. It does. It honestly adds some I do it with my pokey all the time. It's incredible.

[4:21] Linedy Genao: I've never done it on pokey. It's good. Okay, one more.

[4:30] Matte Martinez: Okay, here we go. Here we go. Number 10. Okay, Mongo. Con lo tre golpe. Or sancocho. These are two very big Dominican dishes. So there's a lot on the line. This is a lot. I could upset a lot. Sorry. I'm Dominican, too. So we'll take one for the team. Okay. I'm gonna go with Mongo. I think every time.

[4:48] Linedy Genao: Okay. Yeah. I'm torn because I love Mongo and the tre golpe like you have a little bit of everything. But sancocho is like, I get it. Sancocho is incredible. That's a hard one. It is very difficult. My mom just makes a really good Mongo. And I think I have to go with that.

[5:02] Matte Martinez: Yeah. All right. There you have it. Dominoes and Entre Acts. Martinez, everybody. Come on now.

[5:09] Linedy Genao: Oh my god, that was so much fun. That was fun. Okay, Matt. So as you know, in Entre Acts, in between acts, this is a space where we talk about what the in between means to us as artists because it's typically a taboo subject or half the time when you see someone and you run into them in the street or a party, it's like, what are you working on now? And if you're not working, that comes with shame, embarrassment, guilt. And I like to say, you don't ask a teacher in the summer what they're doing when they're not working. There's no guilt to that. It's like, no, I'm enjoying my summer. That's what I'm doing. But because we go from gig to gig to gig, there's that pressure of like, what am I doing next? So I wanted to ask you, what does the in between space mean to you when you don't know what's next? And when you're figuring it out?

[5:54] Matte Martinez: Yeah, you know, it's, it's a difficult time, for sure. I think, you know, for me, specifically, I remember, there's a specific point in my life where like, that idea was like, super relevant. I mean, it always is relevant. You never know. Right. But I think, especially when I was younger, like, I remember, I had finished doing Kidz Bop. And it was like, the kind of the first thing that kind of launched me into the industry and like what that means. And after that, I'm, you know, you're kind of like, expecting to, I don't know, yeah, continue working or like, find new things. And, and I also rise with the people that you started with. And the next thing, you know, you know, these people are kind of moving on and doing more things.

And you're stuck kind of asking the questions of like, what is it that I'm doing wrong? That's not, you know, getting me to where I need to go. But honestly, like, knowing, you know, that I have my mom's support and like my family support and like my own support to like, having that confidence within myself being like, No, no, like, it's gonna, it's gonna happen when it needs to happen. I think, you know, a big statement in our household is like, everything happens for a reason. And like, just being okay with like, you know, that, like, God's got you that the universe, whatever you believe in, like is is fully capable of, like, unfolding the way it needs to, you know what I'm saying? Just like, following that is like what I've been literally like living my entire life by. And it's gotten me through very tough times, very rough, rough times. So yeah, it's tough, though.

[7:19] Linedy Genao: That's Yeah, I absolutely agree. And in Spanish, there's a saying that I love to say too, is lo que esta para ti, nadie te lo quita. What's meant to be was yours. And no one can take that from you.

[7:28] Matte Martinez: Yes. And sometimes it's a very hard lesson to learn. But it's so true, especially through those tough times. Something is there waiting for you, and it will be yours. And it's meant to be yours, you just have to be ready to receive or, you know, in the right time or something like that. Just patient, you know, like, that time in between is meant to, to kind of push you in ways that you're not expecting. And also for you to like, build upon and like build your craft and like focus on on other things that will eventually prepare you for where you need to go.

[8:00] Linedy Genao: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I love that. And it'll inform you not only as a human, but you as an artist and whatever it is that you do next completely, I wouldn't be who I am now if it wasn't for that time being like, Okay, what am I doing? Like, Who am I? What am I doing? Where do I go? You know, all of that.

[8:23] Matte Martinez: Absolutely. You're in your dream role right now, which is so exciting, because I can't wait to talk about how you know, you've been dancing MJ since you were little, like, yeah, yeah, it's been it's wild. I mean, I've, so I'm a dancer first. So my mom owned a dance studio in Jersey. So she would like we had like recitals, and there was a theme for each recital every year. And there was one year where it was just like themed to Michael Jackson. And like, I was maybe seven or eight and fully like in the Billie Jean outfit, like dancing on stage doing the moonwalk, the toast, like all the things. And also, I was just a fan to like, I would fully like, have birthday parties. And like, if you weren't dressed as Michael, like you weren't allowed to come in.

It was that serious. You know, you see what I'm saying? People? Okay, that it's that serious. Okay. I had posters on my wall, I had albums, I had the custom made jackets from our seamstress at our dance studio. Like it was, it was iconic. It was a thing. And now yeah, here I am.

[9:19] Linedy Genao: Oh my god.

[9:19] Matte Martinez: Yeah. 23 doing this thing called the MJ the musical show. Broadway iconic. I very grateful when I saw when I saw the show. I got chills because again, like we all have specific and beautiful memories of Michael Jackson and his music. But for me specifically, it was sitting in my aunt's tiny apartment in Queens, right? All of us sitting in the salad floor on the living room floor, watching his concert that ends the musical.

[9:37] Linedy Genao: Yes.

[9:37] Matte Martinez: But with that jacket dangerous. Yeah. So when he comes out of that, like, I literally got chills on my body. And I started hysterically crying because it brought me back to Ridgewood Queens in my onslaught watching that very moment. Michael Jackson does that. Like, it's actually insane. And to see a Dominican playing Michael Jackson is your family over the moon.

[10:03] Linedy Genao: It's so well, yes, they're they're ecstatic. It's so funny. My my dad, my uncle, and my siblings came to see the show like a couple days ago. And my dad and my siblings have seen it before. But my uncle's first time was seeing it. Um, and they are like, the most first of all, the most Dominican people you've ever met in your entire life. So they're there and they're losing their minds. And my uncle used to he's a pianist. So my, my dad's a percussionist, my uncle's a pianist, they were in a band together, they would like make salsa merengue. And he came to see it. And he was the one who kind of like, helped not helped me, but like, kind of, you know, showed me Michael Jackson in a way where he was like, here's the videos.

Here's like, don't stop till you get enough. Here's, you know, Billie Jean, all these things. And we would be in the basement of our home. And I had a drum kit, a piano, a stage that we had a little, you know, all that going on. And, and we would be singing these, these Michael Jackson songs together. And he came to see the show and he and it was like full circle. They couldn't believe it. It's, it's wild. You know, I think, especially for us Dominicans to see a Dominican on stage, first of all, in general, just always is a great thing for me. I love to see it every single time. But for them, for people who don't, I don't know, like, it's a different thing to see, like, I can, I can only imagine like seeing your son, you know, who's, who's, who you remember as being a little kid running around.

[11:26] Matte Martinez: Wow, it's been such a fun journey. This started with me and my best friend Jaheim King-Tombs, who you guys will know very, very soon. Basically, we grew up in LA. You know, I grew up in Jersey, moved to LA after Kidz Bop, and I've been living there for honestly a very long time. Yeah, we became really close friends through the industry. We're both like kind of child actors in a way. He was on a Nickelodeon show when he was younger. I was in Kidz Bop. I then did like Nickelodeon, Disney right after that, kind of here and there. And you know, I think we got real close during our times passing each other auditions and like, you know, mutual friends. And then the pandemic hit, a big in-between, huge in-between for everybody.

And we kind of like potted together and like, you know, we would only see each other really like my, you know, my family, his family, and we hang out. He lives in this apartment complex in LA called, it used to be called Oakwood, it is now the Avalon. And basically in its prime, it was the, I guess, the hodgepodge of every child actor or every working actor ever, right? So like studios would fly out these actors from out of state and they would put them in this apartment complex, and they would then run around because they were all homeschooled and cause drama and mayhem and whatever. So yes, so basically it's kind of based off of that. It's based off of us literally like in the Oakwood, 'cause Jaheim, you know, that's kind of where it all started.

And yeah, so it's been a six-year journey of us writing the music and story. We just attached our best friend, our other best friend Jackson Pace, who's helping us write the book. And it's been incredible. It's such a fun time to get to write with your friends, but that's the whole thing, right? We were in the in-between, so we didn't know what to do. So we were going stir-crazy during the pandemic. Wow, and it actually started off of us writing a song about the pandemic and how much we hated it here, and then that grew into way more. And everyone was like, you guys need to like start writing more and like do different things. And yeah, eventually became us like having a conversation, be like, hey, is this something that we want to try doing?

Like, you know, we weren't sure if we wanted to anyway, because like we are the poster children for ADHD, you know what I'm saying? So like I was like, how do we sit down actually and take our time to like write all this out? And then it just kind of became therapy because it was a kind of a joke at first, you know? It was like, oh, we're gonna write some funny songs, and then we started kind of finding the truth in it all and like we kind of started writing, you know, songs that we saw ourselves or, you know, to do these characters who saw ourselves in. And then we would share with our friends, and then next thing you know, we turn to our right and our friends are crying because of the song.

And it's just kind of like, oh wow, this is like more than just what we think it is. This can actually like reach a lot of people. And you know, the story's about actors, but it's more universal than that. It's about just trying to find yourself in a place where everyone's telling you who you're supposed to be. And you know, we show the ups, the downs, the ins and outs of like what being an actor truly is. So it's honestly, it's kind of deep. It's literally about the in-between. It's like it's kind of just like finding your voice and not knowing what's next. And yeah, we also star in it, me and Jaheim. So yeah, I'm excited. You know, it's gonna come, it's happening.

[16:02] Linedy Genao: I didn't say hello. Come on now. Hello. First, I'm on a podcast now writing music like so MJ.

[16:12] Matte Martinez: You're, I saw your name also associated with Zootopia, yes. Yes, like what can't, not what can't Matt do?

[16:21] Matte Martinez: Well, cut that part. No, no, keep it. I love it. What can't Matt do? I appreciate it. It's fun. You know, I think I've always dreamed of doing this, and I'm very lucky that I get to, you know, it's very, it's very, it's out of my hands. It's above me, truly, that I've been divinely guided into these positions, and I'm very, very, very grateful.

[16:46] Linedy Genao: Inspiring. Like again, sorry to keep harping on this, but it's so true as another Dominican, like there's not many of us on Broadway, let alone TV and writing music. It's so inspiring to see you do this at such a young age. So like keep going, you're inspiring so many people, including myself.

[17:06] Matte Martinez: Thank you for sharing that and your talents with the world.

[17:09] Matte Martinez: Thank you for creating an outlet for people like us to kind of, you know, do because you're also killing it. You're on Broadway too, like we're all, we're doing the same. You were doing it, you know, it's kind of wild.

[17:17] Linedy Genao: I need to learn how to write a song because I could barely write a poem, so I need to get on your level.

[17:26] Linedy Genao: So, what is your favorite in-between hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with performing?

[17:34] Matte Martinez: Oh, the thing is, I don't know what, like I have to be always doing something creative. So even when I'm not working, I'm working. Okay, so let me think. I think my favorite hobby to do, look, I love to walk.

[17:40] Matte Martinez: Me too. I love to walk. I like, well, I will walk without a dirt, without a destination. Sometimes I'll just go and see where my legs take me. I think that's a fun time. What else? What else? Well, I love to, um, I love to, guys, my life consists of work, and I love my way. I love to work. You know what I'm saying? I like to write music is what it is. That's just what it is. That's my hobby, you know? I just like to play guitar, and I like to write my own music, and I like to listen to music, and music is my life. So I love it, you know, hello.

[18:32] Matte Martinez: Speaking of walking, I was a part of a musical called Passing Through, based off of a true story of a book called Walking to Listen by Andrew, Africa's last name. But it's the true story of this guy named Andrew who walked across the country by foot from Pennsylvania all the way to California, searching for answers. You heard that right, from PA. I'm sorry, from Massachusetts to California. Oh, by foot. But he was going through a lie. I think his parents had gotten divorced, and he was just searching for answers. He's like, I'm going through it, I need to just walk. And it's the story of his encounters in all these states with all kinds of people and like bad things that happened, but also good things that happened and people, you know, him making the news, people cheering him on, opening their homes to him, but also sleeping in the street.

And by the end of it, he gets greeted by this indigenous tribe in California that kind of like blesses him in the ocean and just this journey. It's so inspiring and so beautiful, and that just made me think of that. So I would recommend that.

[19:47] Linedy Genao: Sounds Walking to Listen.

[19:54] Matte Martinez: Walking to Listen. That's gorgeous. It's, I was such a beautiful look musical.

[19:59] Linedy Genao: Wow.

[20:00] Matte Martinez: Yeah, Passing Through, you said?

[20:01] Linedy Genao: Passing Through, yeah, which I hope something happens with it, please.

[20:05] Matte Martinez: Yo, what can we do? Come on? We did it in Connecticut years ago before COVID. I don't, you know how it is. You know how it is.

[20:11] Linedy Genao: Hello. So if you had to name your current act, what would it be? Where are, what would you describe the current moment you are in your life?

[20:16] Matte Martinez: Oh, how would you describe? I would describe it as, like, I would keep it simple. I would say change is okay. I think that's the name of the act right now. I think I'm so used to not being in control of like my life, but I'm so used to like knowing, I think, or like thinking that I know. And I'm in a phase in my life where I think I'm being asked to allow for things to unfold the way that they're supposed to, and that excites me. It really does. Like I'm excited to like, I don't know, I just, I feel like, you know, especially when you, you know, like when you're on Broadway for a very long time, you know, it gets very kind of like same thing over and over and over again. And it will be the same thing over and over again until I know what I'm saying.

And that's what it is, but I'm, that's why I think I'm like walking a lot more or like just like again releasing my closed grip on whatever life throws at me and kind of allowing for it to kind of unfold the way it's supposed to and being okay with that and being super open to whatever comes my way. And yeah, change is okay. Change is okay.

[21:31] Linedy Genao: I love that. Yeah, just change. Oftentimes when we think of change, we think that it's scary, and it can be, yeah, but it's okay.

[21:36] Matte Martinez: Yeah, especially if you flip that mindset because like, you know, I remember when I was a lot younger, like anything, like any abrupt changes, I would be like, oh god, like that's not, like my body doesn't enjoy this. But like genuinely, like it's just switching the mindset of being like, I know this is different, but like why is it a bad thing? You know, just see what happens, and it might be good for you.

[21:57] Linedy Genao: Wow, you're absolutely right.

[22:00] Matte Martinez: You're absolutely right. So last question before we get back into the sándwichito though.

[22:08] Linedy Genao: Okay, my favorite part, you know. So we're taught to always be hustling, but in the in-between is where most of our lives happen. Yes. What's the biggest lesson you've learned about yourself while waiting for the next?

[22:18] Matte Martinez: Yes, it's the thing of, okay, I think, you know, I find myself to be fueled by people, to be fueled by like, you know, friends and family. And you know, when we're all hustling, we get completely, it can happen that we get completely kind of lost in the world of like work, work, work, work. I need this, I need to make sure I build this connection up so that I can potentially, you know what I'm saying? But like allowing for in those in-between moments to fully...

[22:53] Linedy Genao: Oh my god. Well now this inspired me to ask you what are you literally doing in the in-betweens of your show like in intermission and also what is your to show day like what is your in between?

[24:34] Matte Martinez: Yes. Okay. So in between for intermission, I would say I'm usually sitting with Marcus who we both know. Shout out Marcus. I'm sitting, Marcus is touching me up and I'm either, it depends on the day, but I'm either sitting in silence to just prepare me for what's about to happen. It gets crazy or sometimes I go live on Instagram just because like I'm feeling social and I'm feeling energetic that day or I'm singing a song with my dresser John Funk and we're just making jokes. We keep it light, you know, we keep it light but it really depends on the day.

[25:17] Linedy Genao: I love that. And now what about in between shows if you have a two show day?

[25:27] Matte Martinez: Two show day, I will usually go get pokey guys. I eat, I'm going to turn into a pokey ball.

[25:36] Linedy Genao: Where do you go?

[25:36] Matte Martinez: Red pokey in.

[25:36] Linedy Genao: Yeah, is that on a that is in the New World Stages?

[25:42] Matte Martinez: Oh, I'm not gone or a new world. What is that? Yeah, like that Plaza.

[25:42] Linedy Genao: Yeah that Plaza. I've not gone there yet. What is your order?

[25:42] Matte Martinez: Okay, white rice, salmon and tuna. Correct, mango. Yeah. Yes. Okay, mango, cucumber, cilantro.

[25:59] Matte Martinez: What else do I add? A mommy? Yes, ginger. Ooh, onion crisps. Correct. That's, oh, ponzu sauce. That's the order. Okay. And listen, it might do something to you and might change your life.

[26:14] Linedy Genao: It does it changed mine.

[26:14] Matte Martinez: I get that so much especially in between shows because it's not too heavy. It's not too light because I can't eat nothing crazy. Because I have a lot of up and downs in the show. I'm moving my body a lot. Yeah. So I got to keep it simple. But it's great. I do that. I also always go to Whole Foods I get a yerba mate sparkling yerba mate cranberry. It is incredible. It is going to do it might you might not sleep for a while, but it gets you where you need to be. Yeah, you know, and then a coconut water. That's like my hydrate. Yes. Hello, because people aren't talking about hydrating enough. Okay, y'all. We need to hydrate. All right. It's the summertime. We are in shows. Our vocal cords need it. Yes. Okay. It's just a lot. I just want to preface that. That's all. All right.

[27:08] Linedy Genao: Please tell me the poke place has a rewards program.

[27:30] Matte Martinez: You know, I can find that out. You haven't found that out yet. I'm not a big rewards person. Can I say something? Listen, I know I know I understand this and it's tragic. I need to get on this because I don't even like I've spent a lot of like just on things when I don't have to.

[27:30] Linedy Genao: Correct.

[27:30] Matte Martinez: So just next time you go. Yeah, just go to the counter and I'm sure they'll have a QR code or something and that says they have an app or just ask because by this point you've been ordering them from them for how long like about a year.

[27:50] Linedy Genao: Okay, you probably could have had 57 free bowls.

[27:50] Matte Martinez: Yes. Oh, now that's something that I like. What's the name of the place?

[27:50] Linedy Genao: Poke in.

[27:50] Matte Martinez: If you are listening to Entre Acts, please. You guys know who I am retroactive. You see me walking words. He plays MJ. You see him walk in every two show day and probably more, you know, my order at this point, you and we just said it here. Please retroactivate. That's a word. I like his rewards retroactivate.

[28:11] Matte Martinez: Retroactivate.

[28:42] Linedy Genao: I'm very, very grateful to finally meet you and you do. Yeah. Oh my god. So okay, now we're in our segment of like chisme. Have you takes yet to stop it. Oh, so being that we grew up with Dominican parents, were your parents strict? How many siblings you have?

[29:09] Matte Martinez: So okay, I have a full brother. Uh huh. Younger brother. I have a half sister. I have a half younger brother. All right, where do you fall in the lineup?

[29:13] Matte Martinez: I am the second oldest.

[29:13] Linedy Genao: Okay. I'm the oldest of four. Okay. What's a rule you hated from your parents that you now fully support?

[29:13] Matte Martinez: This is controversial. Oh, this is controversial. This is perfect for the segment. I was a boy, right? I'm a boy. I was extremely interested in like BB guns for some reason, because like, we're like, yeah, we're gonna we're gonna play Nerf guns and BB guns, all that thing. And I wanted one. And my mother was like, Are you crazy? Because what? And I look back at that time and I go, What? What are we doing? So that was something that just came up to mind like off the top. They didn't really I mean, they had some rules about like, I had to eat all my food.

[29:51] Matte Martinez: Correct. Same. You know, televisa mesa, I think it didn't mean that you don't get up from that table until you finish your finish the food finish it all. And it's interesting. Also, I had there was a rule. I don't know. Let me know if you experienced this. I had to eat my food and then drink my drink.

[30:05] Linedy Genao: My dad does that.

[30:05] Matte Martinez: There actually is some sort of scientific medical something something where it's best to eat your food and then drink the liquid. So my father does not drink a sip of his water until after all of his food is eaten. And I'm like, Bobby, why are you doing that?

[30:24] Linedy Genao: Oh, so you had to do that too.

[30:24] Matte Martinez: I mean, I that was told to did I know? Sorry. So I'm sorry. My what's her name? Elianta.

[30:47] Matte Martinez: Elianta, very Dominican name. Yeah, super Dominican. We have to talk about the Dominican names. We will we will. But yeah, it was that it was it was there was I never did it because I was thirsty. And it was just a lot to ask of me. I was you know, I was.

[30:47] Linedy Genao: Have you seen that cardi? I mean, she's like, Yeah, that literally there.

[30:52] Matte Martinez: That was literally me at however old six or seven. Oh my god. Okay, if you were in your final intermission, and could only have one final meal, what is it going to be?

[31:14] Matte Martinez: Wow. I know. This is a hard question. Because there's too much food for me. Okay, top three, or two. I'm very indecisive. I'm not good with I can't even do that. I'm so I'm I love food too. Okay, top three. Ready? 123 fries, french fries. Okay, 123 rice and beans. And last one 123 chicken. It's not true. I like chicken. But do I want that? I don't know. I have no clue. Sure. Sure. That was that was amazing. Well, okay. What kind of beans?

[31:42] Linedy Genao: Black.

[31:43] Matte Martinez: Do you like moto? Like moto negro? You rather the white rice and the black beans on the side.

[31:56] Linedy Genao: Okay. Actually, so I'll be trying to get out like, like a guisada, which is like, separate is actually bomb.

[31:56] Matte Martinez: I agree. I think for me, you know, it I'm, again, my taste is expanding every single day. I grew up so picky. Like it was like, I can't eat anything that I'm not familiar with. Um, so like, it was as simple as just like, again, plain white rice, it was, I couldn't eat it when it was like crispy, or like, you know, I couldn't do that.

[32:18] Linedy Genao: How about now?

[32:20] Matte Martinez: Actually, you know what, I haven't tried it as I haven't like, it's not my first choice. I haven't tried it in a very long time. But I just remember not enjoying it when I was a kid. Um, it was like the stone is though the stone is was like the go to every single time. Oh, Frenchie, I would the breakfast. Like I would do like salami, like raw salami, like don't cook it literally cold, like just from like, from the packet, just like cold. I would do like eggs, of course. Mongo would be up in there. Honestly, I'm just I'm thinking about it. That might be my my meal. I just love it. It's too good. It's too good. You haven't had it yet. What are you waiting for? Go to Washington Heights, go to Inwood, go anywhere you will find it.

[33:00] Linedy Genao: Listen, please. Okay, what is your payroll song? What is the song that you're shaking ass to when nobody's watching or when everybody's watching? Who cares?

[33:20] Matte Martinez: Yeah, yeah. Let me think about this. This is a very big hype up. Yeah, I'm saying big, big moment in this podcast. I think we got to really nail it right because like, the pressure's on. And I think that I, oh, oh, if you're, if you're listening to our audio, Matt is going off right now on the couch. Like, oh my god called locking. This is a little bit of everything. A little bit of everything. I'm just I'm now I'm doing the stanky leg. I don't know what's going on. I Okay, let me think the song that I'm dancing to the most father figure learn to protect. I'll do that. However, I'm going to go father figure John Bellion right now. Or, or, or, or, you know, it's interesting about this. I listen to so much so many different genres of music.

Like a lot of those the songs that are coming to mind right now are like not dancing songs. So it's like more like, like alternative, like indie R&B alternative, like more like this. Yes. But we're talking about like this. I'm like, Do I have any of these? And I guess that song for now John Bellion's father figure, but love that that can also change tomorrow. No, and it should, especially if you're listening to all kinds of genres. Look, change is okay. Wow. Wow.

[34:19] Linedy Genao: Oh prince and who's playing the guitar like Prince, you know people like the princess hello, and then Michael Jackson. I wouldn't I am who I am because of Michael Jackson. I can't.

[34:49] Linedy Genao: Okay, this is too much any and all decisions here on in three acts, okay. So back we kind of talked about this again, but now it's really bed. Wet dead. Okay, man. Goo, Sancocho or chicharron. Do you like chicharron? I do.

[35:19] Matte Martinez: Thank God. Which would you what are you doing here? What is happening? It's tough for me, too. Okay. Okay. I'm going to wed Mongo, I just I'm telling you like that is one of my favorite things you could have it for breakfast lunch.

[35:41] Matte Martinez: Yes, which I've had in my family. I'm going to I'm going to bed Sancocho, I'm going to dead. It's a lot of oil it's fried. It's it's not always the best for my stomach.

[36:01] Matte Martinez: Anybody's for anybody's skin and like it's it's a lot. It's a good treat, but it's not good to have all the time.

[36:07] Linedy Genao: That's so true. So that's my that was okay. That wasn't too bad. All right. Okay, last one bed. Wet dead. Your tia who asks why you're not married yet your cousin who always has the best cheese man or your abuela who insists? You're too skinny.

[36:32] Matte Martinez: Every time my aunts or somebody sees me I needed to tough like I need. It's a cultural thing we it's fine it happens. Oh it happens often. Yes. Um, can you so yeah? Yeah.

[36:54] Linedy Genao: So your tia who asks why you're not married your cousin who always has the best cheese me or your abuela who insists? You're too skinny and it's here too if you want to be there. Okay, I'm going to say I'm going to I'm going to wed Abuela for at and here's why let me give you my reasoning. It's endearing. It is it comes from a place of love.

[37:18] Matte Martinez: You know, it's endearing. It's sweet. It's not always sweet, but I just I'm like, oh Abuela, and it's usually followed with here your favorite meal and then you get food and you're just like, oh my god you do love me exactly, you know, okay.

[37:35] Linedy Genao: Then your tia who asks why you're not married yet and your cousin who has the best cheese me I'm going to dead that the I who asks why you aren't married yet. Cuz why is this your business? Yeah, okay. Yeah, I'm working on it. All right. I respect I respect it. But come on.

[37:52] Matte Martinez: And then I'm going to what is the last one? Yeah, cuz then who always has the best cheese me I said, I'm a bear I'm a bed that yeah, I'm bed that yeah. I think that's fun. Cuz it's fun cousin talk, you know, we got we gots a lot to catch up on. Yes. Yes.

[38:05] Linedy Genao: Yeah, so cuz you know, we only see each other at the reunion. So it's like let's talk about humongous family I have people who I don't even know the names of like like our family reunions in its prime consisted of I think maybe almost more like more than a hundred of us.

[38:25] Matte Martinez: Oh, yeah. It was like you see the pictures and it was all because of my uncle my mom's brother who would set these things up you would see us in the Dominican Republic I'm small and my my you know, my my tank top my white tank top with the my belly out like this you know, I'm just walking around with not knowing where I'm at.

[38:47] Linedy Genao: It's like swimming whatever with the floaties on and then you have just cousins and cousins and aunts and uncles and I mean it was it was crazy. It's it's where's your family from?

[39:00] Matte Martinez: So my mom's from Santiago my dad is from oh my dad is from it's not San Juan because that's not there. There is a song one and he's from there because I didn't want him I didn't want to say it and be wrong but cuz I that's how that is what it is, but I was just worried.

[39:15] Linedy Genao: Yeah. I know but you're gonna hate me. Why never? I'm gonna say something super vulnerable right now. Okay, and I just want everybody I just want everybody to be prepared for this. I don't speak Spanish.

[39:26] Matte Martinez: That's okay. Is it? Yes. It's not your fault. It’s not your fault. It isn't I listen, I was being spoken to in Spanish as a baby and then all of a sudden I just they spoke to me in English and I was like, oh, why don't you guys like start with that?

[39:41] Linedy Genao: Hey guys, you still understand a lot of it.

[39:43] Matte Martinez: Yeah, I understand a lot of it. But for some reason just it it doesn't it's not my first language. It's okay. That's okay. I'm the oldest of four and my mom and dad since we were born their rule was Spanish at home English in school, so I was born in Brooklyn.

[39:57] Linedy Genao: Yes in Connecticut.

[39:58] Matte Martinez: And so my parents would speak to us only in Spanish at home but the second we got into school started speaking with friends started watching English TV, you know, it was all English but they were like no no, no and like I said espanol.

[40:09] Linedy Genao: So my brother and I are a lot more fluent than my sisters.

[40:13] Matte Martinez: So I'm 9 and 11 years older than my sisters. Oh, wow. And my parents, you know, that was kid 3 and 4 and 9 11 years later. So they were like, that's fine. So they speak Spanish, but they're not as comfortable and I don't think that they would say Spanish is their first language because of that but that's not their fault either, you know, right? That's just their upbringing.

[40:30] Linedy Genao: Okay, that's okay. I just thought I'd get that off my chest, you know, like I've had interviews with Telemundo and that that's been great.

[40:37] Matte Martinez: I watched that did you and I just was like guys listen I will do this because I love this this the station and I love you guys you guys are my childhood, but I don't speak.

[40:52] Linedy Genao: It's literally whenever I do an interview in Spanish, I'm freaking out I'm like, this is my first language but I just they just you start overthinking and it's like oh damn okay, English a lot more now than Spanish.

[41:05] Matte Martinez: Yeah ever only with my family, right? That's so crazy. So the pressures I know so before we go now because I'm I'm gonna be mad at myself if we don't talk about this, yeah, I need to know the most Dominican the three most Dominican names in your family I'll go first.

[41:17] Linedy Genao: Okay, my aunt is Euphemia you see me.

[41:20] Matte Martinez: Yeah, exactly. I think it's a Greek name Wow, so I'll fame.

[41:26] Linedy Genao: Yeah, my uncle is the ohiness Diogenes, which is also Greek Wow, and my grandfather is a cleavage Euclid's which is also I think Greek Wow, so Greek theme all around and then my yeah, but then my name Lina D.

[41:44] Matte Martinez: So my name is Lena D in Spanish Lina D in English I don't know where I got Lina D from but when I moved to Connecticut was Lina D.

[41:49] Linedy Genao: So my name in English is Lina D and my name in Spanish is Lina D. So my dad Dominicans love to combine names.

[42:00] Matte Martinez: Yes, they do. They do. So my mom is Rosalyn Rosalyn Rosie Rosalyn and my dad is Eduardo when he goes by Eddie.

[42:05] Linedy Genao: My dad is also Eduardo who goes by Eddie. Look at that. Edie. I eat or Edie why Edie IE same that's crazy.

[42:14] Matte Martinez: That's crazy. So my dad but but for the spelling of my name he did Edie why cuz he did Rosalyn so my mom's name is Rosalyn spelled Roseline Rosalyn Rosalyn a liony right Lee Neddy.

[42:30] Linedy Genao: Ah, that's Rosalyn Eddie. That's cute. So that's my name. I like that. So three most Dominican names in your family.

[42:38] Matte Martinez: Okay, I'm thinking well, what was your aunt's name? We'll use that the anta elianta. That's very Dominican. I have is a Josefina Josef yes.

[42:45] Linedy Genao: Yes, mm-hmm and I'm trying to think of like the really Dominican.

[42:48] Matte Martinez: Oh, there's a Dionysus Dionysus, okay. Yeah, it's very more common. It's more common.

[42:52] Linedy Genao: Yeah, I'm thinking my mom's name is Elizabeth, which is like not Elizabeth Elizabeth right. It's the accent that makes it Dominican.

[43:00] Matte Martinez: Yes, you know I'm saying my dad Eduardo is pretty you know, yeah junior junior.

[43:15] Linedy Genao: Yeah. But they call they also call my aunt Josefina Vanny. That's the thing also with Dominican families they will like all of us like your your name is no longer your name and they'll find something else to call you.

[43:27] Matte Martinez: Yes, like Josef like Vanny comes from Josefina I don't know how I actually have to talk to them about that and really like decipher because like what were we thinking?

[43:33] Linedy Genao: Yeah, I like Vinny though.

[43:37] Matte Martinez: They didn't honestly they didn't really pick like my immediate family like they didn't really pick that bizarre of like not bizarre, but like really like Spanish names like how did your name come about with the e at the end?

[43:48] Linedy Genao: So I did that. My name is Matthew.

[43:52] Matte Martinez: Yes, my name is Matthew Edward Martinez. I was going by just like Matt MATT for a while and I just was like it gives tart like give that give that doesn't give like what I like artists or like that it kind of just looks like to me at least it was not giving what I wanted to give so like, you know what?

[44:09] Linedy Genao: Let me add the e for my middle name and just like stick it to the first half and then like make it like Matt like the finish and I was like, okay, that's cool.

[44:16] Matte Martinez: Look at that there's a Leo in my family. My uncle also Dominican eyes your name you combine you see.

[44:22] Linedy Genao: That's all it is.

[44:24] Matte Martinez: I'm just we're just bringing names together and we're just building things from it. You know, I'm saying we're here on Broadway we're Dominicans, you know, and it's crazy.

[44:32] Linedy Genao: You see you see I'm I yes. Yes. Yes, and I just made the connection Michael Jackson MJ and I play Myrtle Wilson MW. So MW MJ we're on a something people. This is too much.

[44:43] Linedy Genao: Okay, this is too much Matt. Thank you so much for being here with us.

[44:51] Matte Martinez: Thanks for having me last if you wouldn't mind before we go if you could join me saying our tagline because life doesn't pause it just moves and the ax.

[45:03] Linedy Genao: Thank you, thank you how fun.

[45:06] Linedy Genao: And the axe is created hosted and executive produced by yours truly. He may be a now produced in partnership with Alan Seals and the Broadway Podcast Network.

[45:16] Linedy Genao: Carlos E Hernandez of IKI guy management and media serves as our lead executive producer original music by Johan Beltré and Pedro F Fortunato and special thanks to welcome to Times Square comm the billboard where you can be a star for the day.

[45:31] Linedy Genao: Don't forget to subscribe and follow entry acts so you never miss an episode nos vemos.