This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:02] Eli Tokash: Hello everyone and welcome to episode 192 of Take A Bow.

[0:08] Eli Tokash: I'm your host, Eli Tokash, and this week we have a very exciting episode for many, many reasons.

[0:15] Eli Tokash: One being I guess something that I'll announce right now.

[0:19] Eli Tokash: We have a special co-host on the podcast this week.

[0:25] Eli Tokash: She is back and she's better than ever.

[0:29] Eli Tokash: We have Sydney Lucas joining us on the podcast this week.

[0:33] Sydney Lucas: What's up, Sid?

[0:34] Sydney Lucas: I'm back.

[0:35] Sydney Lucas: What's uh for this episode?

[0:38] Sydney Lucas: I'm so excited.

[0:39] Eli Tokash: Oh, I'm so excited.

[0:40] Eli Tokash: It's such a good episode.

[0:42] Sydney Lucas: Craziness, right?

[0:43] Eli Tokash: Yeah, we just filmed this week's episode uh with someone that is very dear to both of us.

[0:48] Eli Tokash: Uh obviously Sydney has had a very big influence on his career.

[0:52] Eli Tokash: Um, and uh, you know, we've been friends with this guy since middle school, and we're thrilled to have him on the podcast today as he's currently shining on the big screen in Mean Girls, the movie, the movie musical that is currently out uh everywhere, and going to be streaming soon, which is very exciting.

[1:11] Eli Tokash: Uh, we have mahi alam on the podcast this week.

[1:15] Eli Tokash: Very exciting stuff.

[1:17] Eli Tokash: We love him.

[1:18] Eli Tokash: Uh, great great conversations.

[1:20] Eli Tokash: Uh, obviously, he hasn't made his Broadway debut yet, but uh would not be shocked if that uh, you know, comes about here in the near future.

[1:28] Sydney Lucas: Wouldn't it be all no?

[1:31] Eli Tokash: Mahi is insane, he's been in a bunch of your favorite TV shows, and then obviously now he's starring in Mean Girls.

[1:37] Eli Tokash: Uh, so we talk all about uh set life, and it's cool to have that sort of conversation as we kind of focus more on Broadway here.

[1:45] Eli Tokash: So it's nice to have uh the TV to sort of set life and uh I guess as a perspective, I guess, here on the podcast.

[1:53] Eli Tokash: Uh so that's really fun.

[1:54] Eli Tokash: And then we'll talk about, you know, how he got started and how Sydney and I guess a little bit of me also uh kind of like influenced his career and how he started uh, you know, auditioning and and to get to where he is today.

[2:08] Eli Tokash: Um and yeah, it it's a it's an awesome episode.

[2:12] Sydney Lucas: Super exciting.

[2:13] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[2:14] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[2:15] Eli Tokash: So um before we get into that, as always, we gotta talk about some Broadway news.

[2:21] Eli Tokash: Uh lots going on, honestly.

[2:23] Eli Tokash: Uh, and I know that it's a bit of a long episode this week, so I'll I'll try to just like speed through this.

[2:30] Eli Tokash: Um, but Sid, you know, chime in and stop me whenever.

[2:33] Sydney Lucas: Um, I'm curious to hear.

[2:36] Sydney Lucas: I want to hear the updates.

[2:38] Eli Tokash: Cause you you know more than I do at the moment.

[2:41] Eli Tokash: Hey, this is all coming straight from, you know, online articles.

[2:46] Eli Tokash: Um nothing nobody doesn't know.

[2:49] Eli Tokash: Um, but just in case they don't, I like to chat about it and talk to them about it.

[2:54] Eli Tokash: Um, so I guess we'll start out by saying um exciting news in the streaming musical movie moments, as this seems to be a movie musical episode.

[3:04] Eli Tokash: Uh Color Purple is gonna about to be streaming on Max starting February 16th.

[3:11] Eli Tokash: Max is obviously the streaming platform that was used to be HBO Max.

[3:17] Eli Tokash: Um, and now it's Max.

[3:19] Eli Tokash: So uh that's very exciting.

[3:20] Eli Tokash: And by the way, like for anyone who doesn't know, I did watch this from home.

[3:24] Eli Tokash: You are able to like see it from your homes right now, but you do have to pay for it.

[3:28] Eli Tokash: It's like the rent the buy thing on uh Apple TV or Amazon Prime or any of those platforms.

[3:34] Eli Tokash: Uh but now you'll be able to get it free with your Max subscription starting February 16th if you do have a Max subscription.

[3:41] Eli Tokash: So you won't have to rent or buy it, and you'll just be able to stream it whenever you want for free.

[3:45] Sydney Lucas: Good to know.

[3:47] Eli Tokash: Which is very exciting.

[3:48] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, very exciting.

[3:49] Eli Tokash: Color Purple is awesome by the way Cindy if you haven't seen it you should have seen it I've seen it on Broadway.

[3:52] Sydney Lucas: I saw it with Cynthia Erivo.

[3:54] Eli Tokash: Oh my gosh.

[3:55] Eli Tokash: I will say it's a little hard to beat that it's a little hard to beat that but it's so good.

[4:00] Eli Tokash: It it's brilliant.

[4:01] Sydney Lucas: I didn't know this I didn't even know this was a thing.

[4:04] Eli Tokash: I I think better I rock I'm yeah so thank you it's okay yeah yeah yeah that's that's what we do this for some people don't know it's great um it was also very exciting to to hear this week we got a like surprise announcement from Disney uh that we're getting a Moana 2 a Moana sequel uh which we're very excited about yes and it's coming it's releasing on the same day as Wicked the Wicked part one by the way uh so coming out this year and uh it's pretty wild because we're gonna get both trailers are premiering during the Super Bowl.

[4:44] Eli Tokash: So uh we will be if you watch the Super Bowl you'll see their commercial perhaps see their trailer um and uh I'm pumped for this this is gonna be the new like Oppenheimer Barbie day for for Yeah the new Barpenheimer yeah yeah also speaking of Cynthia Erivo Yeah literally starring oh it's gonna be so good uh yeah it's gonna be sick um also want to shout out uh tonight when we are recording this February 9th.

[5:16] Eli Tokash: Oh my god.

[5:17] Eli Tokash: Uh today, Sutton Foster and Aaron Tveit begin performances in Sweeney Todd on Broadway.

[5:25] Eli Tokash: Pumped for that uh they're they're doing a 12-week limited engagement run.

[5:30] Eli Tokash: And so it starts tonight and it goes till my birthday, May 5th.

[5:40] Eli Tokash: I wouldn't be surprised to see Sweeney close shortly after this, but hopefully it doesn't.

[5:47] Eli Tokash: But there have been talks that this is pretty much gonna be the end of their run.

[5:52] Eli Tokash: And they've had one hell of a run, if you ask me.

[5:55] Eli Tokash: So uh shout out to Sweeney Todd and Sutton Foster and Aaron Tveit.

[6:00] Eli Tokash: Queens and King, you know, love her.

[6:03] Eli Tokash: Um fun fact I actually did uh the greatest showman reading, the first ever one was with both of them.

[6:10] Eli Tokash: Aaron Tveit was playing Zach Efron, not Jeremy Jordan.

[6:14] Eli Tokash: Yes, Jeremy Jordan was after Aaron Tveit.

[6:17] Eli Tokash: Aaron Tveit was the OG.

[6:19] Eli Tokash: Um and Sutton Foster was playing Michelle Williams, Hugh Jackman's wife.

[6:24] Eli Tokash: Um yeah, and it was cool because that in those readings that was the conversations of perhaps perhaps the opportunity of bringing music band to Broadway.

[6:35] Eli Tokash: So uh cool thing there.

[6:37] Eli Tokash: Um love both of them.

[6:39] Eli Tokash: Wish I like kept in touch with both of them, but uh would love to have them on.

[6:44] Eli Tokash: Um you always have an open invitation if you're listening.

[6:48] Eli Tokash: Long shot.

[6:48] Eli Tokash: Crazy.

[6:49] Eli Tokash: Anyways, moving on.

[6:51] Eli Tokash: Uh um, cool.

[6:54] Eli Tokash: Well, let's talk about as we talk about like first performances and debuts.

[6:59] Eli Tokash: Tom Holland is coming back to the stage, y'all.

[7:03] Sydney Lucas: Sid, do you see this?

[7:04] Eli Tokash: What was the first stage thing he did?

[7:06] Sydney Lucas: Whoa, hold on.

[7:08] Sydney Lucas: He was in Billy Elliot.

[7:10] Eli Tokash: Oh, that's right.

[7:12] Eli Tokash: That's oh, it's um, I can't really explain it.

[7:17] Sydney Lucas: Of course, everyone's seen that video.

[7:19] Eli Tokash: Right.

[7:20] Eli Tokash: That's right.

[7:21] Eli Tokash: No way he's coming to the stage.

[7:22] Sydney Lucas: Oh my god.

[7:23] Eli Tokash: He an icon's coming back to the stage.

[7:26] Eli Tokash: It's coming back to the West End stage, of course.

[7:29] Eli Tokash: Um very excitingly.

[7:32] Eli Tokash: He has to, right.

[7:34] Eli Tokash: I'm gonna fully come actually came to Broadway.

[7:37] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, exactly.

[7:38] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[7:39] Eli Tokash: Um, but he's coming back in uh Jamie Lloyd's production of Romeo and Juliet, which is super exciting.

[7:46] Eli Tokash: Jamie Lloyd was the director of A Doll's House when it was just on Broadway with starring Jessica Chastain and Arian Moyad, who we talk a little bit about during the Mahi episode.

[7:56] Eli Tokash: Um so yeah, very exciting stuff.

[7:58] Eli Tokash: That begins May 11th through August 3rd.

[8:01] Eli Tokash: I die to go see him on stage.

[8:04] Eli Tokash: Um, but that's also in London, so also long shot.

[8:08] Eli Tokash: Um and someone else who's going to London actually, making her stage debut is Cara Delevingne.

[8:15] Eli Tokash: I'm a big Cara Delevingne fan, so uh that was exciting for me to see.

[8:19] Eli Tokash: She's starring in Cabaret uh over in the West End.

[8:22] Eli Tokash: So very exciting stuff.

[8:24] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, right?

[8:25] Eli Tokash: She's gonna crush it.

[8:27] Eli Tokash: Um so shout out to them and congrats to it.

[8:30] Eli Tokash: It's great to see those stars, you know, bring attention to the stage, if you ask me.

[8:35] Eli Tokash: Um always cool to see.

[8:38] Eli Tokash: So uh, and then uh talk about some unfortunate news here this week.

[8:43] Eli Tokash: Uh My Son's a Queer, the highly anticipated uh new show of this season, uh, that had a very, very successful run out in the West End.

[8:53] Eli Tokash: Speaking of the West End, uh, it was announced that My Son's a Queer is postponing its Broadway run to next season.

[9:00] Eli Tokash: Uh Rob Madge, the creator and star of the show revealed in an Instagram post that uh literally as they were like loading the show into their theater, that uh they had to postpone it.

[9:13] Eli Tokash: I don't know all of the logistics yet.

[9:17] Eli Tokash: Um I don't know if it's show kind of outbid them and they're gonna go into it, you know, for this season, and um I don't know.

[9:26] Eli Tokash: I don't know what's gonna happen.

[9:28] Eli Tokash: Obviously there's a lot of shows opening and theaters are limited right now, so I would not be surprised if that was the case.

[9:34] Eli Tokash: But uh, you know, I'm sure we'll find out sooner than later.

[9:38] Eli Tokash: Very unfortunate.

[9:39] Eli Tokash: I was very excited to see that show and um good thing is is that it's not cancelled.

[9:44] Eli Tokash: It's just postponed and hopefully we'll see it next season.

[9:47] Eli Tokash: So uh the other one came out of the revival of Doubt.

[9:52] Eli Tokash: Uh Tyne Daly was unfortunately hospitalized, uh and chose to leave the cast due to her health complications.

[10:01] Eli Tokash: Uh she obviously was expected to lead the revival uh on Broadway here with performances literally beginning on Tuesday, like literally four days from when we're recording this.

[10:12] Eli Tokash: So pretty wild stuff.

[10:14] Eli Tokash: Um, but it was announced that Amy Ryan is uh taking over her role in the revival.

[10:19] Eli Tokash: And I love Amy Ryan.

[10:21] Eli Tokash: The fact that Steve Carell and Amy Ryan are on Broadway at the same time right now, Michael Scott and Holly Flax, like that's crazy.

[10:28] Sydney Lucas: Steve Carell's on Broadway?

[10:30] Eli Tokash: He well, technically, he's gonna be in Lincoln Center.

[10:33] Eli Tokash: Um, very excited for that.

[10:34] Eli Tokash: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[10:35] Eli Tokash: It's it's crazy stuff.

[10:37] Eli Tokash: Um if you told me that w at the ripe age of, you know, thirteen or whatever, I was watching the Osc uh the office, I would have like died.

[10:46] Eli Tokash: Um but thrilled to to have them both on Broadway.

[10:50] Eli Tokash: So so it's exciting stuff.

[10:52] Eli Tokash: Um, but unfortunate for Tyne Daly.

[10:54] Eli Tokash: She is expected to make full recovery, which is great.

[10:57] Eli Tokash: Um so m our our thoughts and prayers are are with her and her family and that whole cast, uh 'cause that's not an easy thing to go through, especially so close to to opening.

[11:07] Eli Tokash: Um and then final news out of um I guess the Broadway world this week and then we'll they'll turn it over to Mahi.

[11:17] Eli Tokash: Um we are getting a very, very special uh benefit concert of Thirteen the Musical, which is super exciting.

[11:26] Eli Tokash: Uh Andrew Barth Feldman is putting this together.

[11:28] Eli Tokash: Who else?

[11:29] Eli Tokash: I mean truly.

[11:30] Eli Tokash: This guy is the man.

[11:31] Eli Tokash: He is always giving the people what they want.

[11:34] Eli Tokash: Um and uh he's throwing a rock star cast together for Thirteen the Musical, which uh is playing out in Long Island for anyone that is in the Long Island area, Long Island, New York area.

[11:47] Eli Tokash: Um, you know, all your favorites from Christy Rodriguez, Antonio Cipriano, uh Ryan Hadid, Joe Serafini, Sam Primack, uh this cast is just star studded.

[12:00] Eli Tokash: Um, all of his friends, of course.

[12:02] Eli Tokash: And uh they are raising money for his uh mother's foundation, uh, which is always great to see.

[12:10] Eli Tokash: Um it it seems like that's the that's the popular thing that he always loves to do in honoring his mother, uh, who got him started in this c uh career in this industry and had such a uh huge love and passion for um, you know, theater and the arts.

[12:29] Eli Tokash: So uh definitely go check that out.

[12:31] Eli Tokash: I'm hoping to go.

[12:32] Eli Tokash: Um I would love to to go support that and and obviously contribute to a wonderful cause because that foundation is helping um students with scholarships, it's um uh raising money for um better uh equipment and like theaters and local theaters in Long Island.

[12:53] Eli Tokash: So it it's they're doing a lot to help the community of the arts and the future of the arts, which is um always a exciting and important thing to do.

[13:00] Eli Tokash: So shout out to Andrew Barth Feldman, he's always doing the right things, and uh, you know, friend of the program.

[13:06] Sydney Lucas: So shout out to him.

[13:07] Eli Tokash: Yeah, brilliant.

[13:08] Sydney Lucas: That's beautiful.

[13:10] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[13:11] Eli Tokash: Um, yeah, well, that's all the news I have for for y'all this week.

[13:15] Eli Tokash: Sid, you I mean, do you have anything you want to mention?

[13:19] Sydney Lucas: You want to turn it over?

[13:21] Eli Tokash: All right.

[13:22] Eli Tokash: Well, without further ado, mahi alam, curtain up.

[13:28] Eli Tokash: Oh, you ain't uh we have an episode for the ages for you folks this week.

[13:47] Eli Tokash: Uh we're we're really just bringing it back to the middle school days.

[13:51] Eli Tokash: I'm really excited about this one.

[13:52] Eli Tokash: Uh, we are with a rising star of the screen, who you may know from Disney Plus's American Born Chinese, and from the new hit movie uh movie musical, really, uh Mean Girls, where he plays your favorite character, Kevin G.

[14:08] Eli Tokash: Uh Kevin G is my host.

[14:11] Eli Tokash: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[14:13] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[14:13] Eli Tokash: Uh, and he's appeared in many other of your favorite TV shows. So, everyone, welcome to Take A Bow, mahi alam.

[14:21] mahi alam: What's up, Mahi?

[14:22] mahi alam: Hey, um it's it's exciting to be here.

[14:26] Eli Tokash: I'm so excited to have you. Obviously, this is something that we've talked about since the movie came out. I we called you that night, and we're so excited about uh having you on, and we're gonna get into some conversation topics that we kind of talked about after the movie, and I can't wait to get it off. Also, this is my first podcast.

[14:44] mahi alam: Oh, this is my podcast debut.

[14:46] Eli Tokash: Oh shoot. Uh well, I'm honored to be your podcast debut and talk about really like the TVs and movie side of it, which we don't always talk about, but you also have an incredible voice, and so I wouldn't be shocked if we see you on Broadway here in the near future, you know, you never know. But uh yeah, before we get into all of it though, I've got a very special announcement because we are uh bringing in a one more special guest, actually.

[15:18] mahi alam: That's right.

[15:18] Eli Tokash: We have double trouble on the podcast today, and this is no ordinary special guest. This is our former co-host who is gonna be co-hosting us with us today. Uh y'all know her and love her, doesn't really need an introduction, but welcome back to Take A Bow, Sydney Lucas.

[15:35] Sydney Lucas: Oh my goodness.

[15:37] Sydney Lucas: Is this our first podcast?

[15:40] Eli Tokash: This is your first podcast, really?

[15:43] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, this is my first podcast, yeah.

[15:46] Eli Tokash: I can't believe that.

[15:47] Sydney Lucas: Is this your first?

[15:48] Eli Tokash: Have you done any like you've done like red carpet interviews, right?

[15:51] Sydney Lucas: I've done red carpet interviews, but I've never uh so I've done like some interviews where um I just did this one um last Friday where um I guess like this a journalist from NYU actually wrote this like article about me and uh yeah Washington Square post and but it wasn't like a podcast is she you know invited me to Zoom and then we recorded something she asked me a couple of questions and I did like two or three of those, but I haven't done like a full-on podcast.

[16:21] Sydney Lucas: So this is like really exciting, and then with my favorite people, obviously.

[16:25] Eli Tokash: So this just it you know I'm not I'm not nervous.

[16:28] Sydney Lucas: Like I feel good.

[16:29] Sydney Lucas: Yeah but this is like the this this is the best thing that could happen, honestly.

[16:33] Eli Tokash: You guys I'm so excited. I love you both so much.

[16:36] Sydney Lucas: Hey oh my god, we love you, and we're s I'm pumped for this.

[16:40] Eli Tokash: I'm so glad that we got the gang back together and uh we're getting to talk some shop here, which we haven't done since like middle school really.

[16:48] Sydney Lucas: I guess freshman year uh of high school.

[16:51] Eli Tokash: But uh obviously for everyone yeah who's listening, we all went to PPAS together. That's how we all met. Uh you know, we had a little core group, I guess, uh, of the three of us.

[17:03] Sydney Lucas: We had little triads and all the things.

[17:05] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[17:06] Sydney Lucas: So uh group chat ESM.

[17:09] Eli Tokash: Remember?

[17:09] Sydney Lucas: ESM.

[17:11] Eli Tokash: Yeah, yeah.

[17:11] Sydney Lucas: The emojis and stuff.

[17:13] Eli Tokash: I loved it.

[17:14] Sydney Lucas: So um I I'm thrilled to to be reunited with all of y'all. And um, yeah, so I guess we could just get right into it and and start at the beginning and start out the show how we usually start out by asking, you know, what made you Mahi wanna perform and tell stories and become an actor.

[17:36] mahi alam: Yeah, um, this is this is really funny because um, like uh a a bunch of people asked me this this question, this same same exact question, and I've always like mentioned Sydney, and it's funny that she's here because she's part of this is part of this story, she's part of the journey. Um, you know, I I came to this country like back in what 2010. Um I was born a family of singers, like my older brother sings, my dad sings, and so like we all sing. Um so like from my from my elementary school, someone someone's daughter, like I think my guidance counselor's daughter went to professional performing art school, and so she was like, Oh, you know how to sing. I think you should go to professional performing art school. And I was like, Oh, okay, cool. Um, so I had like no acting background, I had no dancing background, and so then you know I to the audition and stuff, and that's when I that's actually where I met Sydney.

[18:28] mahi alam: We met in the audition, remember?

[18:29] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, oh I remember.

[18:31] mahi alam: Was it the callback or that that was the callback, right?

[18:34] Sydney Lucas: We met in the callback.

[18:35] mahi alam: Was that had to have been the callback?

[18:38] Sydney Lucas: That had to have been the callback.

[18:39] mahi alam: That was so dude, I will never forget that.

[18:42] mahi alam: And believe it or not, that was like probably the first time I've ever done improv in my life.

[18:48] Sydney Lucas: I've never done it.

[18:53] mahi alam: I was just trying to be myself.

[18:55] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, we had to do this improv thing where uh Mahi was only allowed to say one line, and I was only allowed to say one line, and then we just had to sort of go back and forth and say it in different ways. Mahi had the entire room in stitches.

[19:08] Sydney Lucas: Um that was your first time doing improv, just literally blows my mind.

[19:12] mahi alam: Yeah, because well, that's probably that's why I broke the rule, is probably because I didn't know that I had to say about the rule.

[19:18] Sydney Lucas: Oh, yeah, you get a side one.

[19:20] mahi alam: You get aside one line, and we just have to go back and forth single one line, and I'm like, this is getting boring.

[19:25] mahi alam: I just want to say something else. So then I I just broke the rule I just said.

[19:29] mahi alam: I think I was like, I think I think like my line was like, um, like no, you have to leave or something.

[19:35] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, no, you have to leave or something.

[19:37] mahi alam: And I was like, please can I stay.

[19:38] Sydney Lucas: And yeah, and then her line is please can I stay? So we just kept going for going back and forth.

[19:43] mahi alam: And then I'm like, This is my house, please leave, or something like that.

[19:46] Sydney Lucas: And everybody just started laughing.

[19:48] mahi alam: And yeah, that was like my first like improv that I've ever done. Um it really started from PPAS.

[19:57] mahi alam: I've never I've never acted professionally before that.

[19:59] mahi alam: And so all my training really from PPAS.

[20:02] mahi alam: Um and then in terms of how the how did I get started in the industry is literally, and this is I've told this to everybody who who asks me is I had a really really good friend, names here.

[20:15] mahi alam: Um and uh she was like, like, why don't you audition for things? And I was like, how do I do that? Well, what does that mean? I was like, I had no idea like what any of this meant.

[20:26] mahi alam: And then like she just took a bunch of my videos, she didn't even say, Oh, make a video, she just made a video for for me and then sent it to um the manager that I have now, John, uh, who's also was also he knows every one of us already here.

[20:45] mahi alam: Um, and yeah, and then that just got started from there.

[20:48] mahi alam: So it was really like like through professional performing art school and through Sydney that I really like stepped foot into the acting industry.

[20:57] Sydney Lucas: Also, I remember Eli when when this happened, and and I think Eli, you and I both tried to make sure that Mahi was like, Yeah, you know, what you know, what are your thoughts? Have you ever considered acting?

[21:05] Sydney Lucas: And you know, Mahi was always like, you know, I've you know, I'm I wouldn't be opposed to it. I've I'll I've you know, I don't know that you necessarily thought about it in tremendous detail before we started asking you, but we both were I mean, I was blown away by your talent and I I thought you were incredible and and uh and when we when my mom and I reached out to John, I was I like I told Eli and and I was and Eli, you know, nudged John and was like, Hey, did you get a I don't even know I didn't even well forgot about that too.

[21:38] mahi alam: Yeah.

[21:38] Sydney Lucas: So look at that. So the two people that are like directly responsible for me like auditioning and stuff are like right here.

[21:44] mahi alam: That's insane.

[21:45] mahi alam: I'm like forever grateful.

[21:47] Sydney Lucas: Forever grateful and like forever grateful for you too, Eli.

[21:50] mahi alam: Like now that I I don't even I for some reason I don't know why I I don't just recall that, but I I now it's like unlocking memories 'cause it was just so far back.

[22:01] Eli Tokash: I fly under the radar.

[22:03] mahi alam: I usually don't like I don't know.

[22:05] Eli Tokash: I people don't always know what I'm doing behind closed doors.

[22:09] mahi alam: You know, no, I just can't.

[22:10] Sydney Lucas: That's just so not like No, uh listen, I'll never forget, you know, it was John and I actually at a dinner one day at Lucky Burger and you know, I had already talked to him about the fact that Sydney reached out to you and whatever or about to him, uh, about you.

[22:29] Sydney Lucas: And uh he it was like the day of or the day before he had watched your videos and he was like, What is this Mahi kid all about?

[22:40] Sydney Lucas: Like is he a good kid? And he like he was asking me like about you as a human and I was like, But John, his voice is nuts and he has the acting chops and like he has the drive and passion that you need to like succeed in this industry.

[22:56] Sydney Lucas: Like he he's so 'cause I I remember, you know like m when I came into the industry I guess like being that like raw candid know nothing and it almost benefited in that way that I didn't know anything and that you you could go into a room still and like be yourself and feel like you could be yourself um and I I remember like that always stuck with me with you and we'd talked and then like literally like the week after John texted me and was like signed Mahi and I was like oh I love it.

[23:27] mahi alam: Yeah it was crazy.

[23:29] Sydney Lucas: You know you know my favorite part about this too is so when it when when um I emailed John or when my mom and I emailed John the email was just quite literally just sort of presenting you know sending the the videos and be like yo he's the real deal but you know no pressure we'll leave it up to you like that that was it it was just like here's videos here's his stuff this is who he is you know you have Eli to vouch for him like he's the real deal it's up to you it's your choice and um then you and Niloy your brother got into a room with him and he signed you both on the spot yeah that's wild that says a lot about you guys for sure it's awesome I I'll never forget that that was crazy um but so well deserved I'll never forget that moment either like I was just like like my my mom and my dad were especially like so proud because we don't even know like that's like we we don't know any because you know like um as I said we've never pursued acting, we've never done anything in this realm.

[24:33] mahi alam: Um so then to get signed, it was just like insane.

[24:38] mahi alam: It was just it was huge.

[24:40] Eli Tokash: Do you remember your first audition?

[24:42] mahi alam: Like not for PPAS.

[24:45] mahi alam: Uh my first audition, I don't remember my first ever audition, but I do remember my first ever callback.

[24:51] Sydney Lucas: Okay.

[24:52] mahi alam: That was um not too long after it was for Beast Boy.

[24:58] Sydney Lucas: If you remember Mahi, you remember?

[24:59] mahi alam: Yeah, I think is that the thing behind you.

[25:03] Sydney Lucas: Is that that?

[25:04] mahi alam: Is that not?

[25:05] Sydney Lucas: No, that's the Hulk.

[25:06] mahi alam: Oh, that's the Hulk?

[25:08] Sydney Lucas: It kind of looks like Beast Boy.

[25:09] mahi alam: Yeah.

[25:10] mahi alam: Yeah, yeah.

[25:11] mahi alam: Well honestly, I I I do think it kind of looks like the the Beast Boy, but a little bit okay.

[25:19] Sydney Lucas: I can see that's the Hulk.

[25:21] mahi alam: Okay, got it.

[25:23] mahi alam: Yeah, yeah.

[25:23] mahi alam: So that was my first ever callback was for the Beast Boy.

[25:26] mahi alam: Um, and my my brother was like, You've got the ears for it, buddy, you're gonna get it.

[25:32] Sydney Lucas: I love it.

[25:33] mahi alam: And then I I went in and I back then like auditions like you had to go in.

[25:38] Eli Tokash: Now it's like oh, but before you have to go in and stuff, and you know, uh, I think they ended up going with someone that was like older, but that was just an an insane experience too, because I've never like entered a studio prior to that like a professional studio, and like the callback wasn't like that.

[25:54] mahi alam: I think I don't know what it was, Warner's brothers.

[25:57] Sydney Lucas: I'm not really sure, but yeah.

[26:00] Eli Tokash: That's awesome.

[26:02] Eli Tokash: So I'm curious, you know, like obviously for PPAS, especially uh in the middle school where like we really got close, the three of us, especially.

[26:12] Sydney Lucas: Uh, or I guess that's like when we first met each other, so obviously um, you know, Mahi and I were were like the roquettes of the of the class, you know.

[26:21] mahi alam: We were the dancers, yeah.

[26:23] Sydney Lucas: And um we couldn't we we couldn't uh we we could sing and we we were acting and we you know we had to do all three of the things and then obviously in high school uh we kind of like decided on like what track we would take, whether or not we wanted to focus on one of the three, or we wanted to continue to do all the three.

[26:43] mahi alam: Um and then you obviously went to to do the drama route for high school and everything.

[26:47] Sydney Lucas: So like I'm curious throughout your like entire time at PPAS, you know, middle school, high school, um, you know, how do you feel like PPAS kind of like prepared you for those auditions, for those callbacks, you know, walking into a big studio and being in the front of casting director, being on camera even, um how I don't know, I guess how what was that experience like going from school to you know walking into Warner Brothers studio.

[27:15] mahi alam: Yeah, uh I yeah, I think PPAS played like probably one of one of the biggest part in in all of this because as I said, I didn't have any external training outside of school.

[27:25] mahi alam: I had no other other training just in terms of music I did because my my brother, as I said, my brother and my dad sings, but in terms of acting and in terms of dancing, I don't even think I should be mentioning dancing because I was always I was always we were in the back, you know.

[27:41] mahi alam: I was just positive about yeah we were we were always in the front, like I was just like it was really close.

[27:50] mahi alam: It was either dancing or acting, and I just I was it was a hardest thing.

[27:56] mahi alam: But no, but PPAS like played honestly one of one of the biggest part in in that um it was actually during COVID time, um when everything was remote and for our um acting projects we we had to start like filming things.

[28:13] mahi alam: So before that I didn't know how to play to the camera as much, right?

[28:16] mahi alam: 'Cause for like there's there's a whole thing in itself like like how do you look like in a camera? Like if you're acting, y you should know how how if you look over here, how how is it gonna look in the camera?

[28:28] mahi alam: Just like basically playing to the camera. And I feel like I so much of that because of COVID time because everything was vertical and all the acting projects that we did, it was all um, you know, I have I have like I have like some DSLRs and like some other cameras that I have around and I shot uh a bunch of my projects using those and um because my brother's also into acting and he's into directing as well. Um he he he always gave me feedback and then I sent the project to my teachers and they gave me feedback like hey, you know, so I think like that helped an immense amount and obviously all the foundational work, like theater theater is like so important for like for the fundamentals of acting. So it was just like perfect. It was just perfect, like perfect introduction to like like filming and like TV.

[29:21] Eli Tokash: Yeah, it's great to hear. I mean, playing to the camera, you know, you hear that and it's like, oh okay, I'll look at the camera and like be silly goofy, you know, whatever, and it's like no, you can't even look in the camera, like it you know, it's like there's things that you know people don't even like necessarily think about that kind of goes on in the training of it all, you know.

[29:40] mahi alam: Yeah. Is that did you notice any of that while you were going through through the COVID times of like you thought it was this way, but then it was like, oh try this way or or you should do it this way type of thing?

[29:52] mahi alam: Yeah, I think I think like with theater, yeah, it's uh you know, again, I'm not like an expert by any means but just just from my just from my experience I and I think you guys would agree too because like you both have done every single one of those things it's like with theater I think it's like kind of big right like a little bit bigger bigger than life and then with camera that because it's so close up it captures everything so then um so those big gestures those big expressions they don't they don't I mean they they can look good but they don't always look great on camera so that's kind of the thing that I learned when I was doing um doing projects you know through like Zoom or through like recording things and making student films like I made a bunch of them with Oleg and and Morgan who were also two two students in in PBIS um so like we like all helped each other where okay like Mahi maybe don't look too far to the right of the camera because it it takes away from it or maybe don't look too left of it.

[30:59] Eli Tokash: Yeah I love that you can only through I love that you learned through filmmaking like filmmaking yourself. I think that's such a a cool way to learn yeah yeah it seems like a lot of your training you know i is like so naturally kind of learn as you go type of thing um and it seems like you've always had the natural you know fo fundamentals I guess foundation you know of it all and it's just like learning how to like perfect it almost.

[31:05] mahi alam: Yeah, I I mean I was always surrounded like by by such great people too. Like even with like you you can like our our class was just so talented.

[31:39] Sydney Lucas: It was so and let's shout out, you know, Waterwell, you know water well for sure, for sure.

[31:45] mahi alam: It was you know Arian Moyad being your teacher, you know, the the run that he's on now is just incredible. Um absolutely incredible.

[31:52] Sydney Lucas: Heather Lanza, shout out to all of them.

[31:54] mahi alam: Yeah, Mr. Parente.

[31:56] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[31:58] mahi alam: Um yeah, they're just amazing, amazing people. Um and yeah, as I said, I was like surrounded by by you guys as well. And you guys were like already had so much experience.

[32:09] Sydney Lucas: Like I was uh, you know, I was surrounded by the likes of like you, Sydney, right? You were over here, and then um like Molina also had a bunch of experience working in the industry, so did Chris and so so did Oscar. So many so many people like had so many experience.

[32:25] mahi alam: So you just naturally pick things up just by looking at them. I and I think that's that's how probably that's how you learn probably, right? That's that's how Sydney learned. It's like you guys just pick things up from the people around you and like make things your own from there.

[32:39] Sydney Lucas: Absolutely, and that's totally something that I wanted to get into next with you. Like, you know, you can kind of learn and and rehearse, you know, your craft and everything, but and doing obviously like your home uh movies or whatever, uh your projects and stuff, but nothing kind of prepares you for like the first day of walking on to set, you know, especially with all the moving pieces, uh things that are totally out of con your control, like you would never do like the hair department and stuff, but you obviously have to be involved in that and they have to let you have to do your hair and touch final touch-ups right before they call action, like all these things.

[33:18] mahi alam: So what was what was kind of that whole scene, you know, coming on to like your first set for the first time and learning how all of that uh comes about, and was the best way that you kind of had to navigate it all was through watching others?

[33:34] mahi alam: Yeah, was your first set strangers?

[33:37] mahi alam: It was strangers, yeah. It was yeah.

[33:40] mahi alam: So my yeah, my first ever set. I think this is uh 2018. I might be wrong, but um I think I was in like nine, I think I might have been in ninth grade or yeah, I think I was in ninth grade or tenth grade when I um did my first ever like fill filming on like camera. Um and it was for this like amazing project, and I played a little part called um I played a little part of Sumir in this episode. Um, and it's called Strangers, it was a Facebook or uh web series original. And yeah, I remember walking in uh into set and everybody was so friendly.

[34:20] mahi alam: Um I still keep in touch with um with some of them. Um and I remember I remember I was really nervous because you know, as you said, nothing prepares you for that. Like the it's it's right, it it looks completely different from like your training. Um because I'm making certain projects with like my best buddies, and they're holding the camera, and like I know I have chemistry with them and blah blah. Um, so chemistry matters a lot, but um I think honestly, just right off the bat, everybody's so s so so um so kind, everything is so organized.

[34:57] mahi alam: And the most important thing that um the director of the episode told me was that um because they knew this was my first ever acting gig and onset, they were like, Hey, by the way, everybody, this is like Mahi's first everyday onset. Cause you know, like everybody's like acknowledging you, noticing you, everybody like makes that space for you, which just made it a lot easier for me.

[35:18] mahi alam: And um then and then they pulled me to the side and they're like, you know, you have this is gonna be easier because you have a lot of takes. And then that's when I was like, I just you know, I was able to relax because I was like, you know, like everybody is giving me this space, everybody's like acknowledging the fact that I'm like a newcomer, and they're telling me you I have a bunch of takes. So like all of that sort of built my confidence up, and I was able to give a like uh like a good enough good enough performance for them.

[35:46] Sydney Lucas: And yeah, brilliant performance.

[35:48] mahi alam: Thank you. I I watched that episode so many times I was like It was so good.

[35:55] Sydney Lucas: Guys, go watch it if you haven't.

[35:57] mahi alam: Yeah, uh yeah, uh it's I think uh season four, episode three, I believe. Um or yeah, the episode's name was Masculinity. Um Facebook web series Strangers, it was amazing.

[36:13] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, is that still on Facebook?

[36:15] mahi alam: Yeah, it's still it's still up.

[36:17] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, is that how you watch it?

[36:18] mahi alam: Yeah, that's how you watch it. So you just go on Facebook, you search it up, and then it'll it'll be there.

[36:23] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, sick.

[36:25] mahi alam: Yeah, yeah. Everyone go check it out.

[36:27] Sydney Lucas: I saw your little like IMDB photo from it. It was cute.

[36:33] mahi alam: Yeah, I love it. It's crazy. It's so cool to see how uh you know, all of that works, and I'm sure that that was like a great introduction to it all, you know.

[36:42] mahi alam: Yeah, um, because obviously, like uh your next set after that was like New Amsterdam, which is just a huge, you know, set, and it's got oiled machine at this time.

[36:55] mahi alam: Right after that was um this thing called Hungry, which is coming out Oh yes, which is coming out recently. Like I I filmed that like shortly after Strangers, um and we didn't I I had never heard anything from it. And now it's it's coming out. It's like um it's it's a film, it's an independent film.

[37:13] Sydney Lucas: And it's coming out that long ago?

[37:15] mahi alam: That's crazy. We shot that that long ago.

[37:18] Sydney Lucas: That was the second. You had to have been like what, 14, 15?

[37:22] mahi alam: Yeah.

[37:23] Sydney Lucas: Wow.

[37:25] mahi alam: Six years ago.

[37:26] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[37:26] mahi alam: That's nuts. Where is it coming? Where is it? What so it's a movie?

[37:32] mahi alam: It's a movie. I'm not sure exactly where it's coming out. Um I'm not I'm not entirely sure, but um, I saw the credits in my IMD, like I didn't even know about it, and then I saw my credit on it. I was like, no way it's coming out.

[37:45] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, that's sick.

[37:47] mahi alam: Yeah. So I'm excited about that too. But then yeah, the third one was was Yeah.

[37:54] Sydney Lucas: Which is just like everyone knows what they're doing. This is like second nature to them.

[38:00] mahi alam: It's well owed machine, it's been on forever, you know. What a what a wild experience that must have been.

[38:06] mahi alam: Um yeah. I mean, yeah, uh new New Amsterdam. Um, yeah, like with the the whole acting thing, you know, you you do a bunch of auditions and it's kind of like Sydney told me of this at at the very beginning, before I even got signed, or probably shortly after I got signed, Sydney told me y there's gonna be a lot of notes.

[38:29] mahi alam: And you have to be like ready for that. You know, it's it's given. Like we all know anybody who's in the industry who like we all know it's gonna be out like a bunch of no's.

[38:38] Sydney Lucas: Um and and she said like don't don't let that like discourage you.

[38:43] mahi alam: And um yeah, like after hungry, um, you know, I kept auditioning and I didn't like um get like I didn't I didn't get callbacks as much and I didn't really like you know, I was just kind of grinding, I was also focusing on school, so it wasn't like really any sort of loss.

[38:59] mahi alam: I don't think any of it is ever any loss. But then uh finally got New Amsterdam and I was just like so ecstatic because this is this is a this was you know, this is a such such a big show.

[39:10] mahi alam: Um and I was uh again like it you know that first experience that you were talking about, like nothing ever prepares you for it. I kinda felt that same thing again because I was out of it for a while.

[39:22] mahi alam: And then um and then this is such like a f like I feel like a big leap. Um and I was surrounded by people that I've that I've seen on TV. So now there's like that Starstruck thing that's kicking in.

[39:33] mahi alam: Um so all of that like all of that really played in and yeah, that was just a pretty pretty surreal moment. That was also a really intense role to play, like in New Amsterdam.

[39:45] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[39:45] mahi alam: Also like to come back from because you're I mean, you're playing a uh patient who j is you know, severely burned and is like, you know, calling for his sister and that's intense.

[39:57] Sydney Lucas: That's really intense. Like yeah.

[39:58] mahi alam: It's also was that the first scene that you filmed, just like you being wheeled into the hospital?

[40:02] mahi alam: Yep, that's a f that's No way.

[40:05] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[40:06] mahi alam: Me like just shouting and that was yeah, that was like a that was a challenge for sure.

[40:10] mahi alam: Um Yeah. It was it was it was not something that I've ever done um done before where I've had so many like I had so much makeup on me and like

[40:12] Sydney Lucas: Oh yeah.

[40:23] mahi alam: You sent me uh you sent you um like out of the blue sent me a photo of of your makeup, like your pro uh whatever it was your prosthetics or yeah prosthetics yep yep yeah and I and I I saw it at such a weird time like I wasn't expecting it at all and you freaked me out so much because you just like what I was seeing was my best friend just sent me the most horrifying image of his arm.

[40:50] Sydney Lucas: I was like what happened? What's going on?

[40:52] mahi alam: He's like no no no it's makeup.

[40:54] mahi alam: Um they're talented with the process yeah but that's another thing is because it looks so realistic. I think it just looks like it lets you play the character that much easier.

[41:07] mahi alam: Let's you play that it's like the importance of like I feel like like the importance of like props and like makeup and everything is just like s it's so so so important.

[41:17] Sydney Lucas: Like we we cannot do our job without that.

[41:21] mahi alam: Yeah.

[41:22] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[41:22] mahi alam: I really like honing into the character without that the moment you put on your your hospital gown, the wounds, the makeup, all that it's like the work kind of just does itself, you know.

[41:35] mahi alam: It's much harder to audition for something than to to do it when you have the full set and the full cast and the full like look and get up and everything.

[41:45] mahi alam: Um it it's it's pretty wild but I'll never forget watching that for your like performance in that I guess um on TV.

[41:53] Sydney Lucas: Like it was like this is so freaking cool.

[41:55] mahi alam: It was you were so good in that.

[41:57] Sydney Lucas: Um but I'm curious, you know yeah, of course.

[42:00] mahi alam: I mean, we talked about, you know, going to set and how that can be, you know, pretty intimidating, especially for the first time. It's also a little intimidating just to be like a co-star on a set just to like come in for a couple days and kind of do your scenes and then get out and you'll like, hey, we'll see you maybe never, you know, like who knows when I'll see you.

[42:22] mahi alam: Like it's kind of crazy. So then in your next project, uh or I guess I don't know, maybe not. I think it was your next project.

[42:29] mahi alam: Yeah, it was an excellent American American born Chinese.

[42:37] mahi alam: Uh you you're in a bunch of episodes six of the eight. Um, you know, it it's probably it may be like a little more comforting, you know, coming to set, you know, you actually know a lot more people, uh you get to come back and know, oh, you know, I'll see you guys tomorrow or or next week or whatever it is. Um and I'm sure that that's gotta be uh uh I I don't want to say an easier experience, but b but for lack of a better word, we'll say like a more comfortable, you know, experiment uh experience.

[43:09] Sydney Lucas: So uh familiar.

[43:11] mahi alam: Yeah, exactly. Uh so uh how is that whole thing like for you? Obviously we say, you know, you know all of these people, but of course then you deal with different directors in each episode and you deal with, you know, there's still a lot of moving parts and filming out of order. Go for it.

[43:29] mahi alam: It was also like your your first time being in like you you f I mean you flew back and forth from Los Angeles to New York, but it was it was like your first time being, you know, away from your family for a quite a long time.

[43:44] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, and filming and and you know, having just to you spent the majority of time, you know, in hanging out in the hotel room kind of uh by yourself.

[43:54] mahi alam: So that even with a familiarity of being able to come back to to a family you've created, I imagine that was also uh at least slightly inundating, at least slightly overwhelming.

[44:07] mahi alam: For sure. Um, yeah. So I I like I'll first touch bases with like the the whole comforting basis. Um it was definitely it was like I think set like set was whenever I talk about American Born Chinese firstly, it it it's just it's just there's like a different place in my heart for the whole team of American Born Chinese. I keep in touch, I kid you not, with everybody.

[44:31] mahi alam: And that's because as you said, you know, you're not on set for a couple of days and then you go away and you're like, Oh, maybe I'll never see you ever again. This is you know, like as as you said, I was I was there in episode one and I was there in episode eight and there was a couple of gaps. I was not there for like two episodes, so I was there for six out of out of the eight.

[44:50] mahi alam: So I really they really made me they they really made me feel at home over there. Um I keep in touch with like the AD, like C U. I keep in touch with um the wardrobe people, I keep in touch with the hair and makeup people.

[44:56] mahi alam: I keep in touch with uh like my you know, one of my really really close friends, he's the main character of American Born Chinese, his name is Ben, who also ended up doing a a Mean Girls with me. Um so I and like Jimmy, all of them, like I keep in touch with all of them. We have such strong bond.

[45:20] mahi alam: Um and that's something that I've never ever experienced on set before. Is that um there were multiple days where I didn't have to film a scene, but I was just on set just watching my friends work.

[45:33] Sydney Lucas: That's awesome.

[45:33] mahi alam: It's like I was just like, There's nothing better to do. I'm in LA. Um, I don't have anybody here, I don't have any family here, so you know, I'm gonna go on set. I'm gonna eat the free crafty food.

[45:45] mahi alam: And um I love crafty god. Yeah, it can't be good for me. Thank god. Like I was not there every day. Oh my god, dude, that was easy. The amount of candy is ridiculous.

[46:00] mahi alam: It's it's really it's ridiculous, yeah. Um and then like and then with the whole like thing that Sydney was talking about, yeah. This was like the first time that I ever left uh New York City by myself.

[46:13] mahi alam: And I was not, you know, I was not in like Massachusetts or like Pennsylvania, I was in LA, like this was this is the other end of the country, right? I have zero friends there. I don't know anybody there.

[46:26] mahi alam: Um, you know, I'm like 18, 19 years old, and I'm I'm not an adult. Like I'm legally an adult, but I'm not an adult. Like I don't know what the hell I'm doing.

[46:35] mahi alam: Um I didn't have a kitchen at my hotel, so I didn't know what I was gonna eat. So Uber eats every single day.

[46:45] Sydney Lucas: That couldn't have been good either.

[46:46] mahi alam: So it was it was scary. It was it was like um definitely overwhelming and then the time difference.

[46:53] mahi alam: Um I remember I would I would call you a lot, Sydney. I would c I'd call Sydney a lot and just like kinda just like talk to her like for comfort and stuff.

[47:00] mahi alam: Um and 'cause you're on night owl, or it really depends on the time of the year. You have no.

[47:06] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, if you were awake at 3 a.m. you knew I was up.

[47:08] mahi alam: Yeah, yeah. Like Sydney, her sleep schedule changes like every now and then. And it's not like it's not a change like by an hour or two, it's just drastic.

[47:18] mahi alam: Like some days she'll be up at like 4:30 and that's when her day starts, and then sometimes she'll gonna be sleeping at like I I don't know, it's crazy crazy.

[47:27] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[47:27] mahi alam: Uh but yeah, you're always there, like whenever I whenever I needed someone to talk to and um that's something that I found difficult because I had a lot of friends in New York, all my friends were in New York and there was a three hour gap.

[47:40] mahi alam: So I was I mean, I was on set maybe until like eight or nine and I come back and I have all this time to myself but I have no one to talk to.

[47:49] mahi alam: So then I'm sitting at the hotel by myself 'cause everybody's asleep, my mom's asleep, my dad's asleep, everybody's asleep. And yeah, you sort of making a little bit more music and it was that was really really d I think it was really difficult until I become became friends with my cast castmates.

[48:04] mahi alam: And that was, you know, a little bit later down the line because I was still um I was recurring, but I guess like it it took a little bit more time for me to like build that bond with them and then once I built that bond, everything became way better and that's when I started going to set even when I was that was just the best time of my life.

[48:25] Sydney Lucas: It's true.

[48:26] mahi alam: It's it's pretty cool to like in a matter of, you know, two weeks, three weeks, you know, all of a sudden you have a new family, you know, uh uh like built in uh to to your life now and oftentimes th it stays with you, you know.

[48:42] mahi alam: So it it like you said, you know, you keep in touch with a lot of the people. Um I I'm curious, you know, what what was it like to 'cause obviously like, you know, you d you had your spots on New Amsterdam and these other shows that we've talked about so far, but uh with American Born Chinese as a recurring role, you had all of these directors uh often time for different episodes.

[49:04] mahi alam: So like what was that like to to learn uh I I guess like it's to see different perspectives and how different directors work and and communicating with them on set.

[49:04] mahi alam: Yeah um uh so yeah I was I was in a I was in six episodes and so I worked with five different directors because the the director for episode one came back and directed the last episode as well.

[49:30] mahi alam: Right. Um and um because this was the first project that I was like kind of heavily involved with um I got to meet the people like outside of work as well which is an experience that I never had prior to American Born Chinese where you know I kind of went on set for strangers, met the director there did the work blah blah but with American Born Chinese there were always like events going on and stuff because it was it was a you know and they would invite me because they knew I was alone in LA and they wanted to include me in everything which is so nice of them.

[50:08] mahi alam: And yeah I got to talk talk to the directors and yeah it's crazy how everybody kind of works and operates a little bit differently um but nonetheless I think that's when I I'd say other than like like the the the PPAS training that I had like COVID times I think American Born Chinese probably gave me the most amount of training because I was you know you could you could be in a space and pick up one uh you could pick up like let's say you're in a space for like one day right you could pick like seven eight things up and you'll like remember one or two of them like later down the line.

[50:44] mahi alam: So you you see where I'm getting at or you could be in a in a space for like months on end and you could pick up like a hundred things and you can keep like 50 things out of that or 40 things out of that.

[50:55] mahi alam: And that's kind of what American Born Chinese did for me is that it just it was like essentially like like a soccer player or like an athlete like just doing drills constantly over and over and over and over and that's when you improve the most and um I just noticed like I just noticed like picking up little things from like my classmates and then I was also working with Michelle Yo um who's an Oscar winner at Kihe Guan and like these people are like this is the top of the top like yeah you if you pick you know five things up from a certain individual you pick you pick up a hundred things from just watching them right for one day and have the pleasure of watching them for like multiple days and then that's that's yeah it was insane it was crazy.

[51:46] Sydney Lucas: Yeah I mean just even learning how to be a professional you know like how to behave on stage yeah or on a set you know like when is the time to to have fun with your friends and joke around and whatever but when also is the time to you know get serious and and and figure out how you want to tell this story.

[52:07] Sydney Lucas: Yeah also um sorry if I embarrass you Mahi but I'm gonna I'm gonna kind of brag about you a little bit he uh and Eli you can back me up on this Mahi was one of like when we went to PBIS with him he he was like the top of the class he was right just extremely hardworking scholar so smart like he would tutor other people um constantly um and he's definitely why I got an A in Musman's class right uh but you you Mahi you were in college when you um well you were in college when you got when you uh were cast in American Born Chinese you were about to start what your second third semester in my youth my second semester yeah and like right at the start of the semester you like a week before we started you you got the call and were like you got it and you had to like well I have to you know pull out of the semester and then I have to figure this out and and you're a you're a college student so you're not only figuring out college you're also figuring out how to be a series regular on a really massive by the way brilliant show incredible show I binge watched it with my parents the the second it came out it's so brilliantly written um yeah yeah uh it's it's kind of a bummer I don't know if you guys heard but it's it didn't get picked up for season two.

[53:36] mahi alam: What is such such a bummer and um yeah when I when I got that when I got that letter or an email from the the show runner you know he was clearly very disheartened and he he was saying like it's unfortunate that like two strikes the writer strike and the actor strike and like right yeah and like some other factors you know some other factors kind of just like yeah just prevented our show from getting a season two and it's it was when I heard that it was really really heartbreaking because you know it was difficult at the beginning in LA for me for sure.

[54:17] mahi alam: But then like the family I made there, it's like it's it's as I said, it's different. Like whenever I talk about American Born Chinese, it it just lives it lives in a different spot in my heart.

[54:27] Sydney Lucas: It's your family.

[54:28] mahi alam: Um yeah, so I was like really really really really sad when that happened.

[54:33] mahi alam: Um I don't know when why why did I start saying that with Sydney what were you saying?

[54:37] Sydney Lucas: Oh I was just saying I was just saying that you're like such an amazing student and scholar and and you know all like e even like when you're doing uh auditions and you're doing work you you always strive to to get the highest grade and you're always like extremely hard working in school um which made me want to be extremely hard working in school.

[54:59] Sydney Lucas: But but yeah yeah I mean you were kind of at the start of NYU, I don't think it was your first semester, but it was like your second or third semester at NYU.

[55:10] mahi alam: Um I think you were still a freshman.

[55:13] Sydney Lucas: And and then you you like right a week before it started you got you got the the call from John to that you know you got American Born Chinese and you had to figure out how to you know deal with taking a break from school for the first time to then go to LA and uh and you know start this other entirely new thing.

[55:32] mahi alam: Yeah. Uh yeah that was that was a hectic that was definitely like a hectic moment as well um like trying to figure out the balance um because I I don't know like if okay if I took a leave of absence like is that gonna affect me from coming back.

[55:46] mahi alam: Am I gonna get am I gonna be able to keep my seat? Um and like you you were a really really helpful and during that time too because we we chatted a lot during that time um that you helped me like kind of like do some research on like oh no that's fine like you know like people take leave of absence all the time.

[56:03] mahi alam: I remember you telling me that um and like I think what really helped is my my music program in at NYU was super supportive of people actually like leaving the program or not leaving the program but you know actually doing And that was that was really helpful because they they were like they weren't like they didn't give me any hard time about that.

[56:24] Sydney Lucas: That's great to hear.

[56:26] mahi alam: Yeah.

[56:26] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, because I've heard the past like music theater programs pretty string.

[56:31] mahi alam: That awesome.

[56:32] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's yeah, they're not like like they're not like those like acting or musical theater conservatories where they're like, no, you stick with us for four years and then we leave.

[56:40] mahi alam: Yeah, that's great.

[56:42] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they let me do that. And I think Sydney, I think you and I were hanging out literally the day when we were.

[56:47] mahi alam: I was I was out of town and I just came uh back to New York and and I well I invited you and Miloy to um uh my hotel so that we could like jam on guitar and stuff and Neely was late, but you weren't because my mom and I went and and and picked you up and actually drove you to the hotel and yeah, we were sitting there eating sushi.

[57:08] Sydney Lucas: Yep, and I remember like I remember uh you just told me to surprise you, like just you're not picky, so you so you're like just get me any sushi that you want.

[57:19] mahi alam: And so I I I got you my favorite, and then I remember you being like, Oh, I'm kind of allergic to shrimp, and I was like, Are you really? And you're like, Yeah, and then you eat a shrimp, and I was like, Mahi, you cannot do this. Don't do this to me. And and yeah, we're we're sitting there waiting for Nealy to come in, and then the the I I know there is you know, it wasn't it you weren't quite sure if if you had gotten it yet, but then the call came in from John as we were sitting there in the hotel, and you're like, Well, I need to figure out what to do with school because I just walked this.

[57:51] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, and then yeah, your mom We were watching the winter Olympics, I remember.

[57:56] mahi alam: Yeah, yeah, I remember too, yeah, on the on that hotel TV yeah oh my god yeah and we were just freaking out and that was that was crazy yeah that's so cute that's crazy full circle moment there that's awesome go off um I I mean Sid do you have any more questions for American Born Chinese or should we get into Mean Girls well kind of an interesting segue between Mean Girls and American Born Chinese we can talk about Ben Wang because he you just so happen to I know we mentioned this earlier but you both just so happen to be in both yeah we what we played best friends in American Born Chinese um and then him and I played best friends basically best friends because him and I were both math leads uh and yeah like we basically played that in Mean Girls as well which is wow I don't know that's pretty fair that's like so back to back and that happened like kind of like not too far apart from each other so like you guys are just meant to do work together.

[59:03] mahi alam: Yeah I guess so Ben and I are like a duo I guess like package yeah yeah like if they book me they gotta book them yeah vice versa how did how was that you know like coming into Mean Girls did that obviously I don't know kind of instantly put you at ease or almost kind of like feel like you belong because you went in knowing somebody already on set yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[59:32] Sydney Lucas: So um every time there was like wardrobe or like like rehearsals or things like that, like I would I would go pick them up um like my dad would drive like drive us and like we'd go together, would come back, like we'd hang out, and so that that process was a lot easier. Like I've already felt like okay, like as you said, like I felt like I belonged there just because like there was a familiar face.

[59:58] mahi alam: Right. Um obviously, I mean, you played Kevin G, the mathly, as you said, um, and we talked a little bit earlier about you know Kihee Huang and everything, like Michelle Yo, who you worked with and like being starstruck, was was there anyone here like in this movie where you know you were starstruck because it seems like you had scenes with literally like everyone, like the whole freaking cast.

[1:00:25] Sydney Lucas: So um, yeah, talk to me about it.

[1:00:29] mahi alam: Uh yeah, that was I mean, yeah. Uh was there anyone that kind of you were like this is greatly. As you said, like everybody, like I kinda like did my I kinda did my like homework a little bit. Also I did before I get into that, like when I got the Mean Girls um audition, I was also again with Sydney.

[1:00:55] Sydney Lucas: She's like your good luck charm.

[1:00:56] mahi alam: Holy cow. She's literally, yeah, she's literally my good luck charm. Um I was with Sydney and then um I was hanging out with Sydney and Sydney. And I think Sydney's mom also carries also like and Jake as well. We're at we're at uh we're at our apartment.

[1:01:10] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, um, so it's the mother and daughter duo, like the duo for me.

[1:01:15] mahi alam: That's okay.

[1:01:16] Sydney Lucas: So funny.

[1:01:17] mahi alam: Um, and I got the audition, and they're like, oh, you're auditioning for Kevin G. And then we started, uh, you put the movie on Netflix, um, and then you're just like skipping over all the Kevin G moments, and like we're just like doing homework, it's just like okay, yeah, this is Kevin G, and like he's got a cool vibe. So we're like studying the character together, and then like I filmed audition, somehow get it. And then, like, yeah, you were like heavily involved in that whole process too.

[1:01:44] Sydney Lucas: Like, I always kept you updated.

[1:01:45] mahi alam: I remember you could keep telling me, update me. Like, oh, I got a callback. I was like, Oh, what happened? What happened? And then I tell her everything that happened, and then and then I'm like, okay, but I still didn't get it. There's another round, and wow, and then she's like, Okay, keep me updated, and then I do the round, and then I called her, and I'm like, Okay, this round ended, and it's like, how did that go? Blah blah blah. And then there was another round. I think there was like three or four different rounds.

[1:02:09] Sydney Lucas: And this like auditioning wise, like let's just take a step back, like you know, with with strangers with American Born Chinese, with um uh New Amsterdam, it it was you know, uh a uh the initial audition, and then you get a producer session, and then like they kind of let you know with this.

[1:02:09] mahi alam: It was, you know, I auditioned, um I and then I auditioned again and then with another side, and then there was the producer session, and then there was a music director session, and then I think finally after like four sessions, and maybe there might have been another one. Um yeah, I think yeah, sorry, there was five sessions, yeah. After that, I finally got it, and then I called Sydney and she was like, We were just like going crazy.

[1:02:56] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:02:56] mahi alam: Cause like it was so I was just on the edge of my CL, so were you. It was a lot, it was many a a long time.

[1:03:04] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:03:05] mahi alam: Yeah.

[1:03:06] Sydney Lucas: Um but yeah. Crazy.

[1:03:08] mahi alam: But yeah, and and then with the Starstruck moment, yeah, I had my, you know, as you know, I had my scenes with because I'm a mathlete, I had my scenes with Miss Norberry, who was played by Tina Faye. Hello.

[1:03:19] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:03:20] mahi alam: Well, funniest might I add also like the funniest person on set. Like she is so funny. A bunch of those scenes. I don't know if you remember recall from the movie where um the main character uh played by Angarry Rice, Katie Katie Heron, when uh she's telling um uh Damon and Damien and and uh Janice about like oh I can't really seem to have a good conversation with uh with uh Erin and there's a bunch of Tina Fay scenes and like we're all sitting in the classroom and she's just doing a bunch of improv, she's just making us laugh, and they just make it onto the film.

[1:03:57] Sydney Lucas: Like, how is she so talented?

[1:03:58] mahi alam: Like it's just crazy.

[1:03:59] Sydney Lucas: Like Yeah.

[1:04:01] mahi alam: Uh uh then Well that was that was something that we had talked about when I saw this sh movie, obviously, like I called you immediately afterwards, and I was just like, dude, the favorite part of my mov the my the movie was this part, and you're like, that's crazy that you say that because I improvised it.

[1:04:23] Sydney Lucas: And so guys, I haven't seen the movie yet. I'm a horrible friend.

[1:04:26] mahi alam: Oh my god, what?

[1:04:27] Sydney Lucas: I know, but uh uh I will see it, I will see it, I will see it.

[1:04:35] mahi alam: You was saying I'm sorry, I want to hear this.

[1:04:38] Sydney Lucas: You what?

[1:04:39] mahi alam: You improved?

[1:04:40] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:04:40] mahi alam: Uh yeah, one of the one of the moment what what what moment was that?

[1:04:44] Sydney Lucas: It was um It was either w at the end when you won the math lead section or the part where you're taking the shirt off.

[1:04:51] mahi alam: I thought that was awesome.

[1:04:52] Sydney Lucas: Yep, yeah, that was that was um it was I think you're talking about the hold me back, hold me back.

[1:04:58] mahi alam: Yeah, moment. There were so many parts I was like, just that was not part of the script, so we were just filming it, and then um again, is that is that chemistry between Ben and I where um you know I'm like I we win the competition and then go up to how you like me now, how you like me now, and and you know, like Ben is Ben is supposed to hold me back, but not so like not so like hard, but like how such a chemistry, you know, like he feels comfortable actually holding me back, yeah.

[1:05:27] Sydney Lucas: Right?

[1:05:27] mahi alam: He's like pulling me back, and I'm like actually trying to go and I'm like, Don't hold me back, don't hold me back, and I'm like Ben at this point. And that made that cut, and I thought that that was yeah, that was a really really fun moment of film.

[1:05:38] Sydney Lucas: And I'm glad that that you thought it was like one of your favorite moments.

[1:05:41] mahi alam: Oh my god. It was well, it was just such a Mahi moment that I was like this is everything.

[1:05:47] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, it's it looked like we were out on the soccer court, you know, like at the in recess, you know, at PPAS or whatever.

[1:05:54] mahi alam: Yeah, like it was just so silly.

[1:05:56] Sydney Lucas: It was awesome.

[1:05:57] mahi alam: Um sorry, did c entire non sequitur, but Mahi is freakishly good at soccer.

[1:06:05] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, good at like crazy good at soccer.

[1:06:08] mahi alam: I used to be decent at soccer.

[1:06:10] Sydney Lucas: I don't play soccer much anymore, but yeah, um we would all play soccer together.

[1:06:14] mahi alam: Yeah, you would always be the goalie.

[1:06:16] Sydney Lucas: Uh Mahi would just Mahi and Oleg would destroy everyone, and I would just run around wherever I was.

[1:06:24] mahi alam: Oh please.

[1:06:25] Sydney Lucas: You were good too.

[1:06:26] mahi alam: Yeah, I don't know.

[1:06:27] Sydney Lucas: We were all good over there.

[1:06:28] mahi alam: Everybody was just like having fun, dude.

[1:06:29] Sydney Lucas: It was it was such a good time.

[1:06:31] mahi alam: It was hilarious watching like per like theater performers try to play sports, you know.

[1:06:37] Sydney Lucas: It was just like in that it was like some of us were so coordinated, and then the others were just so not coordinated, you know.

[1:06:44] mahi alam: It's great.

[1:06:44] Sydney Lucas: And we would get so competitive for no reason, like it's crazy.

[1:06:48] mahi alam: Yeah.

[1:06:48] Sydney Lucas: Um but I I'm curious, you know, talking about the whole the the improv and everything.

[1:06:54] mahi alam: I mean, is that something that kind of came directly from Gina Faye?

[1:06:58] Sydney Lucas: Like obviously she wrote it, you know.

[1:07:00] mahi alam: It is that something that she kind of said, Hey, you know, here's some creative freedom, like say what you want, like, or j is it just something that literally just flirts out of your mouth.

[1:07:12] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, were you encouraged?

[1:07:13] mahi alam: Yeah, you know, um, like this is this is not the first project where I noticed this, but um maybe you guys could add on to this too. Um, where you know, we have a bunch of we take a bunch of takes and I f feel like they have like they I guess they have that like safety take where they get a take that they like, but then after that there's that like one more take or two more takes that they want to do, even though they have the one that they want.

[1:07:43] Sydney Lucas: Oh that's don't like go don't go crazy, but like, you know, yeah, you know, have have so yeah, that there was definitely a lot of that in in Mean Girls, uh, which I thought was brilliant.

[1:07:52] mahi alam: Um Sam and Art were the directors, uh they did such such such a great job, um like directing us and uh you know, I I at the beginning, um I was kind of like like 'cause I've never worked with two directors at once.

[1:08:07] Sydney Lucas: Um, you know, sure.

[1:08:09] mahi alam: There were two directors directing at all times, and so I thought, okay, what if they're like conf like conflicting notes or what if they have like like you know, they've gotta be on the same page, like they've gotta have the same vision and you know, they're a husband and wife duo, which I thought is just so cool.

[1:08:27] Sydney Lucas: That's awesome.

[1:08:28] mahi alam: And they did an amazing job, like they're just always united and um yeah they definitely like told me to have a lot of fun with it have a lot of fun with it and uh Tina Fey was definitely she was a producer so she also encouraged that sort of creative freedom as well.

[1:08:43] Sydney Lucas: That's awesome.

[1:08:44] mahi alam: That it's so cool.

[1:08:45] Sydney Lucas: I mean in that exact scene that we're talking about spoiler alert for anyone that hasn't seen it w if you have it that's crazy.

[1:08:54] mahi alam: No if that's Sydney and bumper.

[1:08:57] Sydney Lucas: But I'm sure you also know it at this point because it's been all over social media and in the media and whatever.

[1:09:04] mahi alam: But in that exact scene that we're talking about Lindsay Lohan makes a surprise you know reappearance to the movie.

[1:09:12] Sydney Lucas: Sid you've literally been living under a rock if you didn't know she was in this movie.

[1:09:18] mahi alam: That's so like I I mean what was that like just not even like meeting her but also just like I don't know like having to keep that secret uh of the fact that she was gonna be in in this iteration of the movie.

[1:09:33] Sydney Lucas: Yeah um I so yeah yeah yeah I've I've been asked this question like a couple a couple of times and every time kind of like it's kind of like surreal every time I like r relive that moment um like the funniest part is when I walk into said firstly like we we don't know that she's even like we don't know that she's making no way you know how there's a like a like a call sheet and everybody has their number, everybody has their name, everybody has a role name, and everything is there on the timesheet.

[1:10:05] mahi alam: It doesn't say Lindsay Lohan anywhere.

[1:10:06] Sydney Lucas: It's like number 200, 264 on the call sheet, a completely code name, and the role, the role's name is moderator.

[1:10:16] mahi alam: Okay, so we're just like, we don't know anything that's going on. Um so then we walk on a set, we walk on the set, and um yeah, I was just like doing and then I like I I noticed like a familiar figure, and um Tina Fay's talking to them, and I'm just like, is that freaking like Lindsay Lohan?

[1:10:40] Sydney Lucas: And so I'm just like walking a little bit closer.

[1:10:42] mahi alam: Also, I I don't have my glasses on set. You both know how I like.

[1:10:45] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:10:46] mahi alam: So I'm like, I'm just like, you know, like squinting my eyes, walking like kind of towards them, like going up to the stage, and uh then like Tina Faye uh looks at me and go and looks at Lindsay and goes, um, oh, this is the new uh this is the new Kevin G.

[1:11:03] mahi alam: And then Lindsay Lohan's like, oh hi, nice to meet you, and like I shake her hand, I'm just like, yo, that just happened. Like, what shape my hand? I was just also like, did Tina Fey just introduce me to Lindsay Lohan? Yeah, I was just like, oh well, what is going on? Like, what is life? And that was insane. Yeah, another um another moment of Starstruck was um, I don't know if you guys like you know, you you know um oh what's uh Jenna Fisher from The Office. Oh my god, Jenna Fisher. No, I don't know how we haven't talked about this yet. This is you sending me that photo is the greatest day of my life. I was like, oh my god. I see her on the on the uh we're like getting our makeup done, and she is also like a hilarious person.

And um, you know, I'm like getting my makeup done, and I'm like looking at her, and then the makeup's like, can you like stop looking out? Obviously, she didn't say that but she was so annoyed she was like Mahi Mahi like you know they're cutting my hair and I'm just like doing this and they're just like you know like let me do our and um I'm just looking at Jenna Fisher and I'm like um hi I'm a really really big fan she's like looking at me and she's like oh my god thank you so much that like means a lot and I'm like can I get a picture um do you mind if I get a picture with you and she goes nah not right now I want to look fabulous for your picture let me finish my makeup like she's like and I was like you look fab she's like no because your makeup is done you're getting your hair done so I'm gonna make sure my makeup is done we both gotta make up and we're both only she could say that and I was just like yo she's so down to earth and she's just so funny.

[1:12:46] Sydney Lucas: That's awesome.

[1:12:47] mahi alam: Yeah it's it's yeah who are you gonna say I'm sorry to cut you off I figured that's who you're talking about.

[1:12:53] Sydney Lucas: Uh no Megan Thee Stallion and also oh of course she's she just uh what this is this is like this is like a funny thing where like um because I'm like working with like like Renee who was all already such like right such a notable like figure and Chris from The Summer I Turned Pretty and Gary and and Ollie and everybody like they're so like talented so experienced so they're such a star on the in in their own right right um and like whenever um there's like other like like actors on set and like you know they kind of look at Chris they kind of look at Renee, they kind of look at like with this like moment of like, oh, like they're star struck. And like when Megan Thee Stallion walks in a set, it's those people, it's like that are star struck looking at Megan.

And I'm just like, this is insane. And she just comes to set, she stays there for like just a little bit. She just does her thing, she leaves. And we're like busting our ass for like eight hours, nine hours. And I was just like, so it's just it's crazy. Like the the power that she has. It's just like she is she's a Regina George.

[1:14:05] mahi alam: Why do we not know that Megan Thee Stallion was in this? She wrote a song, the song at the end. You you gotta listen to it. It's called It's Not My Fault. It's so good. Um her and Renee wrote it together. I believe.

[1:14:20] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:14:21] mahi alam: Um, which is sick. So, but yeah, it's it's such an interesting dynamic in this industry, right? In the sense of like, you know, we uh as people, as human beings, have people that we're fans of, and working in this industry, it's like we become co-workers of the people that we're fans of, you know. Like it's like it's kind of weird in the sense of like how do I allow myself to get starstruck even though like I I also want to come off as cool and like put together, you know, like type of thing.

[1:14:51] Sydney Lucas: Like, no, that says no, no, it's just so hard, yeah.

[1:14:54] mahi alam: You know, exactly. Your inner kid like comes out and there's just no stopping it, you know. But uh it's cool to see like the people like Renee and and uh Chris and like the people that have that big name and people are starstruck after them also have those moments too. It's pretty it's cool to see that it's crazy, dude.

[1:15:16] Sydney Lucas: Love the movie. I I'm obsessed that uh that you're in it. I mean, w first of all, I can't. I I'm sorry, I know we're going long here, but I've got it. I can't like not ask about it. The rap. I mean, the rap is the the big Kevin G moment, you know, uh all of it. W were you like nervous at all? Like was were you actually like performing for like a big auditorium, or were they able to like do the movie magic and kind of have it be empty and not as nerve-wracking?

[1:15:47] mahi alam: No, no, no, no. It was a big audience. Oh Jesus Christ. Yeah, a bunch of background actors, a big audience was you know, the real like like a stage. Um yeah, that you know what's funniest that was my first day on set.

[1:15:58] Sydney Lucas: No!

[1:15:58] mahi alam: That was my first day. That's the first day on set for a lot of people, um, is they started they started the movie off right off the bat with the winter with the with the with the show. Um the witch is insane, like such a high energy. Everybody just like that's the that's the first couple of days on set. Wow. Um that we filmed that, and uh I remember we had like two rehearsals prior to that, and you know, I the rehearsals with Ben. And two might seem like it's a good amount, it's not. Two years is not. But also but also it's just the perfect amount to pull off the Kevin G Mathley thing because we're not supposed to be great. We're just a bunch of idiots on stage that love doing math. And um, you know, we're not idiots, we're smart.

Like we won the competition. But but yeah, we're not supposed to be like super organized, and that was just it was funny. So, like there was a there was definitely a lot of creative freedom in that where we didn't have a specific amount of moves given to us. It was like you're gonna walk from here to here. Do whatever the hell you want. So then I'm just like this, I'm just going crazy, like doing this, you know. There's like nothing, no blocking essentially. You're just doing whatever you want, and you're just hitting those like like a couple of marks. Um so that was like it was honestly more like less than like nerve wracking, it was more fun. It was just like right off the bat, we were on high energy.

Um, and like everybody on the audience sitting down, they were all like hyping us up, and I kind of felt bad because they had to hype us up like 20 different times. And um, and then I'm like, you know, I'm doing the move where I'm like, you know, like that. She'd be like, oh Kevin G to the front audience. And I take the mic and I'm like, I'm so sorry for the people sitting in the front row. And like there's like no counters, like, you know, like my mom is on set and what watching. I'm like doing this 20 times in front of like everybody, and I'm just like, I'm sorry, I feel bad.

[1:18:21] Sydney Lucas: That's crazy.

[1:18:23] mahi alam: Right after I can imagine just the director yelling, yeah, and Mahi's going, I'm so sorry, everybody. I'm just like I love it, it's so good.

[1:18:36] Sydney Lucas: It's so good. They should have kept it in, they should have kept it in.

[1:18:40] mahi alam: Yeah, they should have. It's just awesome, you know. You know, everything that you're doing, uh and now you know you're obviously you're at NYU. Um, as we mentioned earlier, uh you're studying music, and you know, you're you're just killing it, and you're you're gonna be an entertainer uh for for the rest of your life, you know. That's what you were born to do and you're so natural at it. Um you've already had a uh a great career and you're not even you know out of college. So it it's just uh as Sydney, uh obviously you know this about Sydney, but she's your number one supporter. I'm a close second. I would like to think you're so proud of you.

[1:19:22] mahi alam: Thank you so much.

[1:19:23] Sydney Lucas: We can't wait to continue to cheer you on, you know.

[1:19:26] mahi alam: Such a full circle moment.

[1:19:27] Sydney Lucas: Like what is a full circle moment?

[1:19:29] mahi alam: Like it's crazy.

[1:19:31] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:19:32] mahi alam: Like it all it all started from like like now that I think about it, like with you guys. Like putting in a word for me and um weird new Eli. I mean, just it just Mahi has something. We knew we could just and Mahi, I I know you say that the uh the Mean Girls audience it was a it was a big audience, but uh before you came to America, didn't you at the ripe old age of like four or five or six, didn't you perform for a massive audience in some really big concert in Bangalore?

[1:20:07] mahi alam: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um like thousands, so I don't know how many. It was like a lot. I forget the numbers. Tens of thousands, I mean.

[1:20:18] Sydney Lucas: Tens of thousands, yeah.

[1:20:20] mahi alam: Dude. Um it was like one of like one of the biggest like one of like um we have this singer in Bangladesh. Um and she's basically like like think of like a a list celebrity in Bangladesh. So you know, her name is Momota. And um it was like I was like the one of the the opener, the one of the opening acts.

[1:20:40] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:20:41] mahi alam: Okay. For her for her concert.

[1:20:43] Sydney Lucas: How old were you?

[1:20:44] mahi alam: It I was five years old.

[1:20:47] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:20:48] mahi alam: And uh yeah, I was like singing one of her songs, like covering one of her songs in one of her shows. Um like a five year old kid. Uh yeah, like I wasn't supposed to do that, but um like my brother was supposed to open like open for her but um like they knew they like I was always like a like a really annoying like nagging kid where I was like, yeah I wanna perform I wanna perform like whenever like I'll get to my brother 'cause he would be performing a lot. Um and I was so much younger than him and then sometimes they'd be like, okay let the younger brother go and I kinda like steeze my moment and yeah like I w I wasn't I I mean I was I don't know I was I think I was too s too young to like be afraid of a crowd I feel like yeah.

[1:21:32] Sydney Lucas: Um you almost don't know exactly what you're doing, you know?

[1:21:37] mahi alam: Yeah.

[1:21:37] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:21:38] mahi alam: It you don't get how cool that is until like reflecting upon it.

[1:21:41] Sydney Lucas: Yeah it's it was like the equivalent of like a like a stadium show essentially.

[1:21:45] mahi alam: Yeah yeah like a small size show. Um crazy like that that was like my probably my first time in front of a uh really big audience I mean I've haven't been in front of uh an audience to that quantity ever in my life but yeah no yeah which I I bring that up because um I know that that singing you know was your first love and and you know with Neo and your father being singers and it's you know you you post music, you post covers, you you have your own songs, you have your own albums and um and you you uh you know are are in this acting world and you're an incredible actor but I also know that you're gonna be a a big time singer and you're going to you know those tens of thousands of people you're you're gonna go on tour and you're gonna perform for them every day.

[1:22:37] Sydney Lucas: I mark my mark my words.

[1:22:38] mahi alam: I mean like we all know this. We all know he's just the most massive pop star or actor or whatever you decide to do.

[1:22:45] Sydney Lucas: And we're so proud of you.

[1:22:46] mahi alam: The silkiest voice you know coming in like so smooth.

[1:22:52] Sydney Lucas: Ten years old singing Adele with the like it's just like it it's a voice is awesome.

[1:22:57] mahi alam: No Mahi you you know we're big fans of yours and uh we love we we love supporting you and shouting you out. So uh my I do have one I I have another question that you kind of popped up in just talking about Bangladesh and everything. You know your red carpet looks are are second to none. They're fire. And w what kind of where did that come from like is that something that you kind of wanted to do in like representing you know where you're from and all of that or is it are you getting them handmade specifically for the events like or is that just something like talk to me about them.

[1:23:33] mahi alam: Yeah so the yeah so the whole whole idea about the the yeah the red carpet looks um the first ever red carpet I attended was for American Born Chinese and as you guys said the show was all about embracing your culture. So I think that was like kind of like the perfect thing for me to wear is like I'm part of this show and it talks about the the main character Jin Wong and how um you know at the beginning he's not so proud of his culture and um by the end of it he learns to definitely appreciate and kind of understands the value of like holding on to your like you know like your cultural values and stuff like that. Um so when I was invited to the the premiere I was like what am I gonna wear and like m like my brother and like everybody in my family and even I was thinking the same it was kind of like a no brainer like yeah I have to wear something that you know shows up like shows up my culture so I decided to wear um it's called Cherwani from uh like in in Bangladesh and so that's what I decided to wear um it was a Cherwani and um yeah and then I and then after that sorry is the sound too much a little bit sorry okay I get it.

Um yeah so where was I yeah so that's the first time uh that was the first premiere and the the theme kind of was around that and then when I when it was time to do the the Mean Girls thing um honestly with this with this time around I I I was like I could have worn like like a suit or like something something of that sort but then I also asked John I was like hey what do you think I should wear and John was like you looked freaking sick on on what you wore the first time do something similar and I was like you got it and like my mother agreed and like my mom and dad was like yeah just go for it.

[1:25:20] mahi alam: So yeah, that's kind of like the idea behind the outfits. I didn't get them custom; the first one, the second one I got custom, like I got it tailored to my... yeah, I lost a bunch of weight after American Born Chinese. I was a lot chubbier in American Born Chinese, and so that didn't fit on me anymore. So I just had to get it tailored. The first one I went to this whole wholesale place in New Jersey, which is not too far away, and they have an amazing collection of a bunch of Sherwanis.

[1:26:03] Sydney Lucas: That's awesome.

[1:26:05] mahi alam: Yeah, you kinda need a lot of them.

[1:26:06] Eli Tokash: Yeah, you got many more red carpets coming up. You gotta keep the trend going.

[1:26:11] mahi alam: Dude, I love them. You, as John said, you look sick in them. You just look great. And it's cool to see you shining too. It's awesome.

[1:26:24] mahi alam: Thank you.

[1:26:25] Eli Tokash: Sid, you have anything else?

[1:26:28] Sydney Lucas: No, just we love you, and we're your biggest fans.

[1:26:30] mahi alam: Yeah, hey, I love you both a lot. And I'm so glad we did this. Oh my god, the three of us. It's like the best thing ever. As I said, this is my podcast debut, and like with the best people that I possibly could have had a debut with.

[1:26:47] Eli Tokash: Oh yeah. Well, you know we love you. Sid, I appreciate you coming on. Mahi kind of threw this out before; I gotta give props to Mahi for just being like, "Hey, we should throw it back."

[1:27:02] mahi alam: Yeah, I'm thrilled that we were all able to do it. So thank you both for doing this week's episode with me. It's great. I mean, Mahi, you have so much to take a bow for. And of course, a name bud, as is our guest this week. Mahi, you're killing it, and it's been great to see you thrive in China.

[1:27:28] mahi alam: Yeah, thank you. Should I take a bow now or... you know, I usually have to say about I want to take a tickle bow.

[1:27:34] Eli Tokash: Take a bow then.

[1:27:36] mahi alam: That's my bad.

[1:27:37] Sydney Lucas: Oh, that was so beautiful.

[1:27:40] Eli Tokash: So beautiful. mahi alam, what an episode. I was so thrilled to be reunited with both of you, and thrilled that we were able to, you know, have a chat, like talk about his career, have you back on the podcast. I mean, awesome stuff. And what he had to say about, you know, Mean Girls was awesome in working with, you know, Tina Fey and kind of giving him the freedom to improv for her and meet Lindsay Lohan, like all of that stuff. Imagine Tina Fey introducing you to Lindsay Lohan. That's just crazy.

[1:28:15] mahi alam: Yeah.

[1:28:16] Eli Tokash: But like, it's so hilarious and it's so Mahi of like, "Oh yeah, sure, okay." And then being like afterwards, like, "Oh shoot, like that's crazy."

[1:28:28] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:28:29] Eli Tokash: And I, we were talking about like being starstruck and like wanting to be cool around people or wanting to be starstruck, but something that I love about Mahi is it doesn't matter, like anyone that he meets, anyone that meets him, he just lights up the room and he makes you feel so good about yourself. I mean, I like one thing that I was thinking about throughout the podcast was it just so happened that when he was filming American Born Chinese in Los Angeles, I also just so happened to be in Los Angeles for a month at the same exact time that he was there. And we would sometimes hang out at his hotel, and we would walk into the lobby and I would find out that he's made best friends with everyone there.

[1:29:14] mahi alam: Yeah.

[1:29:14] Eli Tokash: He's made best friends with, you know, the IT people and the people at the front desk and, you know, people in the restaurant. And, you know, we would just be walking down a hall and they would be like, "Mahi!" And, you know, he would just spend 20, 30 minutes talking about anime with these people at the front desk, and then someone would come in wanting to check in, and then he would step off to the side and then talk about anime with them again. It's just so Mahi. Everyone who meets him loves him, and every ounce of success that he has and will get in the future, he deserves it more than anyone else I know.

[1:30:09] Sydney Lucas: Absolutely.

[1:30:09] Eli Tokash: It's hilarious. Like eighth grade superlatives was like Mahi was most likely to be everybody's best friend. And like if that doesn't just tell you everything you need to know about the kid, like it's... he's a man. I love him. And it's great to see him, you know, find all this success and work towards all of the success, and it's been easy to root him on, you know.

[1:30:39] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, it's hard not to support someone like Mahi.

[1:30:43] Eli Tokash: So, you know, just the beginning, and we appreciate him for coming on and shout out to him for bringing Poach and Sid for the episode too. I love having it. He texted me out of the blue.

[1:30:55] mahi alam: Yeah.

[1:30:59] Eli Tokash: Yo Sid. Yo Sid. Great idea over here. We're doing an episode. But yeah, I mean, go ahead.

[1:31:08] Sydney Lucas: Speaking of Mahi, he's trying to FaceTime me right now.

[1:31:10] Eli Tokash: Oh my gosh. What a guy. It's great to see like the relationship that y'all have and continue to have. And, you know, everything that it truly does take a village to succeed in this industry. And that's kind of, if you take anything away from this episode, it's that just being kind like Mahi, but also having that support system around you, of someone helping lead the way and kind of being a mentor for you and guiding you along the way and putting you along the right path and giving you in touch with the right people. That's really how you have, like, that's the only way to succeed in this industry almost.

[1:31:56] Sydney Lucas: Um, so shout out to you and shout out to Mahi.

[1:32:00] Eli Tokash: Shout out to you.

[1:32:02] Sydney Lucas: Yeah, I think, I mean, you and I both know that it was like just the easiest thing in the world. It was like, I mean, my, like we both saw like this insane talent and spark in Mahi and we're like, "Yo," I mean, it's, it's, uh, like you said, it's hard not to be proud of him. He's just, I mean, he's always, he's always in everything that he does, puts his all into it, and he also has the best family. We love his family. And it was just a no-brainer. You know, he, it was him. I mean, like we opened up the door to John, but it was him working. You know.

[1:32:44] mahi alam: Yeah.

[1:32:46] Sydney Lucas: He was the one that had the spark, that's kind of the people that worked hard and that, you know, showed John the same thing that we saw in him.

[1:32:56] Eli Tokash: Um, so yeah, and I mean, I want to say too, you know, he's been a star of the screen for a little bit now, and I wanna say that, you know, he has a very promising music career, which is something that Sydney and I have obviously talked a lot about. And, um, yeah, if you aren't already following him, which if you follow Sydney, I'm sure you follow him or you should follow him, you should follow him on Instagram, @mahialam03. And that's also his TikTok too, I believe. But he's been posting singing videos and he's doing it weekly now. So it really shows off of what an incredible voice he has, and how unique it is and how wonderful of a storyteller he is. I mean, he sings while painting a picture. It's crazy.

[1:33:45] Sydney Lucas: Yeah.

[1:33:50] Eli Tokash: Like, he's so talented. So, uh, he also has a couple of incredible songs out if you go to his YouTube channel.

[1:33:58] Sydney Lucas: Yep.

[1:33:58] Eli Tokash: I think his YouTube channel is just Mahi. So yeah, just look that up. Fantastic songs out, and I know for a fact he's going to be releasing more songs, so absolutely keep an eye on that because, I mean, like I said, he's gonna be the next biggest pop star, and like, he's just, his voice is nuts for sure. Um, yeah, and as we mentioned, like he's at NYU for music, so he's definitely working on some exciting things. So definitely follow him along while you can and, you know, go see Mean Girls in theaters or soon to be streaming.

[1:34:42] Sydney Lucas: Um, so yeah. Thank you all for listening to this week's episode. Sid, do you have anything else you want to mention?

[1:34:49] Sydney Lucas: Uh no, nothing else. Just I'm just so happy to come back for this episode.

[1:34:54] Eli Tokash: Yeah, it was the perfect one, right? And yeah, and catch up with, you know, the trio.

[1:35:00] Sydney Lucas: Squad that we had.

[1:35:02] Eli Tokash: Squad. We were the cool kids. Let's be real.

[1:35:05] Sydney Lucas: Oh yeah.

[1:35:06] Eli Tokash: Seriously, thank you all for listening to this week's episode as always. You know, y'all listening is the only reason we're still doing this. Um, and shout out to Sid for coming on to co-host with me. Shout out to Mahi for coming on to be our guest. Follow us on the show. And shout out to Eli for doing such a fantastic job with this. I mean, like I was telling him about this earlier, but I'm just, I don't know how genuinely how much work goes into this podcast and how much work Eli puts into this podcast. And the fact that he's, you know, remained so consistent and so high quality is incredible. So shout out to you. Hats off to you, Eli. You absolutely deserve to take a bow.

[1:35:52] Eli Tokash: Oh god, you're just... I'm so proud of you every week. Um, and you're just doing a fantastic job.

[1:36:00] mahi alam: Thank you, Sid. Means a lot, seriously, especially because this is, you know, this is still our baby, you know, it always will be our baby. We started this thing together. So I appreciate you letting me continue it and kind of hopefully do it justice.

[1:36:15] Sydney Lucas: So, um, we letting you continue it.

[1:36:18] Eli Tokash: Yeah, I mean, it was something that we both, you know, started together. Like, you know, it's... it was our thing. But, um...

[1:36:24] Sydney Lucas: And we miss you.

[1:36:26] Eli Tokash: Just... yeah, I miss you too, and I just... I love listening. I love listening. Um, wow, you do such a fantastic job, and like I said, I know how much work you're putting into this, so yeah, you get it firsthand for sure.

[1:36:26] Eli Tokash: Thank you, appreciate it. And, uh, yeah, follow us on social media and on TikTok at Take A Bow Podcast. And that's it. And, uh, yeah, we'll have another episode. We have some exciting episodes coming up, and I'm going to the Black Theater Coalition event that they do every year on Monday. So, uh, I don't know if that'll come out in podcast form; we will be posting clips of us interviewing fabulous performers including Alex Newell. So stay tuned and follow us along on the social channels to see that content because I don't know if we'll get enough to make it into a podcast episode, so your best bet is to follow there or perhaps we'll make it a YouTube video. So stay tuned to find out, but we have some exciting things coming up and that we're working on, so stay tuned for some exciting episodes. And as always, thanks again for listening. Thanks, Sid, and thanks, Mahi. So until then, I'll see you all next week. Bye everyone, have a great week.

[1:37:34] Eli Tokash: For this episode's curtain call, I would like to recognize a few people who also deserve to take a bow. This podcast would not be possible without the help of Dori Bernstein, Alan Seales, Kimberly Garrett, and the team at the Broadway Podcast Network. Next in line to take a bow are our fabulous editors, Jessica Warren, who edits the audio of the podcast that you just listened to, and Tessie Tokash, who edits the videos and visuals for this podcast. And how about a bow for our executive producer, Chris Greiner? And our final bow are extra special to the patrons Brian Thompson, Pat McNamara, the listeners at PCC, as well as all of the other patrons for their continued support. If you're interested in becoming a patron, go to patreon.com slash TAB.

If you enjoyed this week's episode, make sure to subscribe on the platform that you are currently listening to this on, or go check out our YouTube where you can watch the episode. You can also subscribe, like, and comment on there as well. If you're more into the regular social media and want to follow us, you can do that at Take A Bow Podcast across all social media platforms. The music of this podcast was made by Nikki Torsha and Cormac Collinon, and the logo was created by Giselle Bustos. And that wraps up this episode's curtain call. Thank you all again for listening to this week's episode, and I can't wait to see you next week. Bye everyone. Have a great week.