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[0:00] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: From Tony-Winning Stage to Must-See TV.

[0:30] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: From Tony-Winning Stage to Must-See TV.

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[13:31] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: Yeah, yeah, they tell me, I, you know, really, in all honesty, I forget about it. I forget that they, I look at them as peers, you know, and then when they bring it to reality to me and just say, you know, one day I'll be able to tell my kids I was a Ruben Santiago-Hudson on stage, I'm like, you better go to your dressing room and get ready, what are you talking about? But then there's the reality, you know, the 50, almost 50 years that I've been working, it has meant a lot to a lot of people, you know, and who I wanted it to mean the most to was my mother. I wanted my mother when she was living to know that I was going to be all right and that I would do her proud, you know, and that's why I wrote Lackawanna Blues to say thank you to Nanny and Mom over to my godmother, I wanted to say thank you, you know, because you took a little kid in that people thought was disposable, that, you know, would be nothing.

I mean, teachers actually told me I'd be nothing, you'd be nothing, you know, and you'd be surprised what is told, has been told to a child or a person, you know, and I had to overcome all that because I had a mother that was telling me, you can be whatever you want to be. And then I had these people in the room and I said, you're going to be something, you're special, you're special, what's special about me? You know, they brainwashed me and I'm glad I listened to that more than I listened to the negative and now I'm here to be able to hopefully inspire, you know, other people.

[16:14] Robert Bannon: Absolutely, absolutely, you are, you are. Speaking of inspiring, I spoke to your, you directed, you recently directed a show called The Other Americans and I spoke to your son who was in the show and to hear him talk about you, Trey, and when Trey talked about you and said that he realized that he lives in a house with a role model, not only as an actor, but as a man, and he spoke about how, what an honor it is to carry the legacy that you had and how he wants to live in that legacy. And how he wants to live up to your, your work and be the next generation of your work. It was very, very moving. What was it like to direct your son?

[16:52] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: It was strange because he was the easiest person I've ever directed. He learned from the best. I can't get him to go and make up his bed sometime when he was living in the living room, but you know, but yet on stage he was so amenable to whatever you needed or any other actors, he was a gentleman. He felt, one day we had a conversation about it, he said, this is my dad's play and I want to make sure, you know, anything I can do to help him. I'm going to make sure I'm not the trouble, I'm not going to be, you know, I want to make sure that everything happens right. He was very easy. He's extremely talented as you saw, and he has a deep well that he's learning. But I'm so proud of him and I'm so proud of my daughter, Lily, who's down in New Orleans shooting a movie with Viola Davis now.

You know, her series Untamed on Netflix did very well for her, as well as La Brea. So the twins, Lily and Trey, they're my shining lights, you know, when it comes to this business and I feel very comfortable in knowing that when my career comes to a close that I can look at them and say, wow, look at these wonderful citizens that my wife Jeannie and I raised and talented, talented actors, you know.

[18:04] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: It would be bad if my kids, you know, I'd have to tell them, no, I say, you know, you need to go to law school and do something different, you know, but I can't, you know, I was at one time, strangely enough, I was hoping they weren't that good because I didn't want them to go through the damage that I had to incur. But then I thought about it and say, listen, because of me going through it, it'll be a little easier for them because they can always fall back on my savings whenever I say you can have that, you know, so, but they never look at it. You know, Lily doesn't even use Santiago Hudson. She only uses Santiago. Trey will take advantage of Santiago Hudson. Yeah, that's my dad and I'm doing proud and yeah, do you know my dad, you know, but I said, Trey, that's going to stop some people from hiring you too.

Because daddy made all good relationships in this business, but you can't make all the relationships. So I'm certain certain people don't want to see another Santiago Hudson, but I believe the majority will because of the way I've conducted myself in the manner and the respect that I've given everyone around me. So hopefully it'll help Trey more.

[19:05] Robert Bannon: You're a class act. Look, I'm jealous of them because if I needed someone to do a self tape with, they can call Ruben Santiago Hudson to read lines. They get together. They do it even better, which even when she's in New Orleans, they'll get on and she'll be on Zoom with them. And then Lily's husband, Sam Nix, he's an actor, too. So he'll do it with Trey. So between the three of them, my son-in-law, my son, they're set. They're good. They're good to go. You talk about directing that show. You're director for this show. Debbie, you are kind of like, you know, there are some people who when you think offensive, when you think of August Wilson, I was going to say, you think of Denzel, you think of Viola, you think of Ruben Santiago, people who have done it on stage to much acclaim, won awards, done.

You won your Tony Award with one of the show, you know, like, how do you handle a director coming in when you're you? I mean, she's no slouch, but you have you have done so much work about it. How do you handle that relationship when the day starts at the table? And I'm sitting across from Ruben Santiago. I'm the director. He's the actor. But you're an expert just like anybody else on the material.

[20:05] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: Yeah, I know my job. I know I'm an actor. I know I'm here to act. I'm not here to direct. And then when you have a director you can fully trust. That's why I don't do as much stage as I would like to because it's where I bare my soul the deepest and the most fully. And I need to be able to trust it with someone who I believe will handle it with care. And Debbie is that person. Debbie is a powerful, very intelligent, very clear, determined woman. And she knows her stuff. And so sometimes I have a lot of different opinions than she would have. I keep them to myself. And I figure, you know, if I were a director one day, I'd do it that way. Most of the time, it's what Debbie's doing because it makes my life easy just to take care of Ruben, stay out of Debbie's way, because Debbie's going to take care of everything.

And she has. And it's just been a wonderful, wonderful joy to not only just be in the room with her, but to get to know her better and for our friendship to flourish the way it has. We've been talking about this for a good while, she and I. And every decision she made, well, who are you going to get to play this role? Don't worry, Ruben, I got somebody really good. Who is it? She'd tell me, let me look him up. I don't know this person. You're going to be happy, Ruben. Because it was hard for me to be away from August Wilson so long, wanting to get in. And I wasn't able to get in. I wasn't being pursued and I wasn't being invited. It was hard. My feelings were a little bit hurt. Then all of a sudden, my feelings got fixed real fast.

[21:28] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: The estate and Debbie called and said, we want you back. And I'm like, oh, I'm back. And hopefully I'll never let it go again. You know, I got other writers that I need to work with, Chiara Judez, Dominique Morisseau, these writers whose work I love and some of the newer writers who I'd like to dance with. But, you know, long as I still have August in my pocket, you know, I'll be a happy man until the end.

[21:50] Robert Bannon: Shout out to Dominique. You and her on her show, Skeleton Crew, that's another brilliant, incredible performance. And Detroit, again, back to Detroit, like her. You have until July 26th as of right now to see this show, so you better get your tickets. It is a big week in theater, a lot of buzz and noise and awards. Do you get swept into that or do you just show up tomorrow and do your job? Do you wake up tomorrow morning? How does it work when you have your tone? Do you just, I got my Tony sitting over there. I've been done. Check.

[22:22] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: Jimmy, Jimmy, that Tony is in the, you know, that one, that Tony too, that's down in the basement of a, in a case at MTC. But no, what I do is I try to stay normal. I live in the middle. I don't get too high. I don't get too low. You know, if you say something that's totally derogatory about my work, you know, it hurts for a minute and then it don't hurt no more. I have to load as soon as I get to walk on stage and say, oh, this is who I am. Well, as soon as I pin the next thing or talk to my wife and have a glass of Pinot, you know, it goes away. I can't let, even when I win the Tony that lasts so long and the residue will be inside of me, but I don't walk around with that Tony. I'm not boasting.

You don't see it anywhere back there on my bookshelf. You know, we keep, we keep, it's not, it's not who I, what I live for. I live for excellence. I live to be excellent. I want to be fine at what I do. You know, people want fine things and I want to be one of them things. If you want fine art, you know, come see me, you know, and my job is to be as fine as I can be at what is I, what I do. And hopefully it's marketable and it has been for 50 years. So I just stay on the, on the routine. But, um, of course, if they call my name tomorrow for nomination, I'm going to leap up and hug my wife and we're going to celebrate and then we're going to go on about our day. I'm going to be walking into every, you know, going to get a quarter meal.

Guess what? I guess what just happened with me. No, because they can break your heart too fast. And then I can't determine what people are going to do when they walk in a, in a booth or to their computer and decide, you know, Reuben might've been the best, but this guy should've got an award last year. So let me, Reuben will get one later. He's still working. This guy's, you know, they do things like that. And people voted to don't see stuff. So I don't know. They might call me tomorrow and say, you know, Reuben, you got a nomination and they might not. It'll hurt if they don't, and it'll be joy if they do. But both of them will only last until I get on that stage tomorrow night.

[24:12] Robert Bannon: And you know what lasts forever? The feeling that people get, the messages they learn and, and, and the joy they get from coming to the theater and you doing eight shows a week out here for us all. I want to say thank you because the work you have done is inspiring to actors, is inspiring to directors, is inspiring to playwrights. You are one of the greatest living actors in the world right now. Everyone who can get a ticket is grateful to be able to be in your presence and see the work you do up there on stage.

[24:38] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: I just, I want to add, excuse me, I just want to add two things. One, Dominique written a brand new world premiere, Dominique Morisseau, who wrote Skeleton Crew, Detroit 67, Paradise Blue, you know, all these wonderful plays. And we're going to do it. She wrote it for me and Carrie Young, wonderful Carrie Young. We will do it at the Roundabout Theater on Broadway and that'll start in January. It's called Mix and Master. It is an extraordinary two-hander on Broadway. That's Carrie Young and I, that's January. And coming up very soon, next month, there will be an announcement about a play I'm directing. It might have a little something to do with August Wilson, might have, but that's a little hint.

And that's going to be announced next month. I can't reveal too much, but it will be announced and it's already cast. And everybody's like this because everybody wants to talk about it. Come June, once the Tonys get over and we get into clear where we can talk, you and I will probably be talking again.

[25:38] Robert Bannon: Okay. Listen, I love your people, your PR team, your team behind you. I'm going to reach out to them when I see the news and the trades. I'm going to be like, okay, okay, Ruben Santiago. Let's go.

[25:48] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: Save your money because I might get two Tonys when I come.

[25:51] Robert Bannon: Okay, let's go. You could have chili cheese fries too, whatever, a Berner's ginger ale and all. I am so grateful to be able to spend time with you. I'm such a fan and admirer of the work that you do. Thank you again. And I'm ready.

[26:03] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: August Wilson, maybe some more August Wilson and then Kara Young. Talk about awards. Every year she's up here nominated on the stage working her face off.

[26:15] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: I love her. We've done a couple of workshops of this play Mix and Master and we have to lock the door because everybody wants to come to the workshop. It's like we only can invite 15 people and there's 75 people standing in the halls. We send people. It's Ruben and Kara.

[26:30] Ruben Santiago-Hudson: So that's coming up. But I got good news. I'm in the theater and I'm stuck here for good. So thank you.

[26:35] Robert Bannon: We need you. My pleasure. My honor. Everybody, Ruben Santiago Hudson is in August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. It is playing right now. You can get your tickets. Go to JoeTurnerBway.com. Thank you again.