This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Alex Serino: Hi, I'm Alex Serino, and you're watching The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales.

[0:11] Alan Seales: Hi, everyone. Welcome to The Theatre Podcast. I'm your host, Alan Seales, and this episode is now our last of seven. Can you believe that? Seven episodes on the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takeover here on the podcast. This one is with Alex Serino, who is playing Albus Potter in the show, and if you haven't caught the previous six episodes, please do yourself a favor, do me a favor, and go back and listen to him because just the way that all of these actors approach the show is just incredible. Alex, he grew up surrounded by music from the North Shore of Massachusetts and, of course, surrounded by a musical family and Boston Pride. He played the trombone in his school band and found his way into high school theater with his cousins, and he's just been like this curious kid that's been embracing every chance that has been thrown his way.

And, of course, we talk about his path from Emerson College to the Broadway stage, and actually, he nearly pursued teaching instead of acting, but his community, his chosen family asking for help have led him down the path to where he is now. Plus, if you stick around to the very end during the final three questions I always ask at the end of every episode, we get majorly sidetracked diving into our mutual love of gaming and video games, and he actually streams his games online, and he's been trying to get some more courage to help him do some more of that. So if you are listening and you want to watch him stream while he plays, especially on a two-show day, just hit him up on social media. Let him know you listened and that you want him to stream.

He brings such genuine energy to this episode. You're going to fall in love with him. And, of course, if you haven't seen Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, go do that, too. Don't forget to follow me on all the socials, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, all these places. Check out the video version of this episode on Patreon and Spotify. And now, everybody, please enjoy this episode with Alex Serino. Here you go. One, two, three.

[2:18] Alan Seales: Today's guest is an exciting new voice on Broadway making magic eight times a week as Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a Boston native and recent grad of Emerson College whose journey to the Broadway stage is a story of passion, hard work, and a little bit of magic on its own. You like that? From starring in college productions like The SpongeBob Musical to hosting the EVVY Awards and now stepping into one of the most iconic universes in modern storytelling, he is proof that dreams and determination really can take you places. I'm so excited to dive into his story. Alex Serino, welcome to The Theatre Podcast.

[2:54] Alex Serino: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here and chat with you.

[3:01] Alan Seales: In a world where Alex Serino graduated from Emerson College. I was really honored with this epic film intro.

[3:09] Alex Serino: In a world.

[3:10] Alan Seales: It was really well done.

[3:14] Alex Serino: I can only really get into it like the professionals do if I'm very dehydrated.

[3:20] Alan Seales: Well, yeah. When you're at the brink of yourself, that's when best performances come out, don't they?

[3:24] Alex Serino: Oh, my God. The first time I got COVID.

[3:28] Alan Seales: Was it the first time?

[3:29] Alex Serino: I guess maybe I got it once. I can't remember now. I've been sick a few times, but I think it was the flu the second time. I never quite got confirmation. When I knew I had COVID, my voice dropped like three octaves.

[3:36] Alan Seales: And I had to do podcast interviews during that time.

[3:40] Alex Serino: So you were just like, hi. Even like in the basement, like think James Earl Jones lower.

[3:44] Alan Seales: Oh, my gosh. There's documents of this.

[3:50] Alex Serino: Yes, there is. It's on this show.

[3:52] Alan Seales: Audio recorded proof. And thankfully, it was like during a Beetlejuice takeover. So I got to like.

[3:58] Alex Serino: Oh, really play around. I got to play around with the Beetlejuice.

[4:03] Alan Seales: Anyway, so tell us about Boston. Tell us about where you're from.

[4:07] Alex Serino: Oh, of course. I'm so proud of where I'm from.

[4:12] Alan Seales: Most Bostonians are.

[4:15] Alex Serino: I guess so. It's the Boston pride of it all. I'm from outside of Boston. I'm from the North Shore. As I like to say, I'm from a town called a city called Peabody, which is spelled Peabody.

[4:30] Alan Seales: I thought it was like when little kids become adults, they go to Peabody.

[4:35] Alex Serino: Yeah, no, that too. But yeah, no, you was like the where I grew up. It was, you know, Salem, Massachusetts or, you know, witch trials and all that. But Peabody was a part of Salem Village.

[4:48] Alan Seales: I keep hearing puberty.

[4:52] Alex Serino: Puberty, Peabody.

[4:53] Alan Seales: Yeah, we live in Peabody, Massachusetts. It's a smelly town.

[4:57] Alex Serino: Yeah, no, it's just. Some parts have hair, some parts don't, you know.

[5:02] Alan Seales: But yeah, no, and that's where I grew up. I, you know, I started doing theater there. I started. I grew up there. I lived there my entire life, you know, went through all school together. All my family, all my family is from there. My dad is from Lynn, Massachusetts. My mom is from Peabody. She was, you know, was raised there. And we went to the same high school, which they need to build a new high school and the same middle school, actually. But that is now demolished and they have a new one. But my mom and all of her siblings still live in my hometown. So I grew up with all of my cousins basically being my siblings and all my aunts and uncles being my second parents. And the house my mom grew up in was, we lived on the same street.

So like my, it was a dead end. Like there was never any cars. We played in the street. We would walk down to see my grandmother, get a cup of tea, blah, blah, blah on a rainy day. But like all of my, you know, my grandmother was so, all my family was very musical. Like they, we'd go over every time we would all be together, we'd sing like, you know, some Irish folk songs. And like, you know, my grandmother would always play show tunes. And then it be my brother, my older brother, who's, he's 25. He's, you know, and he, he's in school for music education right now. But he started, you know, doing instrumental music. He played the trumpet, started playing the trumpet and then it was really great.

And like, and then it was like, immediately I was like, well, I want to do it too. So I started playing the trombone and we were, you know, both playing these brass instruments and went through middle school, being in all the bands, being in jazz band. That was like my favorite thing and his as well. But, and then in high school, you know, I hadn't done theater until I got to, I wasn't in a show until high school, my freshman year.

[7:02] Alan Seales: So you were playing brass the whole time?

[7:04] Alex Serino: I was playing brass the whole time. And even while, so like, you know, my, so really my introduction to like performing arts was through my grandmother influencing me and my brother to be like, no, you should do band. And so we did band and it was like, I still love it. Like I still have my trombone under my bed at home and I'll still play it once in a while.

[7:24] Alan Seales: There's a dirty joke in there somewhere.

[7:26] Alex Serino: Yeah, no, there definitely is. But, you know, him and I, we, we, my freshman year, he was like, I'm going to audition for the play. And I was like, okay, I will too. And, and actually this isn't true. My first ever theater performance that I did was probably the nativity scene in preschool or something like that. And then my, then I did like, I worked out as like a props, like crew member in my middle school production of Into the Woods Jr. And, but I like, I was barely, I was like, no, I'm a band kid. I don't know what I'm doing here. And then the next year I auditioned for shows and my first ever show that I was in was Little Shop of Horrors. I was the plant puppeteer for Audrey 2. No, no, no. I was a freshman. I was five feet tall and my voice was like this. And, um, right. You make a great Seymour.

[8:32] Alan Seales: Yes, but it would be like this. And, and, and singing.

[8:36] Alex Serino: Peabody, right.

[8:36] Alan Seales: Yeah, because Peabody. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, you know, singing Grow for Me, the octave up, I don't think was what the choice was at the time, but, um, uh, and then, uh, ever since then, you know, I, I started auditioning for everything at my school and I was like, oh dang, I really liked this. And it was awesome at the time. Cause you know, my entire way through high school and doing theater, I always had a family, like a sibling with me, which it was, I had two, two of my cousins, Amanda and Abby are my age that we graduated high school together. And then the two other, two youngest are twins and they're two years younger than me. So like, as soon as my brother left, two more came in to high school and they all were doing theater as well.

So it was like, you know, as much as like it was a space for community and like, like making friends, it was also a space for like family and remembering and like, oh, the teachers are like, oh, these fricking Serrinos. They don't, they don't ever leave us alone.

[9:34] Alex Serino: Yeah, no, for it. I, we, they would call us the, so my dad, so the, my mom's family, they're the Fitzgerald's and that's my middle name, actually. The, my mom and her siblings. So we all, they would come in and they would call us the Fitzstantorinos because that's, you know, the Fitzgerald's, the Stanton's and the Serrinos, and we were all lumped into one. They're like, oh, here they facking come. Sorry. Can I curse? Sorry. Okay. You gotta say facking.

[9:59] Alan Seales: Yeah, facking. No, and I, you know, and then I went through high school. I started doing, I started, I started really liking to do the one act plays at my school. That was like the big thing in Massachusetts was the one act play festival, which was the METG, Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild Drama Festival. You do a 40 minute play and, you know, you'd go to school to school and then you'd get like, if you made it to finals, which we did a few times, you would go perform at John Hancock Hall in this, in Back Bay, Boston, and like on this big stage. And it was like an awesome feeling when you did that. Cause it was like, well, there's so, there is so many seats in that theater. And like, it's just like the biggest theater experience you could get at that age in the local scene.

But, you know, I did that and I started loving it and I was like, oh, this is so much fun. Like, but my dad, I'm telling you, I'm jumping, jumping, jumping. My dad's a teacher. He's a math teacher. He, you know, I grew up living with a teacher and, and also like, you know, being in a school and like, I was like, oh, this is, this is great. Like, and I was also like, this is a really noble job. Like, you know, and I always wanted to do it. So when I was into music, it was like, no, I want to be a music teacher. If I was, and then it was like, no, I maybe want to be a history teacher. Maybe I want to be an English teacher. Then I was like, by my senior year of high school, I was like, oh, I want to be a theater teacher.

Teach theater. That's what I wanted to do. And, you know, me and my Stephanie Manning, who is my, she was a director at my school. And then my senior year became my full-time teacher. And like, she really helped me like get this passion for it under, under wraps and be like, like really like being able to make what I make. And like the aesthetic of like art that I see now is really influenced by her. But she, you know, helped me, she started making, she was like, you should do this summer program that I, that she directs at. And that is where you mentioned SpongeBob. That's where I eventually did that, where it's called, it's Westin Drama Workshop. It was this Massachusetts local like youth theater summer program.

And they would put on these, like, they still do put on such high level productions. And like, it was just such an awesome time. Like, you know, getting to get out of my high school, out of my comfort zone where I was like, you know, like a bigger fish in a smaller pond to go into this bigger pond and be like a normal size fish with all these other people who love this as much as I do. Where I've now like some of my best friends that I have, I met there. And it just, you know, made my love for it grow more and like made me, you know, connected with my home more. And then I went to Emerson College, which is still right in Boston.

[12:48] Alan Seales: So you haven't left like a five mile radius.

[12:51] Alex Serino: Yeah, no, no. Like it's, it's always been there. And I mean, the reason why I went to Emerson is, so my major when I went into college, the first two years, I, like I said, I wanted to be a theater teacher. So I went through the college process. Like, you know, most actors that my age that are auditioning for colleges for performance or auditioning for 17 schools, or I applied to four colleges. I, you know, and I did like, you know, general, like, safety, realistic, dream and reach, like, you know, and I was like, great.

[13:29] Alan Seales: Okay, that's four.

[13:30] Alex Serino: Yeah, it's four. And, and, because I wasn't going for performance, I was all I auditioned performance for one school. And that was just a base performance major. And then the, the reason I wanted to go to Emerson was because it was there you have this two in one major, which is theater education and performance. It's this like, they wrap it into one major. So your first two years, you get, you get a mixture of, okay, here's what it feels like to be a performance major, like to be an acting major. And that but with some education classes tied in, like you get psych, you get a foundations of education class. And like, it's like, cool, this is great. And then the next two years, you really focus in on the teaching part.

But for me, Emerson, you know, I was going through it. And I was like, I love teaching. I love teaching. But then, like, I had this conversation with my dad. And I was just like, I was like, well, I'm paying all this money. And like, why not get the training to do something that like I want to do love like, because I'm like, both of us had this conversation, we were like, he goes, if you think you're good enough to do it, then, then act and do it. I was like, Okay, I will. So that's it. So end of your sophomore year, you go into Emerson, and you're either.

[14:45] Alex Serino: Theater and performance major or an MT. If you're a performance major, you're a theater performance major, theater education and performance major, you're an MT. Freshman year. MTs are in a conservatory all four years of college. The other two majors are, it's kind of a liberal arts, like you pick and choose what you want. But sophomore year, you can audition, you get into the acting studio, which is the conservatory-esque style. And you know, only 14 people, 14, 12 to 16 people get in. I auditioned because I was like, well, this is what I want to do. So, um, then I did it, you know, lived in Boston for, yeah, I got in, I did it. And, and that's why I didn't graduate with a theater ed degree.

And I graduated with an acting, uh, BFA. And it was probably one of the best decisions I've made. And, you know, all through college, I was working in like, like auditioning and trying to get as much, absorb as much information as possible, but it really changed everything. And, you know, I did it all in Boston. Um, so that's, that's hometown for me. Uh, you know, it's, I, I did get, cause since I went there, you know, I lived in downtown, I lived downtown for, and it was, I was like, I'm not from Boston, but you know, like you'd never say where, like, when you're from Massachusetts, you're not going to say I'm from Taunton. Like nobody knows where Taunton is, but like, or you're, you know, but you'll say, no, I'm from Boston just cause. Cause it's nearby.

[16:12] Alan Seales: Yeah. It's nearby. That's why I say Salem sometimes. Cause most people know Salem, you're at the crucible. Um, so, uh, yeah, that's my, that's my hometown college story where I started.

[16:26] Alex Serino: Crazy. So the EVVY awards.

[16:29] Alan Seales: Oh yeah. The EVVYs.

[16:31] Alex Serino: EVVYs. That's how you say it. All right. Yeah. People have been like screaming at their radios, self art radios. Who listens to this on a radio? Um, yeah. So people are, the EVVYs.

[16:41] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[16:42] Alex Serino: Though, let's see, it's a big production, full red carpet, performances, sketches. It's like.

[16:46] Alex Serino: It is the largest student run national awards show in the nation.

[16:51] Alan Seales: Yes. And you hosted it.

[16:53] Alex Serino: I did with my friend Connor. It was so much fun. Like it, I mean, you know, it was just a base audition process. Like they were going for their aesthetic that year was, um, like, like eighties, like throwback vibe, like, uh, time travel vibe. So they were looking for like a Marty McFly esque character. And, and they were like, Oh, and I auditioned and there, then I got it. And it was a lot of fun. And like, it's so different.

[17:20] Alan Seales: Did you audition to be the host?

[17:22] Alex Serino: Yeah. Okay. Okay. Um, like, you know, they had, they had auditions and it was, the auditions was basically going in and like seeing if you had good chemistry with the other hosts that they were trying to bring in. And, but yeah, we got the, the fun thing about it is, you know, cause Emerson's a huge film school and huge communication school. And so it's like everybody working together on this one huge project, uh, project. And, um, we do a ton of video packages like throughout the entire thing. So like we got to recreate like, uh, the breakfast club, like scenes from the breakfast club. And, um, you know, that was the, it was 2023 and the Daniels had just won for, uh, everything everywhere all at once.

And they're, they're alums of the school. So they were getting the, like award of distinction that year. Um, so we got to recreate scenes from that film. Um, and which was super cool. And it, you know, it's, it's a bunch of these film nerds who are like, who have analyzed these films before and are like, we're creating it shot for shot and like, and it looks so good. And it looks exactly like what you would see in the original product of the films they were recreating.

[18:28] Alan Seales: Don't go anywhere. We're going to take a quick commercial break. All right, everyone. Now we're back. Hosting an award show is so much different than acting. Like, cause you know, like it was my first time using it like a teleprompter and like, you know, and it's like standup. I've never done standup, but I'm terrified of it because it's like, when you're an actor with a script, you have something to like rely on and you're not like, it's, you have something basically to hide behind, but when you're hosting or doing standup, it's like, Nope, you're you. And you're showing everybody just you. And it's like, that can be little, you know, vulnerable for a lot of people. And so it was, it was like a, at first I was like, Ooh, this is nerve wracking, but people will come up to me like my friend, like Ruby, she, she worked on it and she had like, her and I like, didn't really like start like becoming friends until after the Evy Awards.

We were like, Oh wait, we like worked on that together. But like, we never saw each other because there was so many departments working on their own thing. Yeah. And I was like, it was a full, and I'm like, and it's a small college. So it's like, of course we would know, you should know everybody that works on the project you're working on. But I was like, there are so many hands on this project and like, everybody's working on it. And like, you know, and because it, it is one of those big things that the college is known for.

[19:43] Alan Seales: So that's crazy. Cool. And was this before or after you knew you were in Harry Potter?

[19:48] Alex Serino: Oh, this was before, before this was, this was my junior year of college a while ago. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I didn't, yeah, this, yeah. 2023 was, I think was the year. And it was, it was fun. I didn't know about Harry Potter until July, this past July. July 24. Right. Cause we're not in July 25. Yeah. July 24. Yeah. Um, yeah, but that was, that was a whole journey. I like, uh, for Harry Potter. So it was, you know, senior year college happened and I've been auditioning for things ever since. Like I was online, like just self submitting things. Didn't have an agent, like just trying to do the thing while doing the thing. And, and I got an, I auditioned for Harry Potter in 2022. Um, so long ago I was doing a, at that summer theater, I was doing a production of Indecent, which was so gorgeous.

Anyways, I got it. It was decent. Yeah. It was a decent production of Indecent. Um, uh, but you know, I, I got a call, I got a self tape and I'd submitted and nothing really came from that and whatever. It was, I was, I was just like, Oh, I got a Broadway audition. And I was, you know, I was freaking out a bit, but, um, and then, you know, uh, two, a year and a half, two years go by, I'm a senior around Thanksgiving time and I get another audition for it. And I, you know, self tape and they asked me to come to New York and it's for the tour, um, of it. And, you know, I, I'm going through it all and it's, it's surreal experience. I'm like, I'm like, I can't believe I'm here right now. And I really, I'm, I'm always the person that's under the mindset.

I'm not like, when you go into an audition room, I'm like, just so like, like, Hi, what's your name? Like, you know, like, cause I'm just like, we're, we're all artists and we're like, you know, here creating things and having fun. And I hope that's what everybody else feels too. And I go in that way. And I really was just being like, trying to be as much as myself as I could just because that's what, that's how you stay comfortable is when you are yourself.

[21:52] Alan Seales: It's so hard though.

[21:53] Alex Serino: It is so hard. It is so hard. Um, you know, I, I did actually, I met, um, for during those callbacks for the tour, I met, uh, Juan Carlos, who is now Bob Newby in Stranger Things. Um, and him and I, it was, we were, we have like very similar, like stories for how we're here, um, now because, you know, when you get like Broadway's nuts, like I can, I'm like, I'm like, I was just in my Alexander class, like, like doing my posture and making sure my spine was aligned like a year ago. And now I get to do a show eight times a week, which is so just, just surreal. But, um, I did audition for the tour. I got through callbacks. They were just kind of like, they were like, thank you. Like, we'll keep you in mind for the future.

And then I got an email in the summer and they were like, Hey, can you come in for callbacks for Broadway? And I was like, yep. I said, let me check my calendar. No, I didn't. I got into my car and I drove here and I stayed with a friend as fast as you could. Yeah. And that was as, and then, you know, I had a week of, uh, a week of auditions. I got to do a final with John Tiffany. I got the part and it was like, oh shit, I need to move to New York because I was living in Boston. I was like, I was not planning on, I was like, I wasn't planning on moving post-grad. Like I was like, I need to, I'm going to work, um, at this. I was working as, I worked as a substitute teacher. I, I still teach, uh, always try to. You give trombone lessons in the cast.

[23:29] Alex Serino: I told, I, that's a good idea actually. Um, I have given trombone lessons. I should. Hey, Matthew James Thomas, would you like to learn how to play the trombone? Um, he probably already does. He's like, yeah, he's a music genius. Um, not dude, but, um, yeah. And then I moved here. I live in Brooklyn and I, I've loved it ever since. And I get to, you know, do the thing, do the thing, do the thing, do the thing.

[23:58] Alan Seales: You're making your day debut debut debut as we say debut, you're making your debut in one of the most powerful shows in theater right now. Yeah. It's nuts when you, when you got the offer after a week of auditions, by the way.

[24:18] Alex Serino: Yeah. Yeah. It was, you know, I was staying with my friend, um, who lives on the Upper West side. Um, my friend Charlie and you know, I was sleeping on his couch and like, I would go to the audition. I would do, you know, the movement and movement call. And I would do the, the read the sides. And then I'd go back to his place and I'd just be like, well, now we wait for an email to see if I come back and I would get an email and we'd all freak out me and his roommates. They'd be like, Ooh, you're staying another night. Cause I didn't, I thought it was like, like, I thought it was like, I'll just stay for a few nights, but I like, but it ended up being the whole week because like they kept, we kept going back and kept having the same.

Oh, then we'll see. I did the best I could. And then it was like email woo. And, you know, kept going. But then I did the final on a Thursday, you know, we, we celebrated, like we, you know, got drinks. And then the next day, next morning, I, cause I was parked out front of his place, my car. And, uh, I got in my car to drive back to Boston. I was like, well, that was fun. Um, and I'm driving, I just pull on the highway. My phone is on a, like a, one of those like mag magnets on my windshield dash. And then I start starts ringing and it's the casting director. And I'm like, I'm just like, Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh, hi. Hi, Alexander. And he's like, Hey, Alex. And I'm like, what's up?

And he was just like, I'm just calling to let you know that you got the part. You're going to have to move to New York. And we were like, and I was like, and I was freaking out. I was driving. I was like, hold on. I need to pull over. Like, um, but it was nuts. I was like, Oh my God, I need to tell my mom, blah, blah, all these things. And I was, I was freaking out that drive home that usually takes four hours. I think took me like six and a half, seven hours. Cause I just, uh, I was just like, kept pulling over and be like, hi dad. Like, hi, my, like my brother. Hi. And you know, and all these things. And it was like, immediately that day it was like off to the races on like, getting here, working with my friends on like, uh, housing, housing and like representation, all of these things.

Cause I'm like, I don't know anything. I was so green. And like, how does that work? If you don't, you get offered the role. They obviously the casting director called you. So they, so then you have, do you have to have an agent?

[27:45] Alan Seales: Then you don't, um, after the fact, no, you don't need one. I mean, they are always like, you should get one. Cause your agent can, that's who like, you know, negotiates your contract for you. If I didn't do that, you know, like who knows what my contract would be. And like, you know, they could, cause I don't know anything. So it's like, I know nothing about nothing. And it's like, it's a piece of paper in front of me and I could be like, well, I don't know what the standard is. Sure. Great. That, that looks, everything looks good. But you know, your agent's there to like, like vouch for you and like, like get things for you. And that's, um, my current agent now, that's who, who did it for me.

Um, I'm lucky to have had like friends that like, were like, Hey, let me help you. Like they were on FaceTime with me. Like, let me guide you through this. I'm going to send you emails. And it was, it's really great. My friend, Madison Thompson, um, she, uh, she was on Ozark. She was in Grease Rise of the Pink Lady. She's, she's awesome. And she really, uh, helped me, um, get through this. And now my agent Ross at CESD, you know, like helped me have a really smooth transition from being fresh grad out of college to being, uh, to being at a Broadway show. So it was, I was so lucky and fortunate to be, to know the people I knew and um, have the support that I needed, um, at the time.

[28:09] Alan Seales: Your whole life, it seems like you've been, it's been a story of, it takes a village, right? Like you grew up, you were saying that your aunts, your aunts and uncles were basically second parents. Your cousins were your siblings. You were in this, in giant family that now you brought yourself to New York and be, and, and found your success because you still put yourself in with your chosen family.

[28:26] Alex Serino: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, that's, I feel like that's what every, like, you know, just, you need a, like your community of people or like in, in people in general, like that, who else do you have other than other people? I mean, you have yourself obviously, but like, like I've never been a person who's afraid to ask for help, you know? Cause if somebody's done it before me, like, why do we have books? You know? Like, it's like, why are there instruction manuals? It's because somebody had to go through it before you. And I, that's the pull quote from this episode though. Alex, sir, you know, why do we have books? Yeah. No, don't read. Um, but like, but really like it's, we have books to like learn and like, and I feel like that's what it is. And it's more like, I've always been somebody who's like able to absorb and wants to absorb information and know how things work. And, and I'm never afraid to like seek out the people that will help me learn those things.

[29:30] Alex Serino: Yeah, that's great. Never be afraid to ask. Ask for help, ask questions, because the worst someone could say is, I don't know, or no.

[29:36] Alan Seales: Or no, exactly. My dad always said that to me. He goes, I would, you know, it'd be something stupid. Like, I'd be like, oh, dang, I'm at the grocery store. I'm like, I really want that piece, like that candy bar on the shelf. And, you know, I'd be like, I'd be like, hey, dad, actually, never mind. And you'd probably say no. He goes, you should never not ask, because the worst I could say is no. And like, he would always say that he'd be like, the worst people could say is no. Like, you're applying for a job, like, worst they could say is no. It doesn't make you stop trying to like, get what you want. I mean, you know, like, if you want, obviously, maybe not that thing at that right time. But eventually, you know, you keep working to get that thing, and it'll happen.

[30:17] Alex Serino: No, it's interesting, because I sort of was going down that path of conversation, because you're somebody who has, like, you're very sociable, you're very outgoing, you have a lot of friends, a lot of family, chosen and otherwise around you. And then Albus Potter is kind of, he's a loner, and not by choice.

[30:36] Alex Serino: Yeah. But like, think what's, I've really been connecting it a lot recently is, you know, I moved here, I moved to the city. And I don't have many people in the city. Like, you know, I have my wonderful cast mates that I've now have grown to become, like, dear friends. And like, I've moved here. And it's like, well, I don't have anybody as like, close as my family was to me. But Albus is, he is this, it is difficult that that idea of isolation, because I think that's something I'm scared of, as a person, because I am not someone who is alone, lots of the time. So playing somebody that is alone. At first, he's never alone.

[31:21] Alan Seales: No.

[31:21] Alex Serino: Because he has Scorpius.

[31:23] Alan Seales: Right. But he doesn't, he doesn't. Anyway, go ahead.

[31:25] Alex Serino: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, you know, the place starts off with, you know, they're on the platform, and everything is like, yippee, we're gonna start, it's gonna be a great, you're gonna go have fun at Hogwarts. And he gets to this place, and it's not everything he dreamed of it being. And I think, I don't necessarily think he like, he's learned to hate Hogwarts, you know, and like, he, because of the bullying and the taunting that he wasn't like his dad or like his family, and that is isolating and puts this kid in a box, and he's not able to break out of that box. And I feel like, all the time as people, like, we're, like fighting to not be in a box. And he has to do it, like, he's in, like, soon, like, he's going to this new place, this new community where he thinks he's gonna have a great time.

And immediately, it's, well, I already know, I'm being told who I am, I'm not getting to discover who I am for myself. And I feel like that's something that's a battle that Alex has gone through. So that is the difference between me and Albus is in like, being able to play that, that isolation is, is not really what I look for, like, inspiration. It is that, like, I need to fight to not be put in a box that, you know what I mean? Does that make sense?

[32:51] Alan Seales: It does. And I think it's probably one of the best roles you could have coming into a city like New York.

[32:57] Alex Serino: Yeah.

[32:58] Alex Serino: By yourself for the first time.

[32:59] Alex Serino: It totally is. Because, you know, like, I'd love to be like, Albus is so independent, but no, he's not. He, like, he does, like, rely on Scorpius. And he does—

[33:08] Alan Seales: Who is also put in a box.

[33:10] Alex Serino: Yeah. And that's the thing is, and it's, it's, it's a story about, like, like, relying on those in your community to, to succeed. And it's totally what he does. And like, because Albus and Scorpius are put in these boxes, they are like, they are, you know, treated the same, outcasted and, like, bullied and, you know, but they come together. And it's like, they're all each other have and like, they are constantly lifting each other up to become better people, like become their selves. Well, I'm lucky to have a roommate who, like, who roommates that also are just fresh out of college and moving to the city. So it's like, you know, we, we are, and he's a performer too. And it's like, we get to have these fresh experiences together.

And, and so it is like that where it's like, well, hey, what's up? Even though we work opposite schedules, we, we still like have a shared experience. And that gets us through each day. And like, you know, whether that's, we're sitting down and making dinner and talking about this show that one of us saw, or, or he will go into his room, and he'll play the piano, and we'll just like, jam and mess around. And like, because it's like, community, like, it's, we're, we're always like, uplifting each other's part. Like, I'm always telling him, I'm always like, you need to write a song every day, write a song every day. That's what how it will, you'll, you'll get better. And, you know, we're always trying to keep each other uplifted. And I feel like that's what Scorpius and Albus do.

[34:35] Alan Seales: Does he write you a song?

[34:36] Alex Serino: Scorpius?

[34:37] Alan Seales: No, no.

[34:38] Alex Serino: Oh, my roommate.

[34:39] Alan Seales: Yeah. No, not Scorpius.

[34:40] Alex Serino: Scorpius, Eric has written me a song.

[34:43] Alan Seales: Has he really?

[34:43] Alex Serino: Um, yes, he's written, I feel like, not written, but he's, he sings a song or two to me backstage sometimes, and I do too. But, um, just silliness. But my roommate, Ben, Ben has never written me a song.

[34:59] Alan Seales: Ben, you're fired.

[35:00] Alex Serino: Yep.

[35:00] Alan Seales: What the hell, Ben?

[35:01] Alex Serino: Ben, come on, man. I'm talking to you. I'm turning off the recording.

[35:05] Alex Serino: Ben, it's just you and me right now. You got to get your shit together.

[35:09] Alan Seales: Oh, God.

[35:10] Alex Serino: Alex is upset. He's crying. He's crying because he doesn't have a song.

[35:14] Alex Serino: Ben, where's my song?

[35:15] Alan Seales: There you go. Okay. Okay. And we're back.

[35:18] Alex Serino: Yeah. And, you know, it's, playing, playing Albus is, it's so, his story, like this, that story, like, you know, the father-son story and, and the, you know, living in someone's shadow story and is great. But I really, I'm always, I'm always picturing the story as like, when you're placed in a box, how do you get out of it? How do you bend those edges? Or, or color, if you are put in a box, how do you color in with different colors? You know what I mean?

[35:46] Alan Seales: I do. And I'm, my mind is racing right now because people are always, always put in a box, prejudged, judged by book by cover, but then unconsciously or consciously, oftentimes we put ourselves in boxes.

[35:59] Alex Serino: Exactly.

[36:00] Alex Serino: That we think other people want us to be in.

[36:02] Alex Serino: And that's 100% what Albus thinks.

[36:05] Alan Seales: Yeah. And I think it's realized, because, you know, there's, there's a line at the end of the play, but Harry says, you know, we all, Matthew did this beautiful thing in the show one, one night, and like, we never like tell each other, I'm like, we're like, Oh, yeah, that was great. Because we don't want us to like recreate the moments. Because, you know, it's in genuine, but did this beautiful thing where it's, he says, there's this line, it's like, some people have dads to base themselves on and either try to be or try not to be. And he did this thing where he gestured to me to say and try not to be. And I feel like that's a great example of, well, no, like, I was put in this box to be like Harry Potter.

But I'm not saying I don't want to not be like Harry Potter. It's just like, don't, don't force me to be like you. Like, let me, let me grow on my own. Like, there are many things that like, that I do admire about my dad, but like, about Harry and it but like, let me get there. Don't, don't force, don't force it. Like, I would love to be like my dad. I'm not though. And I need to learn that I'm not and see where, where my Albus and but where can I also be Harry? But where can I also be Ginny? Like, you know, all these things and where can I be Scorpius? You're, you're made from the people that you surround yourself with. And like, and like, I think that is a realization that Albus does have at the end.

And that I think people often realize themselves, I hope they realize it's like, well, yeah, you are put in a box and like, you can you can be in that box. But you also need to know that that box is labeled your name. You know what I mean? And it doesn't mean anything until you make it mean exactly. We're going to take a quick break for a few commercials.

[37:47] Alan Seales: Alright, everyone, welcome back to the episode. As somebody now, of course, I am a son to my father. And then I have two sons of my own. And it's, it's really interesting. What you said is, how did you put it? How did you just put it? That you don't want to, like, for me, personally, I wanted to not be like my dad until I realized I needed to be. Yeah. Because there's some really good parts about him. There's some parts I don't like, because parts about me and my kids don't like, but like, think about it like you, like, like I said earlier, it's like this, where people and like, their instruction manuals for a reason. And when you know, you know, they're their book. Yeah, exactly. But like you, you have a guide, like that, you know, and of course, there are points of that guide that like, maybe you might not agree with, or you might not want to use but like you, that's your basis for things and like, and I feel like we do we inherently take attributes because we learned those things.

And like, if you're going to use I'm not telling you how to be a dad because I have no, I have no idea. But like, I don't know, maybe that's why where it comes from and being like, well, I didn't want to be like my dad, but like, I found myself having to be because there are things that just automatically bleed together in in our minds. And I don't think it's like on purpose. I just think it's like, inherently. So where it's like, Albus is like Harry, not because Albus is trying to be like Harry. It's just, of course, you're going to see some, but that's who raised me, you know.

[39:19] Alex Serino: And I don't think it's something to be like, ashamed of, or like, fearful of. I mean, as long as you know that you're you can be your own person. And that doesn't what you're always going to be. Yeah, I mean, it's nature versus nurture. It's, it's never 5050. It's probably 9010. Yeah, right. Of 10% nurtured 90% nature, you are who you are with a little bit of shading.

[39:43] Alan Seales: Yeah, totally. So yeah, I get that. I get that. Okay, so then, just one question. If you're going to take one spell from the Harry Potter world and use it in real life, what would you like to have? If you—

[39:55] Alex Serino: Oh, that's a good question. Oh, my gosh. I mean, if you asked if you asked me when I was 14 years old, I'd say incendio. Because, you know, like Albus, you know, who doesn't love fire? That's but I, I think like Alohomora is a good one to have because like, I am always nervous about losing my keys. So like, it's like, not to break in anywhere. That's not right. But like, a bank vault. Yeah. But like, you know, just getting home to my apartment a little more like, instead of like having to go in my bag, and I can't believe I never asked anyone before it just occurred to me to ask when you're doing the spells. Are you taught choreography?

[40:41] Alex Serino: Yeah, totally. We have to be very specific. Yeah. So like, Alohomora, I do Alohomora. And it's, it's this circle and a pullback. So like you're using your—

[40:53] Alan Seales: Yeah, so okay.

[40:53] Alex Serino: Um, it's like a pinball machine. Wait a minute. Is that? Wait, no, that's Expelliarmus. Expelliarmus.

[40:59] Alan Seales: That's why you're doing your spells wrong, dude.

[41:04] Alex Serino: I guess so. Albus is not great at magic. Engorgio is just a quick flick and pull back like with with some resistance.

[41:11] Alan Seales: Depending on what you are.

[41:12] Alex Serino: Sure, sure. Engorging. Other people have said Accio.

[41:17] Alan Seales: Oh my gosh. Because they don't want to, they don't want to get up and—

[41:21] Alex Serino: Yeah, no, Accio. I mean, that's like, that's like using the force. It's like, yeah, like, but that's so that's a good one. Because it's really any, you could also do it to anything. Sure. If it's not even in this room, it might fly through the window. Accio keys. Yep. Exactly. There you go. Maybe that's a maybe that's a better option to do a loophole there.

[41:40] Alex Serino: There you go. You can use that one. I also think it's not a spell, but Polyjuice. That would be fun. It would be fun. I have always fantasized about experiencing life actually as somebody else just for a minute. Yeah, of course. Who doesn't like that? You know, you can actually live in someone else's shoes. We had a conversation backstage, me and Eric, and we were like, I think I like scraped like I got like a scrape on my face or something like that. We just say we were like, if we were to Polyjuice, would the person that I Polyjuice and still have that scratch? Or would they not? Or, you know, or and when I come back, like when the Polyjuice wears off, do I still have the scratch? You know, is it restorative?

Is it changing your entire genetic makeup? If you have a scar as Alex and then you become somebody else and change back to Alex, do you still have your scar? Well, I mean, I fear that well, I feel like like, you know, Harry's scar goes away when he Polyjuices.

[42:42] Alan Seales: Fair.

[42:42] Alex Serino: And then he comes back and he's yeah, that's him. That's the original him. What if you had a scar? It must be based off of the genetic makeup at the time that you get the like, DNA sample. But what if you get a scar while you are Polyjuicing?

[43:00] Alan Seales: That's that I think was our bigger question.

[43:02] Alex Serino: Is that a verb now? Polyjuicing?

[43:04] Alan Seales: Polyjuicing. Yeah.

[43:05] Alex Serino: Okay. And then you come back.

[43:07] Alan Seales: I say the word Polyjuicing in the show. So it's real.

[43:09] Alex Serino: Okay. Yeah, that's a verb. I'm gonna go Polyjuice, bro.

[43:13] Alan Seales: Yeah, I'm gonna do my Polyjuice before I lift.

[43:15] Alex Serino: You even Polyjuice? You even Polyjuice, bro?

[43:17] Alan Seales: Yeah, right. Okay.

[43:18] Alan Seales: In a world where we all Polyjuice.

[43:21] Alan Seales: Alright. So, you know, this is coming. It's time for plot in 60 seconds.

[43:24] Alex Serino: Okay. We've got 60 seconds in front of you.

[43:27] Alan Seales: I have a list of 16 musicals, popular musicals. We recorded another episode while with somebody else while you were here. So you heard number four. You can't say four.

[43:36] Alex Serino: Yeah, I won't pick four.

[43:37] Alan Seales: Can't pick four. So one through 16, other than four, what you got?

[43:40] Alex Serino: Number 12.

[43:41] Alan Seales: Number 12. Give me the plot in 60 seconds to Cats. Go.

[43:47] Alex Serino: There's a bunch of cats and they have fun dancing. I've never seen cats.

[43:55] Alan Seales: Doing great. Doing great so far.

[43:56] Alex Serino: They like to dance and live their lives like cats and they sing of memories.

[44:07] Alan Seales: Jellicle.

[44:08] Alex Serino: Yeah. Jellicle ball. Yeah.

[44:12] Alex Serino: Yeah. They do dance.

[44:15] Alex Serino: And do cat things. Yeah, they have eyes, green eyes. Cats have green eyes. And oh my gosh, I don't know what the point is at all. Nobody knows what the point of cats is. Okay, I'm so mad I picked number 12. That's the joke about cats. Nobody knows what the actual point of cats is, other than that they're cats and they dance and sing. So a friend of mine has, Mike Abrams hosts the Wrong Cat Died podcast. And his whole podcast is about his theory that Grizabella was the wrong cat to die. So he is making a case for every single other cat is more worthy of dying to be reborn and go to the Heaviside Layer, or go to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn. Because cats have nine lives. You're saying things and I'm like, Oh, I need to watch cats because I have no idea what you're talking about.

It's basically American Idol meets X Factor meets Broadway Theatre. So they're having competitions. Every song is their own cat making their case to go to be in the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life. Based on a bunch of really creepy, weird T.S. Eliot poems when Andrew Lloyd Webber was probably high and wrote this shit. Probably.

[45:36] Alan Seales: Probably.

[45:39] Alex Serino: This, I need to start investing some more time into cats, the musical. Do they actually meow?

[45:45] Alan Seales: No, they don't actually meow.

[45:48] Alex Serino: Okay.

[45:49] Alan Seales: But they should.

[45:50] Alex Serino: Well, they're cats.

[45:51] Alan Seales: Well, they do that. Part of the audition is crawling around like a cat.

[45:57] Alex Serino: Oh. And the actual green eyes when they come out, they don't do this anymore since COVID. But they used to come out when the house was dark, wearing these glow in the dark green eyes and like come out and jump scare people in the aisle.

[46:07] Alan Seales: Oh, that's kind of awesome.

[46:11] Alex Serino: I don't think I could act. I can act like a chimpanzee really well, but I can't act like a cat. I know that's so random for me to say. I feel like we should have been talking about. That's what we should have been talking about. That's the pull quote. I could act like a chimpanzee. Why are there books? Why are there books? I can act like a chimpanzee. So let's see. There we go.

[46:32] Alex Serino: Oh, I can't. I can't. That's pretty good. I've made like stilts. Like I want to be in Planet of the Apes so bad. I watch those behind the scenes videos and I'm like, how do they do that?

[46:40] Alan Seales: Start working on your abs. You're Mark Wahlberg.

[46:50] Alex Serino: Yeah, they call me. Matthew and I have in the start of the show, we were like abs for Aldis. We're starting this, get my core workouts in every show. So I'm working there, abs for Aldis.

[47:06] Alan Seales: Abs for Aldis. Hashtag abs for Aldis. You know, there's a pre-workout sponsor right there, abs for Aldis.

[47:13] Alan Seales: All right. Three standard closing questions. First one simply is just what motivates you?

[47:19] Alex Serino: My family or, you know, community in general, but also learning, you know, like the idea of learning and change within that, all of that.

[47:31] Alan Seales: And parking the car and having, yeah.

[47:33] Alex Serino: Yeah, parking the car.

[47:34] Alan Seales: Did you have an accent you had to get rid of?

[47:36] Alex Serino: Oh, yeah. No, no. So I tell people all the time, there are four times when my accent comes out. When I am drinking, when I am mad, when I yell, or when I'm playing Uno, which is usually all three of those things.

[47:54] Alan Seales: Uno reverse.

[47:55] Alex Serino: Yeah. A fucking plus four, you know, like that.

[47:58] Alan Seales: You can't stack that.

[47:59] Alex Serino: Yeah, exactly. And that's when it happens. My mom has a video of me playing when I was like young, and I was so enraged and just had the worst accent at the time.

[48:11] Alan Seales: Oh, that's funny.

[48:12] Alex Serino: And it's like, I don't have it as bad. My dad has it bad. And my brother, every time like he'll like, you know, I'm the younger brother, and he's the older brother. So I'll still mock him to this day. And sometimes he'll just say something. He'll be like, Hey, did you get that? But can you give me a bag of Lay's? And I'll be like, can you give me a bag of Lay's? Like, and it makes him sound like the biggest, like, Boston douchebag. And he'll be like, I don't sound like that. I'll be like, I don't sound like that. Like, you know, and but yes, I do have one slightly. It actually helps with the English accent that I have to do every night because the Boston accent is the closest US accent to theirs because it's non-rhotic, which means no cause because we say like there's no R. So like the word are Bostonians say ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, are see the Australia fit in because Australia was originally a British people.

[49:04] Alan Seales: Yeah, they Yeah, I don't I don't know. I've I've never learned Australian.

[49:09] Alex Serino: Because I went to Australia. They instead of law and order, law and order, they say law and order. They switch. Yeah, I don't know.

[49:18] Alan Seales: It must have to do with some like, you know, because the penal colonies there like it was, you know, English, Irish, but also the natives and, you know, must be a huge conglomeration of all of that's that's something interesting to think about is all those. Study that. Yeah, I will report back. All right. Oh, okay. So now back to the questions. All right. What advice would you give to your younger self and younger people listening now starting out on a similar path?

[49:40] Alex Serino: Be your true self, like like be you and don't be afraid to be you. Just know that you changes all the time. But the things that change don't look down upon them because you wouldn't be who you are without the good and the bad and use that in your everyday life to get through and as an actor going into the room and being yourself is the best thing you can do because it's all about. Can I work with this person because you can do that, you can read the lines and you can do the show, but you can perform the part, but it's can be you and enjoy the people that you do it with. That's that that is goes beyond so much more.

[50:21] Alan Seales: So did. All right. Now, you know, this is coming. If you can only see one show for the rest of your life, you can see it as many times as you want. What show would you see?

[50:30] Alex Serino: Any show or does that be currently running? Any show you interpret as you will. Can I give you a play and the musical is going to be too sure. My musical would be Hadestown. I love that show. I think it's gorgeous. I think it like it's got it locked down on what it is and what it's going to be. And it's it's just so beautiful. And I feel like every day they're a show that knows how to that performance changes based on the people that are in it. And like, I think that's gorgeous that it's just so human. We're dealing with gods and stuff. But other than that, the play I would most likely love to see is probably Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. I would love to see it because every version that you see of that play is so different.

And sometimes it's so boring. So boring, but sometimes it's like really nailed down. Like, like, if you compare like the one, like, you know, Steve Carell's Vanya that was here. And now we have Andrew Scott's Vanya that's playing right now. And like those two productions are so different from one another. But you was is does it have to be the same show? Or is it just the title? That's the question. Is it same performers all the time? No, no, I'll give you a pass on that one.

[51:57] Alan Seales: Okay, those are my those are my two. Yeah. Okay, I'll give you that. Yeah, I like Uncle Vanya. I saw the Steve Carell version. It was I'm seeing him perform live. I think the dramatic role is great. I'm so jealous. I didn't get to see it. I was in school. In the school. In Boston. All right, where can we connect with you on the social media?

[52:17] Alex Serino: You can find me on Instagram at Alex F Serino. TikTok, I think it's Alex.f.serino. And you can watch me play video games on Twitch at HypeApe.

[52:28] Alan Seales: You're a gamer? HYPAPE. Yeah, I'm a big gamer.

[52:35] Alex Serino: Dude, have you played Hogwarts Legacy? I've so I have started it, like three separate times while doing the show. And like, I come home, and I'm like, I can I need to be away from work when I'm at home. But like, fair, but also, I've I've been really wanting to stream because lots of the, you know, the Cursed Child, the fans of the show that they would I posted on my Instagram, I was like, if I were to stream Hogwarts Legacy, like to a playthrough of this, like, would this be something you're interested in? Lots of people were like, yeah, this would be awesome to watch.

[53:05] Alan Seales: I would go back and play it with you. I love that game.

[53:07] Alex Serino: It's gorgeous. It's so beautiful. Probably gotten like four hours in, which is not a lot for Hogwarts Legacy at all. But four hours in max. And and I've always been like, oh, this is so gorgeous. And like, so cool. The like, PVP is not PVP, the PVE is so good. And like, yeah, all of the storytelling elements. It's perfect. And it just encompasses you in the wizarding world and the open world element. Yeah, so good.

[53:37] Alan Seales: Yeah. All right. And they're working on a second one. They say they're gonna add ad quidditch to the second one.

[53:42] Alex Serino: We shall see. I've been following this. If you're into the game, look for animation bloopers on YouTube.

[53:48] Alan Seales: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I've seen them like all over TikTok. It's so funny. It's so funny. I love that's like some of my favorite parts of games is like when they are, you know, a little buggy. And like, it's like, you know, and it happens. And and but that that's like, it's like the theater of it all, you know? Yeah, watch my twitch. I have we have some fun over.

[54:09] Alex Serino: I'm totally gonna follow you. Yeah, yeah. I didn't realize that. I'm not. I'm not I obviously don't have a lot of time to stream as much as I could because I'm on a show eight times a week, but I do what I can.

[54:19] Alan Seales: You do like in between shows on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I have just recently discovered that my computer runs like I got I have a gaming laptop, but I was gaming PC at home. But my gaming laptop that I've had for a few years runs so smoothly in my dressing room to the point of like I have been playing at intermission video games. And it's like and Eric is like always like he's like we've said to our dresser, Jason, he just goes, he goes, we've lost him. We've lost him because this discovery has been made. But I maybe maybe one day I will stream during during a two show day. I've thought about it.

[54:59] Alex Serino: Have you ever played Phoenix rising?

[55:00] Alan Seales: Phoenix rising? No. Yeah. Yeah.

[55:02] Alex Serino: Good one.

[55:03] Alan Seales: I got so I'm on I don't have a PC. I PlayStation PS5.

[55:08] Alex Serino: Me too.

[55:09] Alan Seales: So that's why I got I got the PS5 for Hogwarts legacy. Yeah, specifically. And then I was looking for something similar to it. And it's an older game, but it's got three DLCs now.

[55:19] Alex Serino: Oh, cool.

[55:19] Alan Seales: And it's Greek mythology tongue in cheek story like Zeus is this asshole as often like a like a God of War. Yeah, yeah. And just and so Prometheus is telling the story of this Phoenix character FENYX. And so yeah, it's I won't tell you I've got I probably got 50 hours in that game 5060 hours.

[55:44] Alex Serino: How old are your kids?

[55:45] Alan Seales: Eight and 10.

[55:46] Alex Serino: Eight and 10. Do they play video games?

[55:47] Alan Seales: Yes.

[55:48] Alex Serino: There's this new game that just came out that I'm I just I've started playing with my best friend. It's called split fiction. You heard of this?

[55:55] Alan Seales: So it's a co-op game. You heard of the video game? It takes two.

[55:59] Alex Serino: Yeah, it's the same creators of it takes two. And it's this co-op split screen game where you play as two.

[56:06] Alan Seales: It just came out.

[56:06] Alex Serino: Yeah, it just came out. Yeah. And it's about these two fiction writers who one is a sci fi writer, one is a fantasy writer, and they get into this simulation of their like minds, like their idea, their story ideas, and they, their stories start to bleed together. And you play to try to get out of that. And it's, it's, it's cool. It's super cool. It's a great story of friendship. If you you could play with your kids, it's it's it's really, it's a really good story. Loving the game. It's also another gorgeous one. And just fun. The mini games are you there's a mini, there's so many mini games where you play as two pigs, one of them can, one of them can fart rainbows and one of them can like make their body into a story.

[56:47] Alan Seales: You already won my kids over.

[56:48] Alex Serino: Yeah, there you go. It's a perfect it's so good. But also, other than that, I play lots of like, like online, like MMO, like I played Marvel Rivals and Fortnite, you know, I'll do the competitive games once in a while.

[56:59] Alan Seales: Yeah, my 10 year old is heavy into Rocket League.

[57:02] Alex Serino: Oh, yeah. Classic.

[57:03] Alan Seales: Yeah, classic. He's never got into Fortnite. But yeah, he's they love those games. They Ultimate Chicken. Is that

[57:11] Alex Serino: Ultimate Chicken?

[57:12] Alan Seales: Is that what it is?

[57:12] Alex Serino: No, this is this sounds like a new game.

[57:15] Alex Serino: Chicken Horse, Ultimate Chicken Horse. Yeah, Ultimate Chicken Horse. And it's a co-op game where you're trying to get to the end by every round you do different obstacles to either help yourself or hurt the other person. And it's, it's not we will say not beautiful. It's very cartoony graphics.

[57:31] Alan Seales: It knows what it is.

[57:32] Alex Serino: It knows what it is. And it's it's a cheap download. We got it for Switch.

[57:38] Alan Seales: Oh, yeah. Switch. Switch 2 is coming out soon. Be careful with that with your kids.

[57:44] Alex Serino: Mario, Mario Kart.

[57:45] Alan Seales: The new Mario Kart world looks so good.

[57:49] Alex Serino: But they're bent. They're, they're changing the world. They're $80 for a video game now.

[57:54] Alan Seales: Yeah, there's a lot of pushback. A lot of pushback on that.

[57:57] Alex Serino: Yeah.

[57:58] Alan Seales: $80, $90 for a for a Switch game. People are like...

[58:01] Alex Serino: Yeah, with a $450 console.

[58:04] Alan Seales: Yeah, yeah, you know.

[58:06] Alex Serino: I'm gonna wait on that one. I'm gonna, I'm gonna go get Split Fiction.

[58:09] Alan Seales: Yep, get Split Fiction.

[58:10] Alex Serino: I gotta get Split Fiction now because I just beat all of the DLC on, on Phoenix Rising. I'm gonna look into Phoenix Rising.

[58:14] Alan Seales: Because I started playing it again at a harder level.

[58:17] Alex Serino: Because that's, I needed something to fill, to fill that void.

[58:20] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[58:21] Alex Serino: But now I think Split Fiction is my shit. Well, listener, if you're still here, thanks. Theater lover, if you're still here listening to video games, thank you so much. Let's see, you can find me on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook. I'll leave a reading and review wherever you're listening. The video version of this is on Spotify and on Patreon. The music is coming from Jukebox, the ghost, thank you. And this convo, Alex, Serena, holy shit, man. Thank you.

[58:47] Alex Serino: Oh, thank you. Thank you for chatting. I got to talk about things I love and I hope you, you got to talk about things you love too.

[58:54] Alan Seales: Absolutely.

[58:54] Alex Serino: Absolutely.

[58:55] Alan Seales: And a lot of fun.