The Comment Section with Drew Afualo - YOU DON’T THINK I WANT TO RELAX？ Ft. Nava Mau ｜ Episode 172

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00:00:30.020 Shop now at Sephora and Sol de Janeiro dot com. You don't think I want to relax. Don't you think

00:00:36.140 I want to skip it? You don't think I want to hang out. I'm not trying to give a lecture. For real.

00:00:42.460 But I will. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to.

00:00:46.000 Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of the comment section show starring me, your fave,

00:00:56.460 who cares about me. On to the guest. Today we have the iconic, the legendary, the unbelievably talented

00:01:02.380 Nava Mao. Woo! Welcome to the show, queen. Hi, thank you. Oh my gosh. I'm so excited to have you.

00:01:11.080 I'm so happy to be here. We were king right before this. Truly. Yeah, it's a key. It's always a key

00:01:16.160 when you and I see each other. Yes, tears always like right behind waiting to come out. But yeah,

00:01:21.600 the threatening to come out. The threat. We're not quite there yet. No, definitely not. How have you

00:01:26.140 been? How's life? Um, Miss Busy B over here. I'm good. I, I, um, you know, I was, I was, I've been very

00:01:33.520 busy. Yes, you have. It's a blessing and I'm very grateful, um, for every opportunity and all the

00:01:39.880 people I've met. And, and I also, um, didn't take a day off for nine months. I know. Uh, except for

00:01:48.180 two days in August and one day in July. And, um, so that was, uh, getting to be too much. A little

00:01:55.800 much. Um, so yeah, I took two weeks off and, uh, now I actually want to see the sun again. Your life

00:02:03.680 is worth living. Yes, exactly. That's good. I'm so glad we need rest. How was your award season? I'm sure.

00:02:09.600 I know it was cuckoo bananas. Um, I mean, it's funny that you say past tense because

00:02:13.680 technically we have, we still have more. Yeah. You're like going into another phase.

00:02:18.280 I literally, I actually just don't understand how we're still in awards season. Like, um,

00:02:24.080 but I think we have our last one. It's the Peabody's. Um, so, um, it has been a wild ride.

00:02:30.900 It has been, um, you know, maybe once in a lifetime. Yeah, absolutely. Well, you're a star.

00:02:37.740 That's not shocking at all. Of course you're being acknowledged as you should be. What's been

00:02:42.700 the funnest awards show you've been to so far? Um, I think that, I think the Golden Globes

00:02:52.240 after party was the first time like I had fun. The very first one. Yeah. Um, yeah. My friend Kyle

00:03:00.180 came with me and we actually danced. The food was good. I don't know. The people, everyone

00:03:07.940 was like in a good mood and vibes were high. Yeah. Yeah. That's tea. Yeah. It was, it was

00:03:13.520 early January before everything really kicked off, you know, that's tea. Uh, I went to the

00:03:21.120 Globes. That was my first time ever going to the Globes this year, but I just did carpet

00:03:24.460 and then, yeah, I saw you. And then they, and then they made me valet cars after, but

00:03:28.720 you know, that's besides the point, you know, they made me wait tables. And you know, secretly

00:03:32.200 me too. Little did you know. Yeah. I had to earn my key. Lisa, do you want a seat at this

00:03:40.260 table? I'll earn it. Yeah. For real. I get that. I totally get that. Uh, how was it? How

00:03:46.260 was your experience going through award season been though? Just like, especially where you're

00:03:50.380 at now and with your show and everything. I mean, I, I think that, um, you know, people

00:03:56.860 can be thrust into the machine and people can be thrust into, um, like being like global

00:04:05.760 notoriety for all different reasons. Um, and so I, I think I've, I've just felt very lucky

00:04:11.900 that for me it happened because of work that I'm so proud of and that was so personal and,

00:04:18.640 um, and yeah, I, I think it allowed me to just be able to ride the, the, the wave of

00:04:26.000 pride and celebration. Um, and, uh, and I am ready to actually get back to some, some

00:04:34.520 acting and writing and yeah. That's what I think a lot of, uh, actors say too. They're

00:04:40.000 like, this is probably the hardest part is like the marketing you have to do after. Yeah.

00:04:45.080 I always compare it to like running for mayor. That's how it feels. Yeah. Definitely.

00:04:48.640 You're running for homecoming King or like prom queen or something. That's how it feels.

00:04:53.340 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and I think in this weird way, I sort of, um, because I like wasn't winning

00:05:01.000 any of the awards that I was nominated for, um, because I was always nominated in the same

00:05:06.560 category with Jess. And so it was kind of nice where I just got to enjoy the ceremonies and the

00:05:15.000 celebration and like, and I just got to like, it was almost like, um, well, we know Jess is going

00:05:21.600 to win. So I'm excited to root for my friend and, um, yeah, it was, it was kind of, um, I don't know.

00:05:28.400 It felt like oddly low stakes for me. Um, because I was, I don't know. It's like, it's Richard's

00:05:36.460 project and, um, I just got to be a part of it. And so, which is amazing. I think that's

00:05:43.040 wonderful. Also you're a multi hyphenate and you have a short film coming out. Can you please

00:05:48.420 tell us about it? Uh, yes, it's called all the words, but the one, and, um, it kind of

00:05:55.540 came to be in the same cycle as baby reindeer. I, I wrote the short first and then I was cast

00:06:02.160 on baby reindeer and then kind of came back to the short and then film baby reindeer. And I sort

00:06:06.040 of went back and forth, um, between the two projects like that. They were, and then they

00:06:10.240 were interesting. Yeah. Yeah. Both at the same time. Yeah. I was like in post on the short

00:06:15.020 in North Carolina and, and then like, Oh, real quick, sorry. I have to go like do some

00:06:19.420 ADR, um, for baby reindeer. Um, so, um, it feels like it was sort of born from the same

00:06:26.620 emotional time in my life. Um, and it is, uh, a pretty serious, um, you know, dramatic short

00:06:37.820 film that, um, it, you know, it kind of explores the questions of violence.

00:06:44.820 Yeah. And accountability, forgiveness, um, you know, what, what happens when maybe somebody

00:06:51.940 who's hurt you in the past has changed? Mm-hmm. Are they still a villain in your story?

00:06:58.660 Yeah. Um, or do you have to rewrite that ending? So, um, so yeah, it follows, uh, two couples

00:07:06.120 that are having a professional dinner and unexpectedly there's two people there who had a sort of on

00:07:13.760 off tumultuous thing, uh, situation ship, uh, like five years prior and, um, it ended in

00:07:22.680 violence and they never saw each other again. They never resolved it. And so this is their

00:07:28.480 opportunity to, to do that and take stock of how far they've come. Yeah. And you said you wrote,

00:07:34.480 you wrote that before you got cast in baby reindeer. Yeah. Yeah. How do you like the experience

00:07:38.360 of writing? Cause obviously you started too and you were in baby reindeer. So how do you like the,

00:07:42.680 the difference? Is there a huge difference between writing being in front of the camera? Do you prefer

00:07:46.320 one over the other? Um, well I hate writing. Let's, let's start there. It's not the best. Um,

00:07:53.960 oh my God, it's just, I just, it's excruciating. It's, I just, but I have to do it and it just feels,

00:08:00.900 yeah. And I wish that I had like more control over it. Um, and, and I'm working on it, but yeah,

00:08:06.980 I feel like for me, I love directing. Directing is where I feel most alive and sort of is my true

00:08:17.560 purpose. Um, and, and writing is what allows me to then direct. Yeah. Um, and I think I, I do sort

00:08:29.280 of, I prefer acting in somebody else's project. Okay. Yeah. I mean, it's just somebody else has

00:08:36.940 created a character. There's this whole world to inhabit. And I feel like there's this distance

00:08:41.840 between who I actually am and a character that's created by somebody else. Right. And then there's,

00:08:48.340 so that creates like an electricity and in the distance trying to, to get there. Yeah. Um,

00:08:54.000 and so I just think it's just, it's just more magical. It spoils the fun for you. I don't know.

00:09:00.980 Yeah. Like acting while I'm directing, um, it's just, it's just very intense. I just have to be so

00:09:09.300 focused. And like, I remember there was a moment on the last day of filming. Um, I walked into,

00:09:15.940 into the, the like kind of break area that we had for the cast. Um, and everyone was like hanging out.

00:09:22.640 Um, like they were playing some kind of game or something. And I was like, um, excuse me,

00:09:27.980 like I want to have fun too. And I realized I was just like, I didn't, I didn't have any downtime.

00:09:34.400 And, and I think when you only have one role on a project, like you have a lot more downtime.

00:09:40.260 Yeah. Like you can sort of just enjoy it better. Come along for the ride. Yes, exactly. Yeah.

00:09:45.960 Well, you said you love directing and you think that's your purpose. Do you have any, like,

00:09:49.780 what kind of film do you dream about directing? Like what would be like a dream film or a dream

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00:10:54.360 casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. I mean something like arrival by Denis Villeneuve. Oh, cool.

00:11:02.360 Oh, that is yeah. That's one of my favorite movies of all time. Oh, yeah, truly just like it's got linguistics. It's got

00:11:09.980 aliens. It's got a woman going through some things, you know, like it's got everything. Yeah, truly.

00:11:17.420 Yeah, that's cool. You sci fi girl. Oh, 10 toes down. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So you said arrivals when you're

00:11:24.300 what are some other side films you love? Well, I like books. I like Oh, books. Okay. Yeah. Dawn by Octavia

00:11:30.220 Butler. Okay, that is that's my favorite book of all time. Love all of all of that trilogy, actually.

00:11:36.700 And of course, Parable of the Sower now has proven to be too prophetic. Like, please take it back, Octavia.

00:11:48.300 But I like what I like Westworld. So that's cool. Robots and implants. Yeah. Dollhouse. Okay. Yeah. Eliza

00:12:01.180 Dushku, you know. Yeah, I like sort of nerdy kind of brainy severance, obviously. Yeah. Yeah,

00:12:10.460 secretly, I had written this like pilot that and and then severance came out like a year later. And I was

00:12:16.380 like, I can't do it anymore. Like they did it. They did it better. Yeah. Yeah, truly. That's cool,

00:12:25.580 though. That kind of genre. Yeah. Yeah. It's like because it goes so much deeper than just like sci fi.

00:12:31.180 It's like they can be allegories on the world and stuff like that. That's fucking cool. Exactly. Yeah. 0.98

00:12:34.700 I love that. Yeah. I mean, that's what sci fi should be. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That's tea.

00:12:39.900 What would you say? Like, okay, so you said you you love severance. Is there any other shows you would

00:12:43.840 love to be in? Like if you could be a cast in one? Well, literally, the whole cast and crew of industry

00:12:48.540 already knows this, but I love industry. You've told them all. I already shot my shot. Like,

00:12:54.300 okay, it didn't happen. Fine. Still love y'all, I guess. Whatever. Um, but no, shout out to them.

00:12:59.580 I actually I just saw them at the Baptist. They're all so sweet and so cool. So I'll still take your

00:13:04.300 call. Um, industry. Um, what else? Uh, I feel like everything gets canceled. Everything you love

00:13:14.700 too, especially. Oh my God. Everything gets canceled. Yeah. Um, we're struggling right now

00:13:21.820 on TV, to be honest. It just feels like we're in the, um, we're in the, in the wave of, of, of

00:13:28.380 returning to, I think one type of person. Yeah. Um, and, uh, I was going to ask you about that too.

00:13:36.140 Yeah. Oh, here we go. Gotta bust out the issues. Yeah, it's true. The Rolodex. Yeah. It's

00:13:44.460 funny too. Cause sometimes when I, when I talk about like, uh, serious shit in between telling 0.94

00:13:49.260 wiener jokes on my platform, sometimes I'll have people be like, I'll literally, they'll say like, 0.95

00:13:54.700 um, I just don't like think you need to talk about politics. Unfortunately, I have no choice

00:13:59.900 because I live politically. I unfortunately have no choice. You don't think I want to relax.

00:14:04.780 Don't you think I want to skip it? You don't think I want to hang out. I'm not trying to give a

00:14:10.460 lecture for real, but I will. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to at some point and it gets,

00:14:17.900 it does get tiring. And that's what I was going to, I was going to ask you about representation

00:14:21.100 in the industry because obviously you are a trailblazer and I'm, I'm so curious how that's

00:14:26.900 been for you. Cause being the first is, is prophetic in many ways. And it's also the worst in many ways.

00:14:33.300 So I, I'm curious how that journey has been for you since you've been so fucking popular lately, 0.96

00:14:38.380 miscasted. Thank you. Um, I, you know, I really appreciate that question. Cause so often the 0.90

00:14:46.380 question is, uh, what does it mean to you to be the first trans woman X? And I am like, well,

00:14:57.900 why don't you answer that question? Right. What does that mean to you? Yeah. You know, it's not

00:15:02.380 really like, I felt like my life's purpose was to be the first, anything. Exactly. You know, um,

00:15:13.900 I am an actress. I am a director. I am a storyteller. Um, and I'm just a person at the end of the day.

00:15:23.300 Absolutely. And I, you're an artist. Yeah. And all of us have an identity. All of us have a cultural

00:15:30.980 background. All of us have a sexuality, et cetera. Right. And, and mine just so happens to be,

00:15:39.580 you know, marginalized and historically one that's not highlighted nearly as often as it should be.

00:15:45.020 Yeah. Um, and it's like, well, that's not my fault. That's low key. Your fault. Like you should be

00:15:50.740 asking yourself why you got to ask me that question. Exactly. Exactly. Um, and I, and I genuinely

00:15:55.900 actually do. I, I don't know why I've never done it, but I have always wondered if like on the red

00:16:01.000 carpet, they're like, well, what do you think the industry, um, should do to, to improve representation

00:16:09.160 of trans people on screen? And I'm like, honestly, are you asking all the cis people that

00:16:14.440 are you asking all the straight people that because that's actually the people who can

00:16:19.520 really create change because that's how power works. Tell them like you, it's funny. Cause

00:16:25.180 you shouldn't ask me. Yeah. I honestly don't know. I don't know. Like you, I don't know why

00:16:29.580 they haven't been cast. I'm not sure what the problem is. Exactly. You're like, I'm well aware

00:16:34.960 of the problem that you are listing to me. I, how I've been able to surpass it. I can't tell

00:16:39.460 you. Yeah, exactly. Other than being that girl. Exactly. Yeah. So, um,

00:16:44.440 so yeah, I think that that part of it where people sort of expect me to be the activist

00:16:53.900 and expect me to have all the answers. And I think that it's disingenuous in some ways because

00:17:01.660 then it makes it my fault. Right. And your responsibility and my responsibility when I'm

00:17:07.940 not cast in anything. Right. And when I'm struggling to pay my rent. Right. And when maybe people

00:17:15.020 aren't going to hear from me after this, because where, where are the roles? Where are the projects?

00:17:21.400 Right. No one's, uh, like thinking of me. That's how it feels to me. Right. Um, and, and you know,

00:17:29.560 we can name on, on all of our, our fingers and toes, all the roles that, that are available

00:17:37.280 right now to, um, to all the amazing, talented, beautiful, cis straight white actors out there.

00:17:47.800 And, and, and I think that we all deserve to, to be able to work and an equal playing field. Yeah.

00:17:54.020 Yeah. And I'm like, we like, we can work together. Right. I agree. Like, that's why I think that's

00:17:59.820 so T what you said. You're like, are you asking them? You should be asking them. You shouldn't

00:18:03.100 be asking me. You should be asking them. Yeah, exactly. And it's not, it's not the same in any

00:18:07.240 way, shape or form as yours, but like on a much lesser scale for me, when I get asked questions, 0.99

00:18:11.920 like about the same, it's the same shit. Like what, like, it's almost like a, how'd you do it? 0.96

00:18:18.280 They hate people like you. That's how it feels like, doesn't it feel that way? It's like, damn,

00:18:22.780 you know, I really tried to hate you and you still got in there. How'd you do that? They let you in. 0.99

00:18:27.720 That's how it feels. It feels very like, and how did you get past security? Yeah. That's how it feels.

00:18:33.000 So I get what you mean about it feeling disingenuous. Cause it feels like, it's almost like a,

00:18:37.540 it feels like a cheapening of what it took to get in the door. Yeah. And they're like,

00:18:41.920 okay, so like, why aren't more of you coming through it? Yeah. Well, yeah, that's not a

00:18:47.260 question you should be asking me exactly. It's the, it's the exact same thing. And I've, I've

00:18:51.140 even said in an interview before too, that when I first started doing this and I was growing like 0.99

00:18:56.160 crazy numbers every single day, like no one was reaching out to me, uh, because of the shit I say 0.98

00:19:01.380 and how I say it, what I look like, all of those things, which we know. Too real, too pretty. 0.99

00:19:05.400 It's just, I guess it's illegal to be a bad bitch with good tits. My bad. 1.00

00:19:08.500 And like, I was like, whatever. I mean, I like doing it, so I'm going to keep doing it. Yeah. And

00:19:15.740 so eventually I did get reached out to, um, to a woman who is still on my team now because she was

00:19:21.000 like the only person that believed in me. Yeah. But even so I like, when I talked about this in an

00:19:26.440 interview, I was telling them the reality isn't that it didn't just shift and they were like, Oh,

00:19:31.780 actually I think she has something. One person actually did believe in me and I B and then I just

00:19:36.620 got too big to ignore. That's really what happened. It wasn't like a, you know what? We should be more

00:19:41.520 open and accepting to people of other. That's not what happened. I was like, they didn't, I forced

00:19:46.140 my way in the fucking door. I like forced people to turn and look at me. That was the difference 0.99

00:19:50.200 between me and other people who haven't been able to get in quite yet. That's the only difference.

00:19:55.040 And so I said that because I'm like, it feels so cheap when they say it to you. Cause you're like,

00:19:59.100 yeah. Okay. Um, I don't know.

00:20:01.120 And then it's also like, well, what else? Right. That's, that's the question. Right.

00:20:06.120 Okay. Have a great day. I'm not even going to ask you about my outfit. Literally. I'm like,

00:20:11.820 not even the jewelry. Like, come on. Yeah. Yeah. I it's, it is really, I am still baffled to this day

00:20:21.140 when people are surprised by, by my presence or success. Um, or even that I exist. I'm like,

00:20:29.900 I'm sorry. I, there has never been a mystery for me. So I have no clues for you. Right. I have,

00:20:38.080 I have no suggestions. Like you're going to have to solve that mystery on your own. Like, I,

00:20:42.220 I don't know what to tell you. Yeah. And you're, and it's also like, well, don't stop at me.

00:20:46.860 There's many more, like there's many more just like me. There's many more nothing like me at all,

00:20:51.320 but we're in the same boat. It's like, there are many other, maybe if you tried looking harder

00:20:56.160 or cared, then you could cast more of us. Yeah. Maybe some people are going to be mad.

00:21:05.480 Well, I've even like, I've talked about it with my other actor friends too, because I,

00:21:08.960 as I mentioned earlier, I've been like dipping my toe and acting, trying doing my best. Uh, but

00:21:14.980 sometimes when I read for stuff, um, or if I'm, they're like, Oh, maybe what about this read for

00:21:20.360 her? And my team is never pushing anything on me. They're always like, it's up to you. Um,

00:21:24.340 but sometimes when I get roles, I'm like, is this the only person you guys want me to play?

00:21:29.960 Like, it just like, it feels so already cornered. I'm like, right. That's what I was like. Sometimes

00:21:37.460 I have people say like, can you do it a little bit more urban? Right. Let me take that line again,

00:21:44.120 but make it more ethnic. Perfect. I can do that for y'all. Yeah. Yeah. It feels, it starts to feel

00:21:50.040 silly after a while. And I think the first time that happened to me and like a callback,

00:21:54.260 I was so shook by it because I was thinking not necessarily that I was the exception to the rule. 0.98

00:21:59.340 I was just kind of like, did you guys even fuck with my tape? Or did you just think that I was 0.99

00:22:03.080 going to be a little bit more urban when you saw me in person? Like maybe I was a little nervous in

00:22:06.400 my video and that's kind of how it felt. And I was like, well, damn, like, yeah, I thought I did a 0.93

00:22:10.800 good job. Shit. Yeah. I guess I'll never know. Yeah. I, I, I don't know. I don't know what, 1.00

00:22:16.880 um, what it's going to take for people to imagine more and, and, and to dream beyond what we've seen

00:22:26.220 over and over and over again. I agree. Um, but I, what I will say about representation

00:22:32.320 and, and I think this includes you, it's that there is such a power in, in, in being deliberate

00:22:41.460 in, in our presence and in speaking our minds and in, and celebrating our beauty and, and our

00:22:50.540 communities. And it, that cannot be challenged. That cannot be torn down. Right. You know,

00:22:58.720 they can try to build around it and try to stop us, but, but actually that energy is unstoppable.

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00:23:52.960 you've had with representation and the kind of representation that you're paving in entertainment

00:23:57.440 so far? I'm sure there's been quite a few, but do you have any of that stand out to you?

00:24:02.740 Um, let me think. That make you feel all the butterflies, get you emotional. Don't tell the

00:24:08.960 men that hate me. I don't know why this is what I'm thinking of right now, but I had like a little

00:24:17.220 summer fling last year. Okay. Um, and, um, somehow had the time, somehow had the time amidst award

00:24:26.100 ceremonies and fittings and meetings and, um, secretly was sneaking off. Right. Um, to see

00:24:34.120 this man that I had no business being with, but it's a problem. Um, and, um, don't tell my team

00:24:41.540 literally like, um, I was having dinner with a friend. Uh, so anyway, I, I, I, it was a very brief,

00:24:52.620 you know, thing like a few weeks. And, um, I remember he, like, this is not even answering

00:25:00.060 your question, but this is, it's all right. I'm locked in. So this guy, I remember that he,

00:25:06.600 it was like, he didn't believe that I, um, was like known by people for, for my work.

00:25:16.180 Right. Famous. You can say it. I'll say it for her. It's okay. I'll say it for her. She didn't

00:25:20.260 say it. I did. Yeah. He didn't, he didn't believe that I was famous. Um, and, um, he would even say

00:25:27.120 things like, and it's all right if it's only on Instagram, like I believe you. And I was like,

00:25:31.020 I don't, I just, I don't even know what awakening and literally. And so his, um, his like friend came

00:25:40.680 into town, his gay friend came into town and so he was like, and he was like, Oh, um, like, do you

00:25:51.120 want to go out to WeHo with us? Um, and I haven't been in like pre since pre pandemic, right? Secretly

00:25:57.400 actually the weekend of COVID I was, I was in WeHo, but, um, and so we're, we're out in WeHo and of

00:26:05.560 course the friend was very excited to meet me and, um, and that was very sweet. And then we're

00:26:10.860 out in WeHo and it was, it was sort of my first time also experiencing like the level of attention.

00:26:19.080 Right. Um, well you've also been in a bubble too, cause you've been working so much. Exactly. Yeah.

00:26:23.200 So you're like, you forget. Exactly. And so, um, yeah, it was a lot of people coming up to me.

00:26:29.920 Girl, you and WeHo? Oh, bitch. It was like the icon has arrived. That's what I'm saying. 1.00

00:26:35.560 Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Are you kidding? Oh, I'm the most famous bitch alive in gay 1.00

00:26:39.660 rooms. It was, it was just, yeah, it was, it was a lot. I can't even imagine you. Um, 1.00

00:26:45.400 and it was, it was a special moment of celebration and, and, but there was this one girl that,

00:26:51.460 um, we were, we were trying to leave at that point, but she like came down on, on the sidewalk

00:26:57.020 and, um, and just really, really wanted to connect. It was a trans Latina woman, um, who, 0.78

00:27:04.960 um, you know, said she had never felt represented on screen before. Um, and specifically it was,

00:27:12.920 uh, the scene where Terry's attacked. Um, and you know, that scene, I think it's, it's,

00:27:21.100 it's really hard to watch and, um, it was really hard to perform. And in some ways we sort of want

00:27:29.540 to move past depictions of violence against trans women on screen. Right. And, and yet that scene,

00:27:35.900 I think really, it really affected a lot of people and it really connected with, resonated with a lot

00:27:42.400 of people. And, and, um, and so to hear it from her, another trans Latina woman, that that scene

00:27:48.660 felt so necessary and that, and that she felt like she could point to something, um, that, um,

00:27:56.460 that could speak to her experience. Yeah. I, it felt like it was a reminder of, of why I do this.

00:28:04.820 Yeah, absolutely. And that it means something. And why you're just essential in terms of

00:28:08.900 entertainment and media far past your talent, which I think more people should focus on is your talent.

00:28:13.580 Right. But far past that, I think that's such a good point too, about, you know, you want to move

00:28:18.920 past violence and that is true, but I think there's a world in which you can have both. And I think

00:28:23.600 that's what people are asking for is not just violence. It's trans joy too. Like that is very

00:28:27.780 much so a part of the trans experiences joy as much as it is violence. And then, and that violence is 0.99

00:28:32.640 not inflicted on, uh, on anyone other than the perpetrator themselves, which are fucking transphobes. 0.99

00:28:38.640 So like, I think that's so powerful. Yeah. It's one of those few times they got you tearing up a 0.99

00:28:43.080 little bit and he said, I'm in we ho bitch. Yeah. Don't do this to me. And then, and then I turned 0.98

00:28:47.580 to the, to him and I said, see, don't you ever doubt me again. And then we broke up a week later,

00:28:56.140 but there you go. And there you go. I think that's so beautiful. Yeah. Like that's amazing. What are,

00:29:03.060 what is something you're really gunning for? Like, do you have a major goal when it comes to like,

00:29:08.220 either it's directing a certain film or maybe starring in something or maybe recurring role in

00:29:12.580 something? Do you have an ultimate goal? Um, I mean, I do have this dream of creating a series

00:29:18.980 and, um, getting to produce, write and star on it. Um, there, there's just something about TV where

00:29:26.800 you get to build a structure that other people get to live in, um, that I really like, um, in terms of

00:29:35.140 culture change and, um, and trying to build opportunities, not just for myself, but for

00:29:41.040 other people. Yeah. And I think TV in some ways is better, is a better structure for that than film.

00:29:48.380 Yeah. It gives you more breathing room. Yeah. Well, it's, it's more sustainable. Yeah. Like you

00:29:53.580 could potentially have that job for years. Um, you can live in one place, you know? Um, and a film is so,

00:30:01.900 it's so transient, you know, and temporary and, um, and people get paid less usually on, on, on a,

00:30:11.720 you know, on a like indie film versus a standard. Yeah. Cause most movies are not huge box office

00:30:19.380 with enormous budgets. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. Um, so yeah, I, I really would like to do that.

00:30:25.680 Um, I, I like, I want to say, I'm like, you know what? Yeah. Like I want to make Star Wars,

00:30:32.020 but it's like, that's cool. But it's like, then I have to like come up with an idea.

00:30:36.380 Now I'm going to work on Star Wars. Do you know what I mean? God. Um, so like that,

00:30:40.280 but that is sort of like my real answer is that one day I would like to create sci-fi that is original

00:30:48.060 and long lasting, long lasting. Yeah. Um, and, um, and culturally significant. That is so fucking

00:30:56.620 tea. Yeah. I would, you would kill at that. I'm trying, I'm trying to, I believe in that for you. 1.00

00:31:01.900 I see it so clearly. I've said that before cause I've, I've joked about this on the show,

00:31:05.300 but like I am writing another book when I'm doing fantasy, like kind of book, but my longterm plan,

00:31:11.820 cause I'm a Virgo. So I planned 20 years in the future. I was saying like, my goal is to eventually

00:31:15.880 get it made into something and then cast myself. But that's my Lin-Manuel Miranda plan. That's

00:31:20.580 what I call it. Yeah. Where I'm like, you can have it. I'm just going to play a prominent role

00:31:24.800 in it. Yeah. Yeah. It's up to you. Yeah. Buy it. And, but I am the main character. Yeah. And no,

00:31:29.560 I can't sing. Yeah. So, so are you ready? Sign right here. What would you say is the most randomly,

00:31:40.000 but fucking cool moment you've had since, uh, going through this last year? Um, where you're 0.84

00:31:45.820 like, that is crazy and so awesome. I can't wait to tell someone. I mean, it, I met the

00:31:52.200 Pope. Did you really? I literally, the old one. Like I literally, yeah. The one that just

00:31:59.800 passed over. Yes. Yes. Yes. Rest his God. What is it? May God rest his soul. Um, that's crazy.

00:32:07.340 Crazy answer. Oh, the Pope. Um, yeah, probably. Yeah. Like I went to his house. What the fuck

00:32:14.340 are you doing at Pope Francis's house? Is that his name? I don't even know. Yeah. Getting 1.00

00:32:19.040 nervous. Like I'm Catholic. I'm not. Yeah. Like I sat with him for an hour. Damn. What were

00:32:27.420 you guys keying about? I mean, and we were talking about the, the importance of, um, cultural

00:32:34.740 change for queer and trans people, particularly in families. Um, and, and I, we know that the

00:32:41.660 Catholic church does have an impact in a lot of people's families, no matter how you feel

00:32:48.460 about the Catholic church, rightfully so myself included. Um, I, I did say yes to the invitation

00:32:56.080 to, to go speak with him, um, and to show him what it looks like when a trans woman is

00:33:03.000 loved and uplifted and accepted and celebrated. Um, and accomplished. You're so fucking cool.

00:33:12.380 What the fuck? She's like, well, yeah, obviously I went to the Pope to go tell him about trans 1.00

00:33:16.280 what the fuck, bitch. What are you talking about? Yeah, it was damn. I'm over here telling 1.00

00:33:21.640 men to suck my wiener and that's what you're doing. Yeah, no, but thanks to, thanks to glad, 1.00

00:33:26.380 glad, um, organized that trip. That is so fucking crazy. Yeah. Yeah. I'd list that too. 0.98

00:33:33.420 Two truths and a lot. Your two truths and a lie is going to go crazy. I've sat with Pope Francis

00:33:37.580 and talked about trans words. Um, I hate broccoli and I love the color. Wait, okay. Can we, 0.86

00:33:43.260 what tell me truth, truth, and a lie? I want to like, I want to get to know you better. Yeah.

00:33:47.520 Oh, shoot. Now I'm feeling put on the spot. Me loving to talk about myself.

00:33:52.520 Two truths and a lie. Hmm. I've broken a collarbone. Okay. I used to work at the NFL.

00:34:02.140 I almost pooped my pants after the Oscars. Damn it. Um, 1.00

00:34:07.520 that was the day of the Oscars. Mind you. Okay. That one has to be real.

00:34:13.260 Oh, and if not, damn, I gave it away. I mean, if not, then like, 0.98

00:34:17.720 they really do need to cast you. Like,

00:34:20.180 unfortunately that one is true. Yes. Okay. That one's definitely true.

00:34:26.240 I feel like you have not broken a collarbone.

00:34:31.860 I actually did break a collarbone. Oh, so you did not work at the NFL.

00:34:34.600 I actually worked at the NFL. I just realized.

00:34:35.860 Wait, wait, are you doing this?

00:34:37.820 Don't be so real. I just realized I told you three truths.

00:34:40.740 I was like, Oh fuck. 0.99

00:34:44.080 Hey, my bad. Don't know how to play the game. 1.00

00:34:46.140 And they can never say that you don't tell the truth.

00:34:48.200 Listen, let me tell you and tell the Pope that.

00:34:50.700 Well, I'll tell.

00:34:52.060 Well, right.

00:34:52.660 He heard us.

00:34:53.200 I meant that very literally.

00:34:56.700 I am.

00:34:57.100 I'm honestly,

00:34:57.760 I feel like I'm cracking up because you said you hung out with the Pope.

00:34:59.780 I think that's why it was.

00:35:01.240 I think my brain is spinning because of it.

00:35:02.860 It was.

00:35:03.200 Yeah.

00:35:03.460 No, it, that was a moment.

00:35:04.900 That was a moment.

00:35:05.880 Wait, you tell me two truths and a lie.

00:35:07.740 Oh God.

00:35:08.340 Okay.

00:35:09.200 Um,

00:35:10.300 don't bother using the Pope Francis when I already know that would have been a good

00:35:14.520 one.

00:35:15.080 Okay.

00:35:15.680 I may tell you.

00:35:16.640 Yeah.

00:35:16.860 I just need a second.

00:35:18.300 Let's see.

00:35:19.420 Um, cause I'm bad at lying.

00:35:22.720 So, um, if you want to think on it, I do have some fun facts about you.

00:35:27.500 So maybe we should do those first.

00:35:28.760 Okay, great.

00:35:29.360 Yeah.

00:35:29.460 Let's do, let's do fun facts.

00:35:31.100 Oh, right.

00:35:31.440 We'll do the facts and then we'll do the lies.

00:35:32.820 Yeah, there you go.

00:35:33.880 Exactly.

00:35:34.280 And then you can tell me if these are lies.

00:35:36.480 Okay.

00:35:36.840 The first one says that you have a linguistics and cognitive science degree.

00:35:40.760 I do.

00:35:41.680 Okay.

00:35:42.140 From where?

00:35:43.060 I went to Pomona college.

00:35:44.740 Okay.

00:35:45.140 Yeah.

00:35:45.780 Are you SoCal girl?

00:35:47.300 No, I'm actually, I was born in Mexico city.

00:35:49.660 Okay.

00:35:50.280 Um, uh, so Mexicana, so Chilanga.

00:35:53.000 Love.

00:35:53.680 Um, and then when I was eight moved to San Antonio, Texas.

00:35:58.700 So then I'm also a Southern girl.

00:36:00.680 Okay.

00:36:01.520 Um, and, um, but I moved, yeah, I did go to college in SoCal.

00:36:06.360 So I've now lived in California.

00:36:09.960 Um, cause I lived in Oakland for, for a while.

00:36:12.600 Nice.

00:36:12.840 Um, so I've lived in California now, most of my life, like the greatest, the greatest portion

00:36:19.040 of my life.

00:36:19.660 Okay.

00:36:20.060 Nice.

00:36:20.380 Which is crazy.

00:36:21.340 That's cool.

00:36:21.900 Why linguistics and cognitive science?

00:36:24.040 I'm just a nerd.

00:36:25.000 I just, I've always loved people and language.

00:36:28.960 And, um, I went to a school where we were encouraged to not declare a major until junior

00:36:34.880 year.

00:36:35.560 Okay.

00:36:36.040 And, um, that's cool.

00:36:37.820 I appreciate that.

00:36:38.740 Yeah.

00:36:39.080 Like figure out what you want to do.

00:36:40.380 Yeah.

00:36:40.980 Um, and then, so I took intro to Ling, um, with Meredith Landman and, uh, I just was very

00:36:50.720 upset.

00:36:51.800 I was like obsessed actually.

00:36:53.100 I, I loved linguistics.

00:36:55.080 Um, that makes a lot of sense to me that you love linguistics because you're a really

00:36:58.940 effective communicator and that's, it's hard to communicate if you don't understand language

00:37:03.360 and like, are you good at relating to people?

00:37:05.380 I think I've gotten good at communicating also, um, for my counseling days.

00:37:11.160 Like I had to, we did like activities that were like active listening.

00:37:16.560 Like intention versus impact.

00:37:18.160 Yes.

00:37:20.800 I know all about that.

00:37:23.140 Yes.

00:37:23.480 The iceberg of oppression.

00:37:25.160 Yes.

00:37:25.800 Yeah.

00:37:27.120 It's funny you say that because my sister is a lesbian. 1.00

00:37:29.500 She's over there.

00:37:30.400 Okay.

00:37:30.700 Hello community.

00:37:31.780 She said, Hey queen.

00:37:34.520 Uh, and my sister went to the university of Oregon.

00:37:36.580 Okay.

00:37:37.120 Yes.

00:37:37.420 And so gay people up in the PNW. 0.87

00:37:40.120 Yeah.

00:37:40.600 I know all about it.

00:37:42.840 My sister came back with lots of lessons for me.

00:37:46.220 And there's also the three eyes, the institutional impact, the interpersonal impact and the individual.

00:37:53.280 That's the real gay agenda is effective communication. 0.98

00:37:56.640 That's pushed on us.

00:37:57.980 Right.

00:37:58.500 Yes.

00:37:58.820 Healthy, effective communication.

00:37:59.940 Yes.

00:38:00.200 If only, if only we could get our way. 0.98

00:38:03.480 That's the real gay agenda. 1.00

00:38:04.620 I love that. 0.92

00:38:05.560 Uh, okay.

00:38:05.960 It says on here, you used to work at SeaWorld.

00:38:09.060 Yes.

00:38:09.800 Yes.

00:38:11.280 Or forgetting.

00:38:13.300 Wait.

00:38:13.920 Oh my God.

00:38:14.860 Yes.

00:38:15.280 That was my first job.

00:38:16.380 No, I literally actually talk about SeaWorld all the time.

00:38:18.480 It's just like, it was such a pivotal chapter in my life.

00:38:22.460 Was it?

00:38:22.800 And then sometimes people who like, don't know, I'll just be like, okay, so yeah, well, that

00:38:27.120 was like when I was at SeaWorld and blah, blah, blah, blah.

00:38:29.080 And then they're like, I'm sorry, what do you mean you met at SeaWorld?

00:38:32.020 Okay, back up to SeaWorld.

00:38:32.600 And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, when I worked at SeaWorld for three years.

00:38:37.680 Yeah, it was my first job.

00:38:39.560 I worked in the main mast.

00:38:41.140 It was the main gift shop.

00:38:42.680 And, um, you know, I feel like a truly badge of honor for anybody who's ever worked retail

00:38:47.880 or food service.

00:38:49.260 Yeah. 0.99

00:38:49.760 Like, that's the real bitches. 1.00

00:38:51.760 That's the real God's strongest soldiers. 0.99

00:38:54.840 Exactly.

00:38:55.740 And I don't know.

00:38:56.920 It just, I'm like, well, this is what a job is.

00:38:58.960 Yeah, me too.

00:39:00.480 I'm like, this is how hard you have to work.

00:39:02.440 Like, so, yeah.

00:39:05.120 I can only imagine, too, because that's like a tourist attraction.

00:39:07.580 So I can only imagine how awful people were.

00:39:09.680 And, you know, that part, that part, maybe, I don't know, maybe it is what like taught

00:39:20.880 me how to be able to like deal with the noise.

00:39:26.640 Oh, I'm sure.

00:39:27.320 You know, it's like.

00:39:28.260 Yeah, absolutely.

00:39:29.080 It's like a mom of five from Missouri who has a sunburn in a very strange configuration

00:39:35.300 on her face because she didn't know how to put her sunscreen on right.

00:39:38.620 But she's mad because they, we don't have the mug that has her daughter's name spelled 0.99

00:39:44.700 right.

00:39:45.160 And I'm like, well, I'm sorry, you shouldn't have named your daughter Kaylee and spelled

00:39:49.320 it.

00:39:49.680 With an I-G-H. 0.98

00:39:51.000 Well, it would be like E-E-I-G-H and then a silent Y at the end.

00:39:56.120 And it's just like, I don't, I'm sorry, we don't have it for you, but.

00:39:59.660 My bad.

00:40:00.420 Yeah.

00:40:00.820 Sorry.

00:40:01.340 Yeah. 0.88

00:40:02.000 It's funny because when I talk about the fucking two seconds I worked in a restaurant, I was 0.97

00:40:07.340 like, yeah, the way my mouth is set up, I can't have this job. 0.99

00:40:12.340 Like, I'm going to get, I'm going to catch a fucking case if I keep working at this restaurant. 0.98

00:40:15.900 I was really bad at being a waitress. 0.97

00:40:18.580 Were you?

00:40:18.940 I did not last.

00:40:20.440 I did not last.

00:40:21.320 I literally lasted one day.

00:40:23.260 And then I had to, well, what I wanted was to work room service.

00:40:26.380 That was actually my dream.

00:40:28.300 Why?

00:40:29.520 Why did you want to do that?

00:40:31.580 I just thought it was cool.

00:40:34.100 It's just like.

00:40:35.280 Did you move into the room?

00:40:36.180 Yeah, I was like, yeah, it's like, it's like a field trip every day.

00:40:42.720 And I don't know, you're like going in people's rooms.

00:40:44.760 It's like a little.

00:40:45.500 You beat chismosa on there. 0.92

00:40:46.600 Yeah.

00:40:47.120 Yeah.

00:40:47.500 You like being a chismosa on there. 1.00

00:40:48.700 Yeah.

00:40:49.060 I get it.

00:40:50.200 I get it.

00:40:50.700 So, but I had to start in the restaurant.

00:40:53.380 Like that was, they like forced me.

00:40:56.560 I, yeah, I think the only tips I got were pity tips.

00:40:59.640 It was so, I was so bad.

00:41:01.480 And then they were like, okay, you're right.

00:41:02.520 You're right.

00:41:02.740 You're right.

00:41:02.960 Room service.

00:41:03.360 And I'm like, yes, self-determination.

00:41:05.100 I do know who I am.

00:41:06.400 I know my skillset.

00:41:07.380 I'm going to thrive in the room service industry.

00:41:11.020 It's funny.

00:41:11.560 Cause like when I was a waitress too, I, it didn't last very long, but it, the entire

00:41:16.560 time I remember thinking, I cannot believe how many people go out to eat with the intention

00:41:21.820 of terrorizing a server.

00:41:23.500 Truly.

00:41:24.060 It feels like it's on purpose.

00:41:25.040 Like they're like, I'm going to swing on someone, but I can't.

00:41:27.300 So I'm going to go to Chili's and I'm going to ruin that person's day.

00:41:29.860 Like I can't imagine.

00:41:31.320 I'm sure there's Facebook groups for this.

00:41:34.180 That's what I'm saying.

00:41:35.180 I'm like, I feel like you're terrorizing me on purpose.

00:41:38.040 Like it was just the strangest thing.

00:41:39.980 And I, I was in college at the time.

00:41:42.160 So I lived in Hawaii and they get, we get a lot of tourists and Australian men, specifically

00:41:48.560 as tourists, Australian men in general. 0.95

00:41:50.500 Now that I do this for a living, like they fucking hate me over there, but like Australian 1.00

00:41:53.640 women love me. 1.00

00:41:54.260 Uh, but Australian men, they are the worst tables ever because they camp for hours. 1.00

00:42:00.700 They drink and get loud and they never tip ever, ever fucking ever waste my time to 1.00

00:42:07.500 take fucking 18 at the time. 0.99

00:42:09.120 Yeah. 1.00

00:42:09.640 It's fucking miserable. 1.00

00:42:10.980 Yeah. 0.99

00:42:11.100 We need to fix, we need to fix tipping culture.

00:42:12.900 Next up on the comment section.

00:42:15.160 Add it to the list.

00:42:16.260 Tell Pope Francis to add that to the list.

00:42:17.660 Okay.

00:42:20.240 The sixth one says before you started acting, you worked as a legal assistant and a counselor.

00:42:24.880 Yes.

00:42:25.340 Yeah.

00:42:25.660 Look at you.

00:42:26.300 Yeah.

00:42:26.640 A girl of many hats.

00:42:27.860 Yeah.

00:42:28.040 You wear so many hats.

00:42:29.020 Yeah.

00:42:29.200 That was when I first started working with, uh, survivors of violence.

00:42:32.540 Oh, look at you.

00:42:33.760 Yeah.

00:42:34.960 And one thing I will say too, that I've noticed in your journey is that I feel like you have

00:42:40.520 always been such an advocate, not necessarily an activist, but I think inherently we become

00:42:46.520 activist when you get a platform, but like you've always been an advocate and you like

00:42:50.920 bring that into your job now.

00:42:52.420 And I find that so admirable.

00:42:53.960 I think that's fucking awesome, especially with the stage and the level of exposure you 0.91

00:42:58.580 have now. 0.93

00:42:59.500 I think a lot of times it can scare people, especially marginalized people for reasons

00:43:03.120 I can understand where you're like, maybe I shouldn't be as honest about how I feel about

00:43:06.800 these things because it might close doors for me, but you're never afraid of that. 0.94

00:43:10.420 And I fucking love that about you. 0.55

00:43:11.840 It's really hard to do that, especially as a marginalized person in this industry. 0.98

00:43:14.920 Oh my God.

00:43:15.680 I think that's wonderful. 0.61

00:43:16.820 And I want to tell you that before we start making more wiener jokes, before we get silly

00:43:21.480 again, have to remember to tell you that, uh, this next one says you performed in a junior

00:43:25.960 version of cats when you were a kid.

00:43:28.800 Yes.

00:43:29.600 Wait, who'd you play in cats?

00:43:33.380 Um, the, I don't remember it was in Mexico, so it was in Spanish.

00:43:37.580 Um, but it was like the rocker cat.

00:43:41.040 I don't know which one that is.

00:43:44.620 I had a solo and it was like a rock star cat.

00:43:48.000 Do you love musical theater?

00:43:49.960 Uh, I cannot say I do.

00:43:54.560 I just, I'm like, why are we singing?

00:44:00.360 We should, can we talk it out?

00:44:02.900 I just, I.

00:44:04.260 What's next to the singing?

00:44:05.240 How's that?

00:44:06.520 Let's get rid of the singing.

00:44:06.900 Yeah, I would love musical theater if they just didn't have the singing. 0.98

00:44:10.440 There you go.

00:44:11.520 I do love a musical film, um, when the, um, it's warranted, like, when it makes sense to

00:44:22.560 me, that makes sense.

00:44:24.220 Like, like they have to be like, like dream girls, they're singers and so they're going

00:44:30.500 to sing, you know, Cadillac records.

00:44:33.880 I mean, maybe I just like Beyonce music girls, but wait, okay.

00:44:37.900 Cadillac records.

00:44:38.780 I love that movie, that soundtrack.

00:44:42.800 I love that soundtrack.

00:44:44.620 Oh my God.

00:44:45.640 And I love Beyonce.

00:44:46.160 Oh my God.

00:44:46.520 I was listening to that soundtrack on the plane, actually on the plane home.

00:44:50.000 That's so T.

00:44:50.460 I listen to it all the time.

00:44:51.000 Literally like for once in a lifetime, the Beyonce, oof.

00:44:54.180 I'd rather go blind.

00:44:54.960 I'd rather go blind.

00:44:55.620 Oh, let's take a walk. 1.00

00:44:56.960 Yeah, bitch. 1.00

00:44:57.480 Is it Raphael Sadiq? 1.00

00:44:59.180 Yeah, bitch. 1.00

00:45:00.480 You're talking my language. 1.00

00:45:01.720 Like, let's take a walk.

00:45:04.260 And let's.

00:45:06.420 See, the Beyonce, she's my Pope. 1.00

00:45:08.160 She's my version of the Pope, to be honest.

00:45:10.840 You know, I would take a meeting with her.

00:45:12.660 Right.

00:45:13.260 I would.

00:45:13.880 Why not?

00:45:14.720 Yeah, let's.

00:45:15.420 Yeah.

00:45:16.980 Okay.

00:45:17.500 It says that you first got asked to audition for the show Generation on HBO Max from a random

00:45:22.160 Instagram DM.

00:45:23.560 Yes.

00:45:24.160 Yeah.

00:45:25.020 Well, there goes one of my two truths in a lie. 1.00

00:45:28.000 Damn it. 0.99

00:45:28.700 Um, yeah, I, um, I got to LA and I was trying to be on my indie filmmaker hustle, you know, 0.99

00:45:35.480 like Ava DuVernay.

00:45:37.100 She had a job and then on the weekends, she would like plug away at her film.

00:45:41.740 And this was a five year process.

00:45:44.740 Um, and finally she made a film.

00:45:46.680 Um, um, and that was sort of the vision I had was like, okay, I'm going to get a job.

00:45:50.020 And I did.

00:45:50.900 Yeah.

00:45:51.480 I did.

00:45:52.280 And guess what?

00:45:52.880 I did get a job.

00:45:54.300 Um, yeah, it was like, and then two days into that job, I got cast on Generation.

00:45:59.500 Um, so acting was sort of the surprise.

00:46:03.860 Really?

00:46:04.500 Yeah.

00:46:04.760 Okay.

00:46:05.460 That's tea.

00:46:06.760 I feel like that happens though with most great artists.

00:46:09.480 They fall into acting.

00:46:11.400 Okay.

00:46:12.160 Most great artists.

00:46:13.460 You are.

00:46:14.760 And that's just me gassing you, but it's also true.

00:46:18.160 Thank you.

00:46:18.720 So sweet.

00:46:19.280 Two things can be true at the same time.

00:46:20.720 And then obviously your last fact it's, we already talked about it, but it's about your

00:46:24.280 short film.

00:46:24.960 Yeah.

00:46:25.300 But just to circle back to your short film, uh, what do you hope people take away from it?

00:46:29.940 Yeah.

00:46:30.260 When they see it.

00:46:31.020 Yeah.

00:46:31.540 So the film is called all the words, but the one.

00:46:33.800 And it is out available for everyone to watch, um, at all the words, film.com.

00:46:40.820 And I hope that people watch it and allow themselves to feel, I hope that people are not

00:46:50.040 afraid of the questions that may come up, um, in the film.

00:46:54.240 Yeah.

00:46:54.680 We live in a violent world.

00:46:56.160 We live in a world that makes it very hard to know what to do with, with pain and trauma

00:47:04.160 that comes from violence.

00:47:05.380 And, um, um, I think so often the answers that were given, uh, culturally are, and institutionally

00:47:14.380 are based in punishment and, and carceral responses.

00:47:19.480 And so what does it look like when we really ask, what do we need?

00:47:26.500 And, and it's really up to each individual survivor to say what they need.

00:47:31.320 Yeah.

00:47:31.740 And maybe, maybe what that person needs is not to tell everybody.

00:47:36.440 Yeah.

00:47:36.860 And is not to, to have this whole public, um, you know, confrontation.

00:47:42.080 And, and maybe that survivor needs to have her own process within, maybe she wants to 0.96

00:47:47.760 tell one person, but we're not entitled to know anyone's process.

00:47:52.920 Um, and so I hope people are willing to engage with, with all of these, these questions.

00:47:59.300 Also, I should say it's, it's sexy.

00:48:02.240 Period.

00:48:02.940 It's steamy.

00:48:03.920 Mm-hmm.

00:48:04.560 It's delicious.

00:48:05.960 So don't be afraid of it.

00:48:07.420 Yeah.

00:48:07.780 Yeah.

00:48:08.040 All the words, but the one.

00:48:08.960 And I, and I, having watched it, I will say, I do love that at a certain point to me, it

00:48:15.860 felt like when she, obviously when she did talk about it, when she was ready, I loved

00:48:21.000 that it felt like she didn't need the validation.

00:48:24.000 Yeah.

00:48:24.340 You know what I'm saying?

00:48:25.100 From, from the other person.

00:48:26.660 Yeah.

00:48:26.900 She didn't need them to validate whether it was good, bad, why, like, how come, like all

00:48:33.360 of these different questions that may come up.

00:48:35.200 Like she didn't need it because she had her own and I love that part of it.

00:48:38.660 Yes.

00:48:39.100 I think that's beautiful without trying to give away too much.

00:48:40.980 Yeah.

00:48:41.340 I thought that was beautiful.

00:48:42.340 Oh, that means a lot to me.

00:48:44.180 Yeah.

00:48:44.480 I'm so glad.

00:48:45.260 And I'm so glad that you are not only starring in these huge, amazing shows, but you're also

00:48:52.180 creating your own art and putting it out in the world at the same time, multitasking 1.00

00:48:56.100 like a motherfucker. 1.00

00:48:56.940 Look at you. 1.00

00:48:57.500 It's what we got to do.

00:48:58.680 Right.

00:48:59.340 It's what we got to do.

00:49:00.300 And I, and I, and I have to say, I wouldn't have it any other way.

00:49:03.420 You know, it's, it's such a blessing to have been a part of something that had such huge

00:49:10.680 reach.

00:49:11.240 Um, and I, I can't tell you how special it was to, to do this short film with this group

00:49:18.980 of people that no one knew about.

00:49:21.300 It was during the strike and I, and I checked, I was allowed to do it.

00:49:25.700 You know, I wasn't, no one, I wasn't striking against myself.

00:49:28.900 So, um, uh, we were striking against the studios, but, um, yeah, it was, it was this,

00:49:35.640 this beautiful, um, transformative community process.

00:49:40.980 And, um, and I hope that I get to continue doing things like that.

00:49:45.200 Yeah.

00:49:45.380 I love that.

00:49:45.980 And I think that's so, I think it's beautiful and necessary for many reasons, but especially

00:49:49.900 because, and I'm sure you know this too.

00:49:52.420 Um, and my other friends have told me who are in the industry too. 0.99

00:49:54.800 It's like, sometimes people like us have to write our own shit. 0.99

00:49:57.480 Yeah. 1.00

00:49:57.660 We have to put our own shit in the world. 0.99

00:49:58.700 Like we have to make our own art because we're sick and tired of waiting around for 0.99

00:50:02.500 someone else to do it.

00:50:03.560 Yeah.

00:50:03.960 I'm like, y'all keep casting white people and we'll make other stuff. 0.89

00:50:06.280 How's that?

00:50:07.560 Let's make that deal together.

00:50:08.800 That's what it's looking like.

00:50:11.100 For now, that's what we'll do.

00:50:14.000 Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. 0.97

00:50:15.900 I fucking love you. 0.97

00:50:16.780 Oh, thank you so much. 0.97

00:50:17.880 I love you too.

00:50:20.100 I'm like, Oh my God.

00:50:21.840 Yeah.

00:50:22.460 No, it actually is really, I have to say,

00:50:24.800 it is just, even though I've met you several times now, it still is wild to know that you're

00:50:31.620 the person that popped up on my TikTok screen.

00:50:34.300 Cause trust me, I was, I was deep in the TikTok trenches during the pandemic.

00:50:38.660 Um, and you were just speaking so courageously and, and it felt like you were speaking with

00:50:47.480 the voice of all of us who are fed up with, with being told that we're not enough and that

00:50:54.980 we are not beautiful, that we don't deserve love, whatever it is, and you lead with love

00:51:00.680 and humor.

00:51:01.800 Um, and it's, and it's just so amazing.

00:51:05.120 And, and I feel so lucky that we've now got to share this.

00:51:08.620 We're going to cry together. 0.96

00:51:12.940 I fucking love you. 0.99

00:51:14.100 I think you're amazing. 0.99

00:51:14.920 If I can ask you one more question.

00:51:16.240 Yeah, of course.

00:51:17.000 Of course.

00:51:17.380 Do you have any advice for any aspiring artists that are looking to get into this industry?

00:51:23.120 As we've talked about before, it's beautiful and suffocating and everything in between all

00:51:28.760 the wonderful, amazing things and all the terrible things at the same time.

00:51:31.700 And for anyone, especially now where I feel like art is under attack in so many ways, whether 0.97

00:51:36.300 it's by AI or it's by the administration, whatever the fuck it may be.

00:51:40.760 Um, do you have any words of wisdom or courage for people who are artists and want to get into 0.84

00:51:45.780 this industry?

00:51:46.440 So despite everything it's going against.

00:51:48.460 Yeah.

00:51:49.920 Uh, you're going to have to fight for something.

00:51:53.100 And so you might as well fight for something that you really believe in, something that

00:52:00.060 aligns with your values and something that can bring you closer together with other people.

00:52:04.960 Yeah.

00:52:05.480 Um, and, and that is going to become more and more important.

00:52:09.920 I think as this century goes on, as the killer bees are going to start appearing and

00:52:16.420 you know, the robot dogs, you know, like we, yeah, we have to believe in something

00:52:23.100 in order to fight for it.

00:52:24.660 That's so T that's so true. 0.99

00:52:26.620 Of course you're fucking wise, whatever. 0.94

00:52:30.100 Thank you so much for coming on the show. 0.98

00:52:31.720 I fucking love you. 0.97

00:52:32.580 You're amazing. 0.97

00:52:33.340 I love you too.

00:52:33.820 And I'm so glad we're in each other's lives and in love now.

00:52:36.220 Period.

00:52:36.700 Love that for us.

00:52:37.620 Thank you.

00:52:38.440 Thank you so much for joining us on this week's episode of the comment section show

00:52:41.360 for the two and a half people that may not know.

00:52:44.120 Where can everybody find you?

00:52:45.880 Um, my, should I talk to the camera?

00:52:48.880 Yeah.

00:52:49.560 To that one.

00:52:50.320 Um, my Instagram is Nava Mao and my film Instagram is all the words film.

00:52:57.240 You can watch the film at all the words film.com.

00:53:00.340 Yay.

00:53:01.300 Very much.

00:53:01.880 And please go watch Nava and literally anything she's in. 0.88

00:53:04.680 It's all fucking brilliant.

00:53:06.100 Obviously all my friends are talented and hot. 0.96

00:53:08.820 It's crazy.

00:53:10.160 I'm 10 for 10 on all of them.

00:53:12.540 Thank you so much for joining us on this episode.

00:53:14.300 Thank you so much to my amazing guest Nava Mao.

00:53:16.160 Don't forget new episodes of the comment section drop every Wednesday.

00:53:18.760 You can stream the audio on all streaming platforms, but the video is for free and exclusively on

00:53:22.500 our favorite platform, Spotify.

00:53:24.100 Thank you so much for watching.

00:53:25.220 Thank you so much to Nava Mao and I'll see you next week.

00:53:27.400 Bye.

The Comment Section with Drew Afualo - June 04, 2025

YOU DON’T THINK I WANT TO RELAX？ Ft. Nava Mau ｜ Episode 172

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