This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, so you really want to make a podcast?

[0:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, what if we just sang our music?

[0:04] Jason A. Coombs: Maybe we should get some real music, Samantha.

[0:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: The podcast came.

[0:07] Jason A. Coombs: Are you still recording?

[0:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: Survival Jobs is a podcast spotlighting artists, their side hustles, and their passion.

[0:15] Jason A. Coombs: Hosted by Samantha Tuozzolo and Jason A. Coombs.

[0:18] Samantha Tuozzolo: Boom.

[0:20] Jason A. Coombs: Sweet.

[0:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[0:21] Jason A. Coombs: Love it.

[0:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Jason.

[0:23] Jason A. Coombs: Hey, Samantha.

[0:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: I can't believe we're already on episode two.

[0:30] Jason A. Coombs: I know, right? Episode two is crazy.

[0:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know it's like only two, but it feels like much more.

[0:36] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[0:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, it was our first episode with someone else, too. So that's like exciting.

[0:41] Jason A. Coombs: Before we talk to Robin, let me ask you a quick question. Did you watch any inspiring art this week? Did anything inspire you artistically? Tell me all the things.

[0:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm not gonna lie. I've been watching LIVING SINGLE reruns, that show from the 90s, literally all weekend.

[0:58] Jason A. Coombs: I love that show.

[0:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, what are you gonna say?

[0:59] Jason A. Coombs: No, say fun.

[1:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: I actually I don't know if I'm embarrassed to say this. I don't I had I have no idea that show.

[1:05] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, you should watch it. It's Queen Latifah.

[1:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, and Kim Coles.

[1:10] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, it's about these four black women who um it's like the original Friends, it's like what inspired Friends to be Friends.

[1:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Really?

[1:17] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, like it came out before Friends, and quick fact is that the people of Friends or like NBC wanted their own version of LIVING SINGLE. LIVING SINGLE was on Fox, and then they made Friends.

[1:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: So wow, good to know.

[1:31] Jason A. Coombs: Wow.

[1:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh well, good, Jason. I'll have to check that out. LIVING SINGLE. I love Queen Latifah.

[1:37] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, she's the truth.

[1:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: She is the truth. She has a new show.

[1:42] Jason A. Coombs: The Equalizer.

[1:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: I tried watching it the other day, and I was so tired, I fell asleep. Not because the show was bad, but because I was just so tired.

[1:48] Jason A. Coombs: Because you're a very busy man.

[1:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Taking names.

[1:51] Jason A. Coombs: She's taking names. We're about to be taking mad names over here.

[1:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. Maybe we'll get her on the show one day.

[1:57] Jason A. Coombs: Let's put it in the universe.

[1:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Just put it in.

[2:00] Jason A. Coombs: Put it in.

[2:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. Come on, Queen.

[2:03] Jason A. Coombs: Come on, Queen.

[2:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: I would need like a gallon of wine before that one.

[2:07] Jason A. Coombs: Just kidding. I'll be like so drunk. I'll be like, hello.

[2:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: Come on, Queen. Can you share with us a survival job memory or horror story, Samantha?

[2:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: As a matter of fact, Jason, I can. Yeah, you know, I feel like when we had our first episode, our first episode, which was literally one episode ago, some talking like you so long ago. Um, I feel like we talked a lot, but there was so much we didn't touch on. So uh one of my very, very first survival jobs, which you also worked at, which we'll talk about another day, was at the 911 memorial. I believe it was like my fourth job in the city because I had so many jobs and I quit them all within the first three months, which is too long of a story for now. But um, one of my first days was on New Year's Eve or uh close to New Year's Eve. I don't know, something around New Year's Eve, and it was raining so hard.

And the position, as you know, was to stand outside, and we had these giant jackets, and the park was like the exhibit. So you had to go through all the security and then all these checkups, as you know, and it was pouring rain, and I was an idiot, and I legit was in fake Uggs, okay, not even real Uggs, soaked. Okay, my boots were soaked because I'm in just a jacket and fake Uggs. So I I lied to the boss, and I said that I had explosive diarrhea and I I couldn't stand all day and I needed to go home immediately. And then I think I quit the job two weeks later. I couldn't do it.

[3:44] Jason A. Coombs: Listen, I I'm so dead. How did you tell that to someone's face? Like I have my bowels. I am not feeling well. Um I I'm not feeling well. I have explosive diarrhea.

[3:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: I think I actually said it. No shame. Everybody has explosive diarrhea at some point, right?

[4:02] Jason A. Coombs: Like oh yeah, we do, yeah.

[4:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, so that is one of my survival job horror stories. And listen, I liked the job. I you know, yeah, but I had to go. I had to go that day. Soaking wet. I said, I have to go. It's depressing. I'm cold, I have explosive diarrhea, wink, and then you're here. And then I quit. And now we're here.

[4:24] Jason A. Coombs: In a pandemic in 2021, who knew so fun. Yeah, so I'm so excited to talk to Robin de Jesús today.

[4:36] Jason A. Coombs: We're here.

[4:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. Well, let's tell everybody a little bit about him, shall we?

[4:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: In a pandemic.

[4:41] Jason A. Coombs: So for those of you who don't know who Robin is, um, he is a three-time Tony Award nominee. Uh, he started his professional acting career in the independent film Camp. And by the way, if you have not watched Camp, you need to find it. I don't think you can stream it anywhere right now.

[4:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my god, it needs to be on something.

[4:59] Jason A. Coombs: It was on Netflix.

[5:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's so good.

[5:02] Jason A. Coombs: It was on Netflix for a little while. I don't think it's on there now. And by the way, he always likes to tell you he was in Camp. Maybe just me or everyone. I don't know. Anyway, since that film, after some survival jobs, he went on to have mega success on Broadway. He was seen in Rent, In the Heights, Wicked, The Boys in the Band, among other plays. Uh, he's also been seen on many TV shows, including, by the way, Law and Order SVU, where he had the recurring role of Jose Selva.

[5:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: And by the way, when he got the script that he was gonna have a scene with Mariska, I died.

[5:44] Jason A. Coombs: Died.

[5:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: I'm like, how is my husband? My non-romantic husband, by the way. How is he gonna be in a scene with Mariska?

[5:54] Jason A. Coombs: So yeah, those are some of his highlights. Jason, take it away for the rest.

[5:59] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. Well, Robin grew up in Nawa, Connecticut. No, but the cool thing is Robin is a homegrown like Connecticut hero. I always say, um.

[6:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, you do love that.

[6:11] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, he's always giving back to the community where he came from. Like all my friends are always like, because I think I told him one time that I like met him at your house.

[6:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, which was cool.

[6:22] Jason A. Coombs: And um was the first time I met him. And like I think like everybody's always like, Oh, that's so cool that you know this guy that he was in Camp. And he always comes back.

[6:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: He was in Camp.

[6:32] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, everybody. I mean, I went to Foreman Art School, so we loved that movie. Like that was like a movie.

[6:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Definitely.

[6:37] Jason A. Coombs: But yeah, so he always comes back. He like my friend's a teacher, my friend Alicia, she's a teacher, and she was like, Did you know Robin did a talk at my school? And I was like, Oh, that's awesome. But yeah, he's um was recently in like he said, Boys in the Band on Broadway, and then Netflix adaptation that came out last year.

[6:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Which is amazing, yes.

[6:57] Jason A. Coombs: And he would next be seen in the film adaptation of Tick, Tick... Boom, uh, playing the role of Michael and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Some little guy that maybe someone knows up there.

[7:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Never heard of him, by the way.

[7:10] Jason A. Coombs: Have you? I don't know. Never heard of him. Well, that was a great intro. So yeah, let's get Robin on, right?

[7:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's get him.

[7:16] Robin de Jesús: Hi, Robin.

[7:18] Robin de Jesús: Yay, what up, y'all?

[7:20] Jason A. Coombs: Hi, Jason.

[7:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hi, Samantha.

[7:22] Robin de Jesús: Hi.

[7:23] Jason A. Coombs: You are the first ever guest on Survival Jobs: A Podcast. How do you feel?

[7:27] Robin de Jesús: I feel right. I feel good. I feel poor.

[7:35] Jason A. Coombs: This new thing, right?

[7:38] Robin de Jesús: Yeah.

[7:38] Jason A. Coombs: Are you excited? Do you feel honored?

[7:40] Robin de Jesús: I do feel so sweet. Thank you. I mean, listen, I've known y'all for a minute. Samantha's one of my ride or dies. So it feels like it's just us chilling in the living room and just having a good chat. Or that's what I'm assuming it's gonna be like.

[7:56] Jason A. Coombs: It's not, it's really gonna be scary.

[7:59] Robin de Jesús: Well, look, you're number one in Survival Jobs um lineup. So now you'll be number one on the call sheet next.

[8:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. Putting it into the universe.

[8:08] Robin de Jesús: From your mouths to God's ear.

[8:10] Jason A. Coombs: So, Jason, do you want to tell Robin a little bit about what Survival Jobs is before we jump into questioning him?

[8:17] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, for sure. I mean, we are here. Samantha and I are just talking to people that we love, people who are creative and are artists who have gotten to that level that we want to be on. Um, and it's talking about their survival jobs that they had in their past, you know, what kept them going through the hard times. Um, why you'd create, why you're an artist. So we're gonna ask you a bunch of questions like that. But I'm very happy to have you here. You've been such a like I was telling Samantha, you're like a Connecticut hero. I feel like everybody knows who you are. Everybody's always like, like my friend Alicia, she was like messaging me a couple months ago. She's like, Robin talked to my school today. And I was like, Oh, that's so cool. Like, and like my friends are always like, Oh, I saw Robin at Troop or something. Like everybody just like loves you so much.

[9:02] Robin de Jesús: I appreciate that. I love Connecticut. I just Samantha and I both are in love with it. And we've always been a fan of making both worlds work of living in the city and coming back. And it's my community. It's just like it's what made me. So I'm I'm always happy to be home.

[9:18] Jason A. Coombs: All right. So we're gonna jump right in. Go ahead.

[9:21] Jason A. Coombs: What was your best survival job and why, Robin?

[9:26] Robin de Jesús: My best survival job. Honestly, it was working at Bertucci's, uh, this like brick oven pizzeria chain in Connecticut. And it well, it it runs, it's it's on it's in the northeast. There's a there's a couple of southern states that used to have them. I don't know if they do anymore. But it was the brick oven pizzeria. I literally I worked there when I lived in Connecticut, like fresh out of high school, and then I moved to New York and I could not get a job. When I tell you, I auditioned at Barnes and Noble. I auditioned callbacks at the other those places. I don't know why. They were mad discriminatory, I guess. I don't know. No, but I was right after that, which is the worst time to audition for to apply for a job in the city.

[10:13] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[10:13] Robin de Jesús: I almost said audition was like legit legitimately. Um so I had to go back to work in Connecticut. I was living in Harlem and I'd hop in my hooptie and I would drive the 50 minutes to go to Bertucci's. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I I would say that was that was when I was 19, and I'm old for my age.

[10:34] Jason A. Coombs: Um yeah, you are.

[10:37] Robin de Jesús: And but that place was like, it was so good to me. I had so many friends there. Um, they were so supportive of of what I was trying to do, and the the managers were too. And I remember they were eat there would even be days where we we'd clean up on a Saturday night after a double shift, all of us, the kitchen, the waiters and stuff, and and the bus boys and bartenders and everybody, and they would be like, Robin, just sing. And we would just hang out by the by the 500s, I think it was the tables, and we would and when I I'm sad that you know the numbers. I'm sure it was 500. And um, and the day that I quit that job was November 11, 2005. And the reason that I quit was because I got the phone call from Rent to go join the Broadway company as a Spoogie Man and others, and others at the theater that night. And I remember like we later on feeling so guilty that I did not feel guilty at all to call them on that on that Friday, November 11th of 2005 to say, guys, I'm not coming in tonight.

[11:46] Jason A. Coombs: Damn, you didn't even give it proper two week notice.

[11:48] Robin de Jesús: I didn't give the proper two week notice. Donna was livid. Donna was a host, and she's like, I just can't believe that Robin would leave like this. He's just never been this way before. I was like, You're like a Broadway.

[12:00] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[12:02] Robin de Jesús: But that place was like that they were they were really, really good to me. So I think that that that's the it also had a sense of community, and I think that was why. Followed by a close second, is the the job that I hated and loved the most, which was the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Um I I I well the reason I say I the reason I I can't say it was all hate was because I made really good friends there.

[12:26] Jason A. Coombs: To clarify something, you worked at Bertucci's after Camp the movie came out.

[12:31] Robin de Jesús: Oh, boo. Let me tell you the survival jobs after Camp were humbling. Like I would get recognized.

[12:39] Jason A. Coombs: That's what I was gonna ask. Did you get recognized putting that bread down?

[12:42] Robin de Jesús: Because by the way, the bread at Bertucci's.

[12:44] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I got recognized at Bertucci's at Bubba Gump. I got recognized um at FAO Schwartz, because I worked at FAO Schwartz as a toy demonstrator. I lasted three shifts.

[12:54] Robin de Jesús: Did you?

[12:55] Jason A. Coombs: Oh yeah. That was the first job I ever had in the city outside of performing. I I got a job there because I was just trying to move to the city. And someone reached out to me and said, Hey, I got I know a great job. They pay like 15, 16 bucks an hour back. I'm talking about 0405.

[13:11] Robin de Jesús: That's good money.

[13:11] Jason A. Coombs: That's good money. You know what I'm saying?

[13:15] Robin de Jesús: I feel like I, uh, no, I always say like I wanna, I wanna feel like, like, like a rich white woman, you know what I mean? Like that, and that's how I felt like, um, 15, 16 an hour in 2005. Yeah, boo boo. And it was a job that was created for actors. So if you had an audition, you could take your break whenever you wanted, as long as you worked the total amount of hours. It didn't matter if they were consecutive or not.

[13:39] Jason A. Coombs: That's amazing.

[13:40] Robin de Jesús: Oh wow. You got an audition at one o'clock, you leave by 12:30, be back by 1:30, and everyone's craving, you know. But it was, I was miserable and no one trained you. They just gave you a toy and said, stand in this corner. And then you go, and most of the day was just tourists asking you where the bathroom was or where like the new Yu-Gi-Oh! or whatever was the toy at the time was. And I remember that I didn't know. Like I couldn't tell you where the bathroom was. And I was commuting every day from Connecticut to work that, and then I was like, this has got to stop.

[14:11] Jason A. Coombs: You were commuting from Connecticut to go to FAO Shorts.

[14:14] Robin de Jesús: Because I thought that getting the job would lead to a full-time job, which then could lead to me committing to an apartment in the city. So I was just trying to like take the steps. And that's the beauty of being from Connecticut like us, where you're, you know, it's an hour train ride. We're so lucky that way, but it also was a lot of work. Hard commuting that way. Oh, wait, what was the question you asked before? I'm so sorry, I lost the thread.

[14:34] Jason A. Coombs: That was the question. What was your best survival job? So then that sort of leads into the next question of what was your worst and why.

[14:44] Robin de Jesús: My worst one. Well, actually, wait, I want to go, I want to go back retroactively, and I hope I'm not messing with—

[14:44] Jason A. Coombs: No, go. We love this.

[14:49] Robin de Jesús: You asked about being recognized earlier. And what I will say is there was the most adorable couple at Bertucci's. They were like really big into art house movies, they were from Darien and they were really posh, and they recognized me because they would just go into the city and see art house films, and they made it a point to come back and like always ask for my section and always make sure that like they got to tip me because they knew that I was like trying to make it in this business, and there were lots of people who ended up doing that over time. But though the story that I want to share real quick is that there's an actress that I now know who said that when she was in college, there was a school trip to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Times Square, and you know, they were just eating there in between shows or before show or whatever, and she saw me and she said to someone, she stopped another waiter and goes, I'm sorry, is that the guy from Camp?

And they laughed and said, Yes, it is. And years later, I met her, and she goes, I have to tell you thank you because I needed to see you in that position. I realized in that moment, like here I am going to college to study musical theater, and you just did this movie that in my mind is a big deal, and now you're my waiter. So, like that's what I'm accepting as my life. That that is the contract I'm making that I'm okay following my passion, knowing full well that that means sometimes I will be carrying plates or cleaning dishes or whatever it is that you gotta do.

[16:18] Jason A. Coombs: For sure. That story is literally like the guideline to this podcast.

[16:23] Robin de Jesús: I know, you know, it reminded me because I remember the first time I got a co-star role, and it was literally like three words on Mr. Robot. And then, but like, you know, you go and you have like a trailer and like you feel all special for that one day, but then you have to go back to your life, your survival job to just keep surviving, but you feel so special.

[16:44] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah, and it's like, and if you choose to make the decision, it's like that feeling of being seen, of feeling special, of feeling like you're doing what you love, is like some people really like that really wears on them when they have to go back. But if like, if you can take the time to choose the perspective of ooh, I know what this feels like, I know what this tastes like. So when I go back to work, I want to keep working hard so that I can like have the money to like take the time off, go to that audition or take that class so that I can experience that feeling again, you know, as opposed to thinking of it as like going back to the survival job and being like sometimes you will.

[17:23] Robin de Jesús: You sometimes you, yeah, you're preaching to the choir, yeah.

[17:28] Jason A. Coombs: Sometimes you will. And I think it's something in that too. Sometimes I think that maybe there's a world in which the dislike of the survival job, while it's not good for you in the overall big picture, there are periods of time. I don't think it's forever, and I don't think it's sustainable by any means for mental health. But I do think that perhaps those moments where you hate the survival job, that that energy is supposed to be focused and used to fight to fight and to put your energy towards whatever the next step for you is in the performing arts career.

[17:58] Robin de Jesús: Totally. I love that. So what's your worst survival job?

[18:03] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, my worst survival job.

[18:07] Robin de Jesús: By the way, though, I we love the stories. But what's your worst survival job?

[18:11] Jason A. Coombs: No, no, absolutely I'm back. I'm back, I'm back in life. I talk a lot.

[18:15] Robin de Jesús: No, I think that I really, I really, really, really dislike working at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. I just found it to be so stifling. And I'm contradicting everything I said about choosing, you know, a positive perspective, but it was really rough. And I remember there was a specific manager who was, he was born again Christian and was real judgy and like he had this serial killer smile, and like there were certain things that he didn't like that were tied to his faith and not about like work behavior that were annoying. He could be difficult just to be difficult because he had power. I hate that. Um, yeah, it was terrible. But that said, my first job ever, ever, ever in life was packaging fake gold teeth at the back of a dollar store.

[19:10] Jason A. Coombs: I'm dead.

[19:11] Robin de Jesús: Why is it gotta be gold? Robin, only gold teeth are multiple items.

[19:16] Jason A. Coombs: Well, like it was fake gold teeth. You get a case and there were little ring boxes. They were like 20, 25 boxes, and I would take the food, it was little, and I would have to bend it to fit in the box. Sometimes it was like open like a Pac-Man, and so you just have to like pinch it to grip it down so that the box would close. And so the whole thing was you got paid by the box. And so you had to like go as fast as you could. But I thought the amount of teeth, the fake gold teeth that I broke because I bent it too much, and then it would like crack. And I'd be like, nobody knows. Put it away.

[19:48] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my.

[19:49] Robin de Jesús: And I was a kid. I just can't believe you were assigned to just the gold teeth.

[19:54] Jason A. Coombs: Just gold flavor flavor.

[19:59] Robin de Jesús: Exactly. Maybe that's where he got it at the dollar store in Norwalk, Connecticut. So we've heard about your survival jobs and your stories, which sort of all led you up to the success that you've had. So can you tell us what it was like when you got nominated for your first Tony?

[20:15] Robin de Jesús: I think that the only other moment in my life that can compare to that moment, right, Robin? Was coming out to my mother. Because it was like a vacuum. It was like you suddenly just went into slow motion and this primal feeling came out. So the setup was it was for In the Heights. We were shooting Good Morning America. So we had to be on set at like five in the morning. I got up at like four. I had a show and a reading the night before. And so you were on very little sleep. I was just doing like a couple little things. The big number was gonna be Carol singing "It Won't Be Long Now." And then like Mandy Gonzalez and Chris Jackson were gonna do little, little like, um, they were singing out the cuts to commercial break.

They were doing "When You're Home," and we the boys and I, like three or four of us were just dancing. And all of a sudden, I knew Tony nomination would be coming out that day, and I was all excited about it because I had, you know, I was trying to manifest the nomination, but then there was a moment of there's so much happening that you forgot. And on a break, I noticed that all of the creatives that were around and our stage managers and everybody were huddled up and there were these orange, was it orange or yellow sheets of paper that were stapled together? And I was like, what's that? What's that? Why is everyone looking at that? I love the specifics though of the memory of the color.

[21:37] Jason A. Coombs: All day, every day.

[21:38] Robin de Jesús: Because it was also like who prints in that color, like why is it special? And so sure enough, it was just somebody had extra paper, I'm sure. I look at it and I kind of felt that whatever that was was what I thought it was, but I didn't want to admit it or psych myself out or look foolish if it wasn't what I thought it was, and my face broke and I wasn't in that group, or you know, I was just worried of like looking a fool and having anyone see that. So I look and I was like, What's that paper? What's that paper? And all of a sudden I walk towards the group, and the stage manager, I'm in, I'm huddled in one group, and my stage manager, Jason Bassett, was huddled up in another group. And he turns to someone in my group and says, Robin needs to see that.

Give that to Robin, give that to Robin. And then he goes back and I was like, Well, why was he white? Why is he saying that I have to look at it? Why do I have to look at it? Why do you think that's anyone else? Like, what is it? Is it me? And I'm like, Robin, fix your face, because if it's not what you think it is, I don't want it cracking in front of everybody, so get it together. Someone hands me the paper, and I tried to go from the first page. It was the list of the nomination. And you know, it was all the big, big, it was in the, it was the big, big in the hierarchical, you know, categories, whatever. And so then I'm looking and reading through everything, and Jason grabs the sheets away from me and he flips it to the third page.

And I'm like, why is he flipping it to the third page? Why wouldn't he let me read it in like in the order? Like, why is he doing this? And I look and I immediately look for my category, and I look at my name and I go, Oh my god. And it was a primal sound. It was, it was from way down deep in my gut. And I remember that my sternum collapsed. Like I went inward. My boy Seth Stewart, graffiti P was next to me. Immediately, what I did was I censored myself because we had to perform. And I went, no, I've got to perform. In my mind, I was just like being a weird performer, but I actually like kind of wish that I had given myself that moment of a release because it never really, really came out the way I thought it was.

And I was a little frustrated in the moment because I didn't have my phone on me and I didn't have anyone's phone memorized, and so I couldn't call my mom. So for like two hours, my phone was blowing up, and I couldn't let anyone know. But when I was able to let everyone know, my mother was so funny because she didn't understand what the Tony Awards were. But by about 4 p.m. that day, the media in Puerto Rico had been all over Lin-Manuel, and by four o'clock, she called me and said, I'm booking a flight. I have three dresses, I will see you in June. Like she knew what that was.

[24:31] Jason A. Coombs: I love the specifics.

[24:31] Robin de Jesús: She didn't know before, but she learned it. She had time to get the spark notes, and she had a weave pick picked out, and she was good to go.

[24:31] Jason A. Coombs: I love the specifics.

[24:35] Robin de Jesús: That's so wonderful. It was beautiful. It was, it was very beautiful. And it's so emotional. I'm like, I want to cry.

[24:43] Jason A. Coombs: It'd be like that.

[24:44] Robin de Jesús: It is super emotional. And it's interesting, just, and the reason I compare it to coming out was because that was the first time in my life, I think, that I remember being so nervous that I actually went to speak and my throat shut. Like I remember coming out and going, oh, and the words couldn't come out. And like that, that just that feeling of something being so huge that you aren't in control of your body. That like there are things happening that you don't even know you're capable of. And that feeling for that nomination that I felt in my gut, like that moan that came out. It was primal. It was ancestral. It was deep.

[25:28] Jason A. Coombs: Wow. Tell the listeners how that moment tied into your survival job.

[25:35] Robin de Jesús: Oh my god, I can't even believe I didn't even think about that. So I'm like, tell them. Yeah, you know, so what's crazy is we were shooting Good Morning America, as you know, the day of the nominations, like I said before, and we were shooting in the island in the middle of Times Square on Broadway, and where the, where Broadway and 7th Avenue intersect, and it's like 43rd 44th Street. Well, guess what is across the street from that island? The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Hello. And I quit that job on Christmas Eve as a gift to myself. Oh, with so—

[26:08] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[26:10] Robin de Jesús: You had no other job.

[26:11] Jason A. Coombs: I had no other job.

[26:12] Robin de Jesús: I was like, you gotta get out of here because this is not, I'm gonna choose mental health.

[26:17] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, your other job is crappiness.

[26:18] Robin de Jesús: Yep, exactly. And I, and part of that happened also because I had seen Carolina Change, Carolina Change changed my life, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of work that meant what that show meant to culture, and I recognized that Bubba Gump was actually limiting me and not the, yeah, I was making money, but I was also losing my voice every day, screaming at that place.

[26:43] Robin de Jesús: And you know, that job required you to play certain kind of games and be super high energy in a way that was hindering my auditions. So I had to get out because it wasn't serving its purpose, yeah. And I was, and I was like I said, I was really unhappy there. And so to have that moment of one of the most joyous moments of your life, be in front of this place. Like, listen, God bless all the good that came from working at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, but also fuck you, and thank you for letting me be here right now and having this moment in front of that place.

[27:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, and I love that you were living your purpose, right? It's like you were knowing, like you know, you were like, I have to make a decision that's best for me, and it was the right decision.

[27:25] Robin de Jesús: Oh, a hundred percent. I mean, there's a level of intuition and connection to source that I had in my youth that I think over the years I have been working to getting back to, yeah. There's a part of the business that did that did I allow myself to lose some of that. But in my youth, I made all kinds of crazy decisions that people thought made no sense, and I was like, I don't know, it just I know it feels in my body like it is right, and I'm gonna honor that. And I left that place, and within that year, I went back to Connecticut, I moved back home with the fam, and I thought I was gonna go to college, and actually, what ended up happening was I booked In the Heights.

[28:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow, and that wouldn't have necessarily happened if I had stayed in the city.

[28:14] Jason A. Coombs: Or went to college.

[28:16] Robin de Jesús: Oh, true that. Right. It's crazy. I love that. Because I feel like a lot of people, because of where we're at with the pandemic, a lot of people are like realigning what their purpose is and like trying to figure out what they're gonna accept, what they're not gonna accept going forward. And I know for me personally, maybe I'm speaking from my own personal experience, but that's just so motivating and so inspiring. And it's like, yes, like follow that voice within yourself. Even that's like cheesy as that may sound, but like it's true at the end of the day.

[28:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: So true. And you're living proof of that. And real talk, not to go too deep, but to go deep, you know, when you live in an when you are a the product of an immoral capitalist society, then you need to feel like the suffering is a part of it. That we're supposed to take that, that that that bad quality of life and and those crappy jobs in order to make this thing happen when in actuality I'm I'm a huge fan of a phrase that I learned at the Actors' Fund through their workshops of a parallel career of something else that you also love just as much as you love acting or or or directing or lighting or you know, whatever it is that you do in the arts. And that sometimes, you know, we were fed this thing of like I know as an actor, it's like if you can't see yourself doing anything else, if you can see yourself doing anything else, then go do that other thing.

[29:29] Robin de Jesús: And I'm like, who said that? No, I hate that so much.

[29:31] Jason A. Coombs: I hate it too, because I'm like, yes, it's rough. Yes, you put up with there's a lot of things that aren't in your control, but like why do I have to operate in this man? It's it's it's like a part in this if it I don't mean for it to be disrespectful, but like sometimes we make up these like plantation-y rules about Broadway. Like we're supposed to be servants that way, but like yeah, we're making contributions, and so there's certain things that I don't think I have to torture myself to have this thing. I think we can find some balance in a lot of ways. And if that means that there's another I have friends who who build, you know, they design wardrobe for for dogs, and that makes them really happy.

And they don't stop doing that and selling those outfits when they're on Broadway. They do that on their breaks in between scenes, they do it during the day. You know, there are lots of things you can do that help you stay financially sound in this that don't have to be don't have to have the negative connotation that we associate so much with the with the word survival job.

[30:34] Jason A. Coombs: Right. Jason, we have to get Ziggy one of these outfits.

[30:40] Robin de Jesús: Jason has the cutest dog named Ziggy, and sometimes he makes appearances on the show, not yet.

[30:46] Jason A. Coombs: He does, yeah.

[30:47] Robin de Jesús: My little fur nephew. I you said that, and I said, We gotta get Ziggy an outfit. That's a sidebar from the very deep inspiring talk, but we gotta get Ziggy an outfit.

[30:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know, like I'm on the verge of tears and she's thinking about my dog.

[31:01] Robin de Jesús: I know. I'm like Robin's like, you don't always have to hit your survival jobs, you can find happiness and self-pursue. I'm like, what about the dog? You know, but there is a tie there because dogs can make you happy. So I'm talking about what it's what you need to make you happy. And if that dog comforts you, then here we go.

[31:20] Jason A. Coombs: Are you asking for the rights for all of these songs? So I have to shut up with that. You know, I do love that you what you were saying, Robin. It's so true, you know. And I know I've said this to you before, and Jason and I touched a little bit about this on episode one. If you haven't listened to that one yet, but you know, I have said to you before, like, I will never quit trying to be an actor, but I can do other things along the way that will be fulfilling and be financially stable, but I can do both.

[31:50] Robin de Jesús: And you're right, they they make some they who's they, I don't know, but these rules are made and instilled in us at a very young age when we when we decide or like are informed that this is what we want to do, that well, you have to do this, that or the other, you can't have it all.

[32:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: When you you can but also real talk, what is the difference other than the fact that we're talking about working class people trying to become actors, right? What is the difference between us balancing a survival job, a parallel career, or acting? Why is that different than George Clooney selling tequila? Why is that different than J Lo having a puff coat line? Why is that different than P Diddy being a mogul? Like these there are celebrities who make it and then do all these other things, but no one's like, oh, J-Lo or George Clooney, like or Michael Makanay. No, no, no, you can't do that because you're an actor. If you could find yourself doing something else, then you shouldn't be acting.

[32:48] Robin de Jesús: Yeah.

[32:49] Jason A. Coombs: And by the way, that that tequila, George Clooney makes is good.

[32:52] Robin de Jesús: Casamigos.

[32:54] Jason A. Coombs: Word. Maybe Casamigos will sponsor the podcast. I got a couple glasses, I got a couple bottles of Casamigos.

[32:59] Robin de Jesús: I know you do. Hashtag sponsor us Casamigos.

[33:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. I'll just say this and then I'll shut up. I recently have been questioning with myself the certain beliefs and rules and like little like proverbs in theater that we throw out that sound cute, then now I'm like, oh why are we okay with that rule?

[33:24] Robin de Jesús: Yeah.

[33:25] Jason A. Coombs: They ain't so crude.

[33:28] Robin de Jesús: For real, for real so um so that's why I went off on that tangent and thank you for tying it back in when you made that dog noise just now to the dog I'm so inspired by this um like why do you choose to be an artist right like why do you choose to keep or why did you before because now you're very successful and uh you know you're killing it so before you were killing it why did you keep why'd you keep pushing on like what made you want to keep doing this to get to the place where you're at now.

[33:59] Robin de Jesús: I mean I don't know that I always understood at the time why I loved doing this but it like in retrospect when I look back at my life there are two things that I think about the first musical I ever did was Grease and it was at a community theater and I'm from South Norwalk which is a very different place economically than Darien in Stanford Connecticut or and even Stanford is diverse so it just depends what side of the tracks you're on on the other side of the tracks um so I remember doing that musical there were some bullies there were there were some people who were really mean because I would show up I was the only person I believe who identified as a person of color in that production I'm I might be missing someone I'm pretty sure that was it. You know I came in with my basketball shorts and matching shirt and my sneakers and like it was a different vibe than like the polo shirts untucked or with the collar up from Darien.

[35:02] Jason A. Coombs: Pop collars.

[35:03] Robin de Jesús: Yeah, pop collars. Thank you. And I remember that there were a couple really ugly moments where people said mean things. And I realized that like it was so easy to let it slide. It was like Vaseline on my shoulders that just slid off because I was having so much fun doing this new thing. And it was like, oh, how interesting. Like they're making fun of me, which I'm used to that, but like it's not irking me the way it did before. There's something to this thing. And my whole life growing up, I don't even think Samantha knows this. My whole childhood was always about moving back to Puerto Rico. My parents, you know, part of the Puerto Rican diaspora of the mainland was that you'd work here, you'd do your thing, and you'd save your money, you'd sell your house if you were fortunate enough to buy one, and you'd go build one in Puerto Rico, and then you retire there, or you'd settle there in your 40s and work a part-time job or whatever, whatever, whatever.

And I dreamed of that life. Like I was a really Puerto Rico. Oh, I was so I'm I'm so romantic about Puerto Rico. I love it. I will kiss the dirt there. Um when I discovered theater, it was the first thing that I loved as much as Puerto Rico.

[36:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: Wow.

[36:15] Robin de Jesús: It was the beautiful. Yeah, and it is. And I never I never actually worded that that way until this year. And that was just through a conver of random tangent that led me there. And I realized, oh, yeah, that was the first thing that made me go, maybe I'm not supposed to go there. Maybe, maybe this, maybe that's not the right move. And ultimately that that is why I saved. Now, what kept me in the business, I think, is the understanding that acting, and this is really cheesy, and people laugh when you say this, but acting is a constant practice in empathy. Like you're constantly justifying someone else's feelings and why they do what they do.

[37:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[37:01] Robin de Jesús: And for me, I find I just like that as a human. I love the fact that when I have beef with somebody, I can instantly tell myself if I if I can tell myself to take a breath in that moment, I can attempt to put myself in that person's shoes and see where they're coming from, see what their perspective might be, what I might not have noticed, or what I might not have taken into consideration, why those words might have had power, and I can mediate better. And also I'm just a romantic. I love I love being I love being other people. I love living experiences that aren't a part of my life. Um I love work, I love the sense of community that we have in in the arts, even even if sometimes it's messy.

And we know it gets messy. It does be and and and real mother flower and talk. Um I also am like fully aware now at this point in my life, I'm like, I'm one of the only ones of my people that are in that are fortunate enough to be in this position on Broadway. You know, do you you have and even me, I'm I'm at like this different place. I'm like, I'm like working class Broadway actor in evening, you know what I mean? As opposed to like living well, you know. Um, but I think there's there's an there's a lot of importance in representation. And until that, that those moments where I'm I'm not jiving with the business, where I'm not feeling in in in the pocket, those moments can can correct me.

[38:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that. That's what reminds me of what Viola Davis said when she won her Oscar. She said, I became an artist, and thank God I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.

[38:39] Robin de Jesús: I just got chills when you said that because I remember that moment and hearing those words for the first time, and I sobbed.

[38:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: I mean, Samantha loves Viola so much.

[38:48] Robin de Jesús: It's like I will always my eyes are welling up.

[38:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, exhume those bodies.

[38:54] Robin de Jesús: Exume. Zoom those bodies. Here's a little fun fact. In case you didn't know, Viola loves to drink juicy mango juice and tequila.

[38:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Mango juice.

[39:09] Robin de Jesús: Where we would watch Viola Davis interviews until like three in the morning.

[39:14] Jason A. Coombs: Oh Viola Davis boys in the band, like the amount of Viola Davis monologues that I would watch in preparation for Emery to get myself in my feelings.

[39:24] Robin de Jesús: Is that true?

[39:25] Jason A. Coombs: Oh Viola was Viola was was part of the ritual before the show.

[39:30] Robin de Jesús: Oh wow, Robin, that's awesome.

[39:33] Robin de Jesús: Yeah, she would she would get me in my feelings. I would when I was taking Meisner, I would use her as like a substitution, like working with Viola Davis was like because she's so amazing.

[39:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that we all love her.

[39:47] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, yeah.

[39:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: She's like our dream guest, Robin. Jason and I put it into the universe a couple of times. Um, you know, in uh two years, Survival Jobs: A Podcast will still be happening, and we will be interviewing Viola Davis, maybe in person, maybe all with juicy mango tequila drinks.

[40:04] Robin de Jesús: Oh yes, yeah, I love that.

[40:08] Jason A. Coombs: Oh man, I love talking to you, Robin. This has been so fantastic. I feel like I never or I never did get to talk to you like about professional career stuff. So I feel like this is like a masterclass, honestly.

[40:20] Robin de Jesús: Ask away, Google.

[40:21] Jason A. Coombs: But what was your favorite professional artistic experience? You've done Broadway, you've done film, you've done like everything pretty much.

[40:29] Robin de Jesús: So here's the thing, there's one, there's an easy one. Do you want me to give you the easy one? Because it's gonna be In the Heights.

[40:35] Jason A. Coombs: Can we have a both? Can we have the thing?

[40:36] Robin de Jesús: Like it's so that one, I guess for me is so obvious that maybe it's more interesting to think of something else.

[40:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh no, I got an idea. We'll have the professional one, but then I'm gonna add something else because it's because I'll be doing whatever I want.

[40:48] Robin de Jesús: Yeah, that's the role on this podcast. You come in, you do whatever you want.

[40:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, exactly. As long as you edit it.

[40:53] Robin de Jesús: I'm kidding. If you saw my editing skills, if you if you knew uh so I think I know, hands down, the number one most amazing professional experience I've ever had was In the Heights. Like that feeling of performing a show, not only with your castmates, but with the ancestors every night was so present.

[41:19] Robin de Jesús: That feeling of so many of us were so used to being the token Latino and everything, the Latinx person. And so at that moment, to be like, yo, I've seen you, I've seen you, and guess what? Now we're all together, like we're not the token anything, we're just we're the group, and then the show is being written by someone of the culture, and it's a working-class story that isn't poverty porn, that isn't it.

[41:44] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my gosh, yes, yeah, and that and that isn't us selling drugs, and it was so interesting when white folks would come up to us all the time. There are a couple people in the Broadway community who know this was them who would say, I just I don't know, like it just didn't seem real. Like I watched In the Heights and no one's selling drugs. I was like, Whoa, that's real, Robin.

[42:04] Robin de Jesús: Oh, boo boo, Google. People we know.

[42:06] Jason A. Coombs: No.

[42:07] Robin de Jesús: Oh, oh a hundred percent. And and because they weren't thinking this, and this is this they people people don't ever stop to think the things that come out of their mind, their mouth. People don't stop to think that the things that come out of their mouths are crazy and disrespectful and ignorant.

[42:25] Robin de Jesús: And and we heard that a lot. And so the sort of the I know that this is this is I guess it's problematic. To me, it reminded me of like the importance of The Cosby Show of like showing people a different perspective of the Black experience. And we were showing a different perspective of the Latinx experience. And that was that was noble, but without it, wasn't like we weren't trying to be white pleasing.

[42:54] Robin de Jesús: Like I, you know, oftentimes as a as a gay actor now, I find one of the things that always annoys me is like, why does every gay character I audition for have to be a doctor or a lawyer? Like, I get it. Straight people, you want to feel safe. You want me to feel like I went to school and I'm educated, and like, but also like, what about the gay person who like is a bus driver? What about the gay person who works in retail? What about the like there's so many other gay people who are also worthy of empathy, sympathy, and compassion?

[43:22] Robin de Jesús: And so, like, why do we always have to be there? And it's the same thing with it's the same thing with any marginalized group. So Heights, it was it was a combination of so many loves, and it was just special, it was anointed. There was a uh um there was a vibration to it that you knew from jump because even the first time I ever did a reading of it from the like the jump with that glave coming in, the yes.

[43:47] Robin de Jesús: Lights up on Washington Heights up at the Breaked Day. I wake up. Do you think I could have I booked it? Just cannot call that white girl.

[43:59] Robin de Jesús: But uh but the thing is is like even okay. Even as we were reading the the script for the first time, and it was still messy and things were being figured out. I was like, whoa, you are special, and we all want to be a part of you. Oh, and it's still that way.

[44:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, if may I interject a story here is I went with your mom to see In the Heights. I don't even think it was a workshop, I think it was a reading, and then we went to see Rent that night.

[44:25] Robin de Jesús: So we had gone it was the workshop.

[44:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, it was like okay. So we saw the In the Heights workshop that day in a very small theater. Was it on 37th Street?

[44:35] Robin de Jesús: It was 37 hours. What was then I think it's the Barishnikov space now or something like that.

[44:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, and then you know, which was a small little theater and you know, just a workshop, great workshop, but workshop, and then we went to Rent that night. Broadway, and his mom, your mom, I remember was like, I like the first one better, you know, because she connected with it and it was so real, but I always remember that because I was very young, I was young, 15 maybe, and I was like, really? But I he's on Broadway. What do you mean you're like the Broadway one better? Like I didn't get it at the time.

[45:13] Robin de Jesús: Side note, I also think there's a part of it with Rent that for my mom, what was so triggering was still living in the fear of the 80s and 90s and having a gay son and HIV. Like I remember her saying, I will never watch you play Angel. She never did, she never did. She didn't want to see that. It was it was too much for her, and she she couldn't isolate and compartmentalize that, and and so that that there was there was a with Rent that also affected her.

[45:40] Robin de Jesús: Because I remember years later, I did a production of Grease, and she was like, I love Grease, it's one of my favorite. I think it's my favorite when I was like, more than Heights? And she was like, Well, maybe not that. But I was like, Oh, okay, well, you like what you like.

[45:52] Jason A. Coombs: I love Grease.

[45:55] Robin de Jesús: You have got to do better.

[46:00] Jason A. Coombs: I love Grease.

[46:06] Robin de Jesús: You're editing it. You said, What was your favorite? My favorite show was obviously In the Heights.

[46:11] Jason A. Coombs: Oh yeah.

[46:12] Robin de Jesús: And in my professional career, my favorite show was In the Heights. However, one of the most, if not the most, special experience I've ever had on stage was my sophomore year of high school, name the musical, opening night, and the feeling of Jen Van Busker can see the Kavanaugh were singing St. Bridget's Place or whatever that song is called.

[46:33] Robin de Jesús: And we were all behind the curtain. Rehearsals had been so messy, and we had gotten ringed by the teacher, and by the teacher. And then it was like they opened the show, and then the curtains open, and it's a party, and it's a big old dance number with like kicks and like just like living. And and there was something I'm giving you jazz hands for those of you that can't see my in the podcast. Like, I'm giving you full-blownography right now, which is to collect and I just remember the rush, the energy that felt it was also vibrational.

[47:10] Robin de Jesús: And I remember even someone from sound was like, What happened? Like, all I know is those curtains opened, and we felt energy that we had not seen in any of the rehearsals. And and that that feeling was like a prequel for like what was to come. And I always I oftentimes will whenever I feel that Russian theater like I that's what I think about is that moment in Maine.

[47:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that my eyes feel wet from that story.

[47:39] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I think every kind of theater kid has that moment right of like being on stage and how magical that I remember side note we my school did uh regional center for the art shout out we did You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and I was just in the ensemble like they didn't they made they made up a character because there's only like six characters in that show so they made up a character for me um so we were like the stage crew we're saying moving boxes and shit but I remember we were like at this competition in Stanford I don't remember what it was called but like we were like the underdogs we had just colorful t-shirts and we had like one box and like all these schools had like these big sets and they had like moving furniture and like I don't know it was just like crazy and we're like we're not gonna win this like we're not even gonna place and then I remember that feeling right of like doing the Beethoven Day song and my friend Kyle killed it.

[48:31] Jason A. Coombs: But it was just that energy right that kind of like vibration that's like palpable and then like we end up winning you were like how do we win this like we won this I still have the little like platinum little ribbon they gave us but that's a lot that you still have it's hanging up right here on my Hollywood wall that's all I feel you I still have all my playbills from the show up and the headshots you better believe it.

[48:59] Robin de Jesús: I still have Anita's shawl.

[49:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: What do you mean?

[49:01] Robin de Jesús: Samantha and Anita if Amanda, Samantha.

[49:04] Jason A. Coombs: Amanda Messa calls her.

[49:09] Robin de Jesús: Do you know a quick funny story is that um Robin was doing the In the Heights workshop and I had gone with Ben to see it. And during during this production of What's Hid Story at High School? At high school, in high school, and I could not sing on keys, still cannot, but I booked it anyway. I somehow pulled it off. I booked it. And Robin and I were in a hallway in that on 37th Street.

[49:36] Robin de Jesús: And he was helping me, and we were singing, and I can't remember who from the cast or crew somebody walked by, and we were seeing a boy like that, and you were trying to help me. And you were like, Oh, she's needed in high school.

[49:51] Robin de Jesús: In high school. Like just to make sure they knew that this like fat white girl was not playing Anita in like some professional theater.

[50:02] Jason A. Coombs: I do remember.

[50:05] Robin de Jesús: I wish I could remember who walked by.

[50:09] Jason A. Coombs: Like Karen Oliva walked by.

[50:12] Robin de Jesús: I wanna say it was Janet.

[50:13] Jason A. Coombs: Janet?

[50:14] Robin de Jesús: I'd be funny if it was Karen, because then she wasn't either.

[50:17] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[50:18] Robin de Jesús: That's hilarious.

[50:19] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my god. All right, Robin. So why won't you ever, and maybe you will. Like, will you do you think you'll ever give up being an actor or an artist?

[50:31] Robin de Jesús: Why won't you? What will make you decide to give up or choose something else?

[50:38] Robin de Jesús: I mean, here's the thing. I've you know this. I've almost left a couple of times, or like really, really questioned it, and even giving myself timelines and all of that. But uh I think now a lot of those reasons that I wanted to leave were because I felt like I had been robbed of so much of my joy.

[50:59] Robin de Jesús: And over the years, the combination of like the things the business naturally can do to you, and Robin's personal anxiety made things not fun. And you know, I think I have systemically addressed so much of that within myself and altered it and gotten my joy back, and with that my power in performing.

[51:25] Robin de Jesús: So I can't see myself leaving. I could always see myself doing other things alongside acting. You know, I I'm a fan of the cannabis industry, and I wouldn't mind owning a dispensary someday.

[51:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[51:39] Robin de Jesús: Um, I would love a dispensary that is predominantly worked by folks who have been put in prison for marijuana possession as opposed to like real crimes. I could own a plant store someday. I love my plants, my non-stop.

[51:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Do you like plants?

[51:55] Robin de Jesús: You like plants? Like I know this big old thing was was it a bunch of giveaways that I have. This this all this these giveaways. For those of you listening on the podcast and you can't see what I'm what I what I have behind me, we're zooming and I have a bunch of plants in the background.

[52:10] Robin de Jesús: So I look like a I look like I'm in Edith Beale's house in Corey Barkins. There's a raccoon popping out in the back.

[52:19] Jason A. Coombs: I just die that you're like, I have some giveaways, like your okra. Like you guys, the fourth call of the night is gonna get a Monster Deliciosa.

[52:28] Robin de Jesús: Yes. You get a plan. You get a plan. You get a plan. You want to therapeutic yo, Woody I honey, you got it.

[52:36] Robin de Jesús: But no, I don't, I don't, I don't see myself leaving. I think it's for life.

[52:41] Jason A. Coombs: Well, I think we have one more question. We have time for one more question.

[52:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sure.

[52:44] Jason A. Coombs: If that's okay with you, Robin.

[52:45] Robin de Jesús: Oh, boo, yo, you can keep talking, don't worry.

[52:48] Jason A. Coombs: You're an actor. What is your dream role or collaboration?

[52:53] Robin de Jesús: Or both.

[52:54] Jason A. Coombs: Or both, yeah.

[52:55] Robin de Jesús: I mean, I mean, the the the dream is always to originate a role, but of the pre-existing canon, like I'd love to play the baker in Into the Woods someday.

[53:11] Robin de Jesús: Um I I would love to play the baker. I love the baker. And there's a play I did off Broadway a few years ago called Homos or Everyone in America. And I would I would love the chance to make the movie version of that. We have a screenplay for it, and we're looking for producers. Is anybody out there? If anybody's out there trying to make a movie with me, like let them let a motherflower know. Maybe we can talk about this. That is like the I I would say that is a the dream project for me. And then my best friend Dominic Wolong is an amazing writer. And real talk, like if I can work with one person for the rest of my life as him, I love and adore his work. I love what he represents. I feel like he writes for the voices of my community better than and more authentically than almost anyone else.

Yeah. Um and the thing is is like if you can do what you love and then get to do it with friends and be creative with the people that you love and that are part of your community already, like that's a goal. Yeah, that's just that's what it's all about. That's as Janet Carl used to say that's party compah. Party with pay. Party with what? Paddy Compey. She would say it in Spanish, cong is with party with who? Pay. Hey. Who's pay? Like getting paid. Money. Pei, pay, pay, pay. P A Y. Money, money, make it rain. I genuinely was like, I'm missing something here. What? I saw it on your face that you still didn't get it. Party with who? Yes. So the I mean those that that's the work. That's the work that I really want to be wanna be doing.

And I would love, love more than anything, love to one day. I guess not more than anything because I gave so many things that I want to do that I love, but I wanna do a romantic, epic period piece, several period pieces in Puerto Rico. In the of like stories of the country of the working class country folk of PR. I would love to do a gay story in that setting. I would love to do a s like a uh homage to my father and his life and my grandparents. I would love to do a a movie about you know race relations in Puerto Rico because there's such there's such like I have a black I I had a black grandmother, make sure you rest in peace. And you know, there's colonization just is is is such a uh it's it it changes the way your your life is and your perspectives and like and and and in my culture how blackness is pr has received or the amount of people who don't even realize that they have blackness within them, you know?

Um I'm what they call Habao in Puerto Rico, which is uh a light-skinned white passing person that you look at and you go, wait a minute, are you black in another lifetime? That is very true with me. And yeah, I think I think that's about everything I want to do that excites me right now.

[56:11] Jason A. Coombs: It's gonna happen.

[56:13] Robin de Jesús: Yeah, from your mouth to God's ear, bro.

[56:15] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, you're manifesting this. It's gonna happen.

[56:18] Robin de Jesús: It really is. I love all that. I can't believe you worked at FAO Shorts.

[56:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: I really can't.

[56:26] Robin de Jesús: I only had three shifts. I quit. I was like, this is this has got to stop.

[56:32] Jason A. Coombs: Oh man. So, Robin, we like to end every episode with a game just to like bring it back to funness.

[56:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Funness! My English language and grammar is excellent tonight, you guys.

[56:45] Jason A. Coombs: So, since all of your fun talk about the bubblegum shrimp company, Jason and I thought it would be super fun to give you some forest gump trivia questions. Because yes or no, you had to give trivia to the guests.

[57:00] Robin de Jesús: This is how I lost my boys at that job.

[57:08] Jason A. Coombs: And so I oh for real. And you got to make up your own questions. You can make it easy, you can make it hard, but there was no out. Like if a manager went by a table and they said, Hey, has your waiter done any any forest gump trivia with you? And they said no, you would get in trouble. You get a write-up. You it depended on who was the who the manager was. But here's the thing is like some of the tables specifically said, please do not bother us, please do not play these games with us. And there were certain managers that would force you to do it on those customers who specifically said not to.

[57:43] Robin de Jesús: Why would they do that? I don't understand.

[57:44] Jason A. Coombs: I don't understand.

[57:46] Robin de Jesús: Colonizes all of them. I hate it. I hate it so much.

[57:50] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Tell me.

[57:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: All right, Robin. So let's see how much you remember.

[57:56] Robin de Jesús: Okay.

[57:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's pray for me. The first part of the game is a fill in the blank. Okay. Here's a quote. There's an awful lot you can tell about a person by their fill in the blank.

[58:02] Robin de Jesús: There's an awful lot you can tell by a person. Tell about a person by their blank.

[58:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: The correct answer is choose.

[58:20] Robin de Jesús: Who's okay word? Shiz.

[58:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Shiz. Okay, I got the second one for our forest gump trivia. Um and I quote, from that day on, we was always together. Jenny and me was like blank.

[58:38] Robin de Jesús: Peas and carrots.

[58:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah. I just gasped. That was that guess was genuine. I thought that was gonna be a hard one.

[58:45] Robin de Jesús: That's a pretty common saying, so I I think it's one favorite. I thought it was peanut butter and jelly when I was looking it up.

[58:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Really good work on that one. I just hear the saying at the beginning, he was like peace and turns. I have to skip this one because I deleted the answer.

[59:07] Robin de Jesús: Wait, I might know it.

[59:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Why don't you love oh wait? Why do you delete the answer?

[59:13] Robin de Jesús: By accident when I put the other question in there, remember? Maybe it feels like this. Watch it. Wait, wait. Why don't you love me, Jenny? I may not be a blank man, but I know what love is.

[59:26] Robin de Jesús: Maybe.

[59:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Robin knows.

[59:28] Robin de Jesús: I may not.

[59:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: I think it is.

[59:32] Robin de Jesús: It is.

[59:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: You got it.

[59:34] Robin de Jesús: Yes.

[59:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: I may not be a smart man.

[59:36] Robin de Jesús: Look at that, Robin. You got it even after I deleted the answer.

[59:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh. Okay, this one's fun. Robin. When the bullies are chasing Forrest on their bikes, what does Jenny yell after him?

[59:48] Robin de Jesús: Run, Boris, run!

[59:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Goodies. Yes. Yes, acting. Alright. So wait, you're you're you're a two, two for three so far?

[59:59] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[1:00:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes. Good job for it. Three for four.

[1:00:02] Jason A. Coombs: He's three for four.

[1:00:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Three for four. Yes. I can do math. Alright, last one. Ready?

[1:00:07] Robin de Jesús: Yes.

[1:00:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: This is an either or which one is the correct one? Is it mama says stupid is as stupid does? Or mama says stupid is as dumb does?

[1:00:19] Robin de Jesús: Stupid is stupid as stupid does.

[1:00:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Correct. Yes. Yes!

[1:00:23] Jason A. Coombs: Well, Robin, four out of five. So I'm gonna give you a hundred percent. Since we had a hiccup in there with the answer being deleted. Even though that didn't affect the game at all, I still am gonna give you a hundred. I don't know, Jason, if you agree with me.

[1:00:35] Robin de Jesús: If Jason doesn't agree, then you have to get him a 90%.

[1:00:38] Jason A. Coombs: Can you like Jason disagreed and was like, no?

[1:00:43] Robin de Jesús: He can't get a 90%. If we were competing, we would I would do that because I'm very competitive.

[1:00:48] Jason A. Coombs: He's very competitive. I do want to let you know in the game we played last episode when we interviewed each other. I won.

[1:00:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: She did win.

[1:00:57] Jason A. Coombs: So I just want to make that clear.

[1:01:00] Robin de Jesús: I can be honest, she won. I'm not gonna be a spoiled brat.

[1:01:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you. That is nice.

[1:01:06] Robin de Jesús: Um Robin.

[1:01:07] Jason A. Coombs: No, but I would think your your own managers, if they're listening, uh would be so proud of you for knowing those quotes.

[1:01:13] Robin de Jesús: You know what? I will say this. Jill, you know who you are. She's one of the managers that bubble. She was one of the men. She's my girl to this day. We were we left friends post, and she has been one of the realest ones to come from Bubba. So there were some good people there, despite the ones.

[1:01:31] Jason A. Coombs: The rat squad.

[1:01:33] Robin de Jesús: What did you say?

[1:01:34] Jason A. Coombs: The raggedy ones.

[1:01:35] Robin de Jesús: The raggedy ones. I think you said there were some good ones besides the rat squad.

[1:01:36] Jason A. Coombs: The rat squad.

[1:01:46] Robin de Jesús: Oh shit. Robin, thanks so much for being our very first guest. But I hope that the editing process is not too difficult and that you're able to make some magic.

[1:01:56] Robin de Jesús: No, there's gonna be magic. Jason's a wizard, I'm telling you.

[1:02:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: So, Robin, tell us what's next for you. Give us that note again. Otherwise you go, the wizard, as vocals.

[1:02:10] Robin de Jesús: I also want to point out I wore my boys in the band shirt for you.

[1:02:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: What was that?

[1:02:10] Robin de Jesús: I wore my boys in the band shirt for you. I just realized that I almost wore that shirt today too to work out.

[1:02:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh.

[1:02:20] Robin de Jesús: But not for this. That would have been cute if we matched and didn't tell each other. But you're wearing your troop t-shirt, which I love. I love y'all motherflowers. If okay, y'all, if you're in Connecticut and you need a good gay bar to go to, go to Troop429. Although real talk, Corona's still a thing. So we gotta honor respect and be safe. That said, they have taken the bar and converted half of it into a record store. So if you want to show support and support your your um your gay owned business, because they're one of the few ones that's actually owned by gay folks, one of whom who is also a gay Puerto Rican, so also support your gay people of color, even if fair skinned, love him. Um go there and buy some records if you can't go get a drink at the bar.

[1:03:01] Jason A. Coombs: Hey.

[1:03:01] Robin de Jesús: Love that. They got that good good record store. Yeah, what's coming next, Robin? Before before we leave.

[1:03:07] Robin de Jesús: Yeah, no, I'm I'm holding off. I bought it. I don't know if I can talk about that, but I do at some point the tick tick boom film adaptation directed by my normal random is gonna be on Netflix. I guess very, very much about that one. Excited too. And I and I actually am not allowed to say too much about that, but I I suspect it will be beautiful. And um, there's some stuff happening down the line that we're working on that it's like it's just too early to talk about. But your man gonna be working.

[1:03:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, you're gonna be planting those seeds for all your your Puerto Rico stories that are gonna happen in the next decade.

[1:03:48] Robin de Jesús: I can't wait, and I'm looking for the writer because I don't have the right writer for those pro for for those stories from Puerto Rico. So if you out there start manifesting that vision boarding, that's fine.

[1:03:59] Jason A. Coombs: There it is. I love that each other. Well, thank you so much.

[1:04:04] Robin de Jesús: You're okay. You did an okay job as the first guest, I guess.

[1:04:10] Jason A. Coombs: You love me.

[1:04:11] Robin de Jesús: I guess I guess you didn't okay job.

[1:04:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, I love you like I love Gardasil.

[1:04:18] Robin de Jesús: I love you.

[1:04:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, Robin, I love you so much. Robin, you are my husband for life. Tell everyone where they can check your workout on.

[1:04:28] Robin de Jesús: Absolutely 100%. I mean, there's there's stuff all over the place, but if you want to see boys in the band on Netflix, you can at any moment. Tick tick boom is gonna come out at some point on Netflix as well, but I don't know the date, so I can't give you that. On uh Twitter and on Instagram, you can follow me at Robin of Jesus. Robin R O B I N O O F Jesus J E S U S. Uh, I'm better with Instagram than I am on Twitter, but alas, we'll make it through.

[1:04:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hey, Robin. So uh when we were talking about you coming on the show in the last episode, I said your name, and I said you always yell at me for not putting the right inflection on your last name. So could you properly tell us?

[1:05:09] Robin de Jesús: Yeah, it's Robin the Jesus. The accent is on you, so it's the last syllable as opposed to Robin D Jesus, Robin De Jesus. Which listen, like I've heard that my whole life, and even some of my relatives will say it that way. But the correct way of doing of saying it is Robin the Jesus.

[1:05:28] Jason A. Coombs: Good job, Jason.

[1:05:31] Robin de Jesús: Oh, I tried, I tried. You passed. And I'm burning my stage right now, just you know, to complete the the ritual of there.

[1:05:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: We go. I love that. I share, y'all. Oh, I love it. I love it so much. Well, thanks again, Robin.

[1:05:46] Robin de Jesús: Thank you, guys. And everyone needs to tune in to the next episode when we interview Mary McGowan, director extraordinaire, and hear about all of her really fun survival jobs.

[1:05:58] Jason A. Coombs: She's a good egg.

[1:05:59] Robin de Jesús: Enjoy her.

[1:06:00] Jason A. Coombs: She is a good egg.

[1:06:02] All right, y'all talking to you. Thank you so much. Let's go. See you all soon. Love you, Robin.

[1:06:08] Robin de Jesús: Bye, babe. Love y'all.

[1:06:09] Jason A. Coombs: Bye.