Speaker 1: The name of the podcast network is Arrow dot net
A r r oe dot net. Twenty different podcasts to
choose from, one of them being missed Opportunity. You know,
of all of the people that I've shared conversations with,
what you've never experienced are my missed opportunities. So I've
gone back and I've re asked the questions, and believe
it or not, those that missed their chance to share
a conversation with me are replying missed Opportunity from Arrow
dot net A r r oe dot net. Enjoy your exploration.
Speaker 2: Going on Arrow?
Speaker 1: What's going on with you, mister New York City? Is
Jazzy's sitting there with you? She was just in here
a couple of seconds ago. So I'm sure she's walking
through the house right now going what did he drop
on the floor? What can I get that he's not watched?
Speaker 2: All right?
Speaker 1: All right?
Speaker 2: From one JR?
Speaker 1: Take it away, Arrow JR. I mean, I'll tell you
what you make it very tough to start a conversation
because there're so many different things I want to jump
into first, and I think the first one that no
one else is going to talk to you about today
is that you've gone full circle once starting on a
show called Arrow and now you're talking to an arrow.
Ta da, look at that. That's full circle.
Speaker 2: I love that. That's amazing, dude.
Speaker 1: I'm what you are doing with It's not like that
is something that really this is the kind of stuff
that I why I called today's writing and acting and
and outreach such the greatest place ever in the history
of broadcasting because we're so relatable on these programs.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I mean, that's one of the that's honestly,
like it's myself. Then. You know, almost two decades in
this business, I've done some I've been blessed to stay
employed and do some incredible work, and you know something
can work on some incredible stuff and really kind of
stretch myself. But I don't know, Man, the moment this
one came around the writing, the moment I read it,
I was like, man, these characters are just they're just different.
They feel It felt so put together, it felt so
flushed out of course, it felt so relatable. And then
and it wasn't just like Scott's character or Aaron's characters,
the kids and the bullying and dealing with losing the mom,
the cancer and like I mean all the avenues of
just like, man, this is this is different like if this,
if you know, pour our damn hearts and so into
this and give this everything we have. We have some
we got a little lightning in the bottle here regardless
of what happens. And it's funny because when we finish shooting,
I was playing golf in a friend of mine is
just like he was asking me, he asked me something
about it. I was like, you know, and then I
don't think I've ever said this, but I can give
two craps if anyone watches this. I am so proud
of the show. He's like, I don't think. I don't
think i've ever heard you say I heard you say that.
I was like, I just I'm so proud of it. Man.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you see, man, you just gave me a flashback
of the nineteen nineties when my program director said nobody's
watching saying elsewhere, but damn, it's the best thing I've
ever seen in my life. And I'm sitting here going,
oh my god, I can so relate with you right now, dude,
because it doesn't matter. It's brilliant, and you know what,
thirty years from now, they're going to be watching because
it has a way of making its way back.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, exactly exactly, and.
Speaker 1: To fall into that writing because I mean, first of all,
to be able to write like that and for someone
like yourself to step into that role, they've got to
make that bridge a bridge and not a wall. That
you've got to sit there and say, I don't know
if the hell they're talking about. All right, I'll go
with it. But how is it that you're making you
know that you say that, well, you know, at least
I'm staying in play. But the fact of the matter is,
I never feel like that you're doing a job. I
feel like that you're actually doing what you're doing, that
you've lived this.
Speaker 2: God, bless you man, Thank you so much. Yeah, you know,
I can't on this one. There are so many topics
too that gave me such that the character has such
a beginning, middle, and end. David really has a lot
going on. When I first read it, I'm like, ooh,
it's kind of the antagonist, and right away I created
like there is no villains in this story. I was like,
all right, well, I just touched a nerve. But I
was like, uh no, I get it. I get it,
and He's right at the end of the day, this
is just a darn good man who is flawed, like
we all are, just trying to figure himself out of
trying to find clarity who then trying to be in
a good dad and making mistakes and separating the family
and again so many things. My parents got divorced when
I was twenty two, right when I caught the acting
bug and I left to La and like, and it
was really interesting for me to kind of be like,
this is God really putting this in front of me
in a way that like, now I get to kind
of play the other side of it, you know, I
kind of play a little bit of Dad's side of it,
and like, and I just there's so many aspects of this,
from that to the alcoholism, which I didn't sleep for
like two weeks. This last episode was like it was
playing drunk for me is one of the hardest things
an actor can do. And like, I went back to
an old acting coach. I mean, I didn't sleep for
two weeks. I gave it everything I had because I
really just wanted to. It's a lot of responsibility, man,
and I really put that one on my shoulders and
I was like, I'm not gonna I'm going to do
the best I can do and we'll see what happens.
But like, I'm going to give this one everything I got.
I mean, there's just so much beautiful storytelling in this
But I'll come back around as saying the create the
creativity and the collaborativeness that these creators have allowed us
to have, from allowing me from calling me and being like, hey,
what's a Cuban food? We made him Cuban? So what's
the food that your parents love? You need? You know, everything, Like,
there's so much often there's so much authenticity and collaborativeness
in this show, and I think that that makes it
so easy for us to just trust them and and
just jump off the cliffs because that's all you have
to do.
Speaker 1: Please do not move. There's more with JR. Ramerez coming
up next the name of the show. It's not like
that on Prime video. We are back with JR. Ramerez.
You gotta be honest with me here when it comes
to you're talking about collaborations, all right. When you're sitting
at home and Freddy is sitting right there in front
of you, do you run the lines by Freddie.
Speaker 2: I got my lab right now.
Speaker 1: See see what I'm saying, that's my lab.
Speaker 2: We were talking about that. We were talking about that
ritter before you came on. He was saying, this is
another dog lover you're about to speak to. Yeah, he's
literally I'm outside right now on my porch. I have
the door open so he can go outside and hang out.
He loves the son. And this little dude is on
my lap right now. He's just it's uh, you know,
they're just the best, man, They're.
Speaker 1: There are the best, because I mean, there's so much
that goes on when it comes to bringing a production
like this to life, and and there are many times
I will sit there and just stare at the credits
because I want even the grip to get credit. I
want someone to say, Johnny Bulaski, oh my god, I
didn't realize he was the grip for this one. Because
you're right, it takes an entire team to make this happen.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely absolutely. Man, There's so many people, and it
can't happen without everybody, you know. That's why. You know,
I've had my moments of of kind of going into
certain people I've worked with before and then just kind
of yelling at them in the sense of being like
this we're not we get to play for a living.
Guys like we like don't like anyone who takes himself
so seriously, you know, just like gets me so mad.
I'm like, what we get to do is such a
darn blessing. And there's so many people. I've seen people,
you know, I've seen actors, three pas badly, these pas
are working their butts off. They're the first one's there,
they are the last ones to leave. They don't make
any money, And I'm like, what, like, have some self respect, man,
have some like this is a humans who's doing everything
they can do to cater to your dark needs while
you sit here and get to play for a living.
Like come on, man, you know it's just like, uh,
we are nothing without without you know, this is a
collaborative art form and it's from the top to the bottom,
you know, like you said, from a grip to a light,
to lightning to the person that lights the stage, to everybody, like,
we can't do this without everyone. And honestly, we had
like the most incredible team he had. Touch again, they
did such an incredible job bringing bringing people together, just
like from our UPN. Who's the one who's like our
line manager's the one who's got to save money. Most
of them are kind of tough. The guy was in Dured.
This guy, this guy was a dread. Here's the cool
CUPN I've ever had. Like, I mean, they did such
a great job bringing an incredible team together of just
good humans, you know.
Speaker 1: Well, to me, it all goes back to what we've
all experienced in life and now the higher energy is
using the good and the bad moments to create even
a stronger team and Toda here you guys are.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's one of the way that works. Wow.
Speaker 1: So like when you're playing a character versus your real life,
do you run into those situations where somebody will give
you a quote and you have to say, uh, that
was my character, that's not JR. Because I run into
that with things that I do on the podcasting on iHeartRadio,
I go you know that was Arrow that said that.
The other guy in me he's not such the actor.
But what we can run with it if you want
to do you run into those walls, you know what?
Speaker 2: Not so much, man, not so much. I normally have
people come up to me and like excuse me and
speak about like, you know, I mean, it all depends.
I mean I've had moments of you know, I have
these moments sometimes where I'm the Jr. Is a very
he's uh, he's got probably some of the worst impostile
syndrome in the planet. I'm very hard on myself and uh,
I don't know if I'll ever go away. And there's
a sense of it that could be healthy and keep
me motivated and pushing forward to be better. But I uh, yeah,
I you know, sometimes I forget the impact of what
we are doing and the impact I could have on people,
and I'm manifest. I have this lady who I don't
really ever reach, you know, I don't engage with people
socially like that. But this lady kept reaching out to
me and sending me pictures and she was going through
to stage four cancer and were able to beat it
and like and and and it was just like and
she continued to send me all these videos of watching
our show and how it like literally inspired her to
want to push forward and like on these crazy dark
days and I'm like, this is incredible, man, this is
this is this is like we I never think about
the impact of what I love what I do, But
I never think about I never take a step step
back and just think about, like an that the impact
I can have with somebody. Right now, I had someone
writing me this beautif thing this morning. You know that
they're you know, they've been going through years of alcoholism
and trying to get over it and you know, ruined
the marriage and trying to be a good father. And
they watched the episode and they had all these incredible words,
and I'm like, that's that's that is. That is more
rewarding than like, I mean, it's hard to put into words,
you know, so cool what we get to do.
Speaker 1: That is the kind of stuff where I feel inside
my soul that your image then when it comes up
on a photo, it may not be associated with it's
not like that, but we see a photo of you
and we're going to think of that show. That's that's
where you are with this show. And the impact that
this show is going to have growing forward is that
we're just going to see an image. We're going to
know exactly where we were, and it's going to go.
Do you remember that episode when we were watching this
and blah blah blah blah and people are gonna say, God, Gang,
I was there, I could feel what they were trying
to say.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I hope, so, man, I really hope. So we're
really proud of this, and I hope in your words
of God's are you know?
Speaker 1: Is that odd as an actor because I know that
many musicians will always tell me they'll go, you know,
I'm not shooting for the hits because I don't want
you to count my swings, and I'm going I totally
get that. But but when you've got something like it's
not like that, it's like there's no swinging going on,
You're hitting that damn ball.
Speaker 2: You never know, bro, you just you know, you know
how it goes. It's probably the same with you guys
over there, like you just never know what what people
are going to connect to, and you know what, you
just never know. You just really you really just never know.
So I try to just at the end of the day.
That's why I said that to my friend when I
was golf and I was like, I don't care who watches,
obviously I do. I would love to do this, you know,
I would love to do this show for the next
you know, five years of my life. These people are incredible,
and I can only imagine how far like where the
story can go with these incredible creators and collaborative creators.
I wish we had to go off in the next
five years, but you just never really just don't know
what people are going to connect to. But I like
you said something that I really feel like the show's
going to live on for a long time. And I
think that because it's so beautifully done, and it's done
in a way that is just it. There's so many
relatable storylines. I really think that this show's going to
live on for a long time. I really do.
Speaker 1: Well, look at the way that you're putting yourself into
it through that writing and through everything around you, because
you deal with uncomfortable subjects, because you know every one
of us on this side of the flat screen. We
may have to say that my wife is dead, and
it's like you've dealt with it already. How did you
deal with it?
Speaker 2: What did we do?
Speaker 1: How can we grow from it? How can I come
back to it? How can I learn from it? How
can I get back to that episode. That's what I
love about about streaming today is I can go back
to an episode where somebody has faced a situation and
I can grow from.
Speaker 2: It yep, yeah, and watch a specific moment that specifically
speaks to you.
Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, yeah. So now does this qualify as a
rom com or is that just a movie thing? Because
I mean it's got that, you know, that edge to
it that makes you go, God danged, I'm entertained as
well as informed with this one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll write a funny attack man. And they're so
clever and Aaron's obviously comes from a comedic Aeron comes
from a comedic background, so it's her timing is awesome.
Scott Foley is a sleeper. He is he is. He
is a quick witted son of a gun. He is.
He is very witty and he's very smart, and he's
been doing this for a very long time. And uh,
you know, I yeah, it's it's got a little bit
of everything I can tell you. See. As hopefully the
Can Show continues to progress and we'll have a couple
more seasons hopefully to be able to continue to tell
this incredible story. Uh, there'll be a lot more comedic
moments thrown in there for sure, because Ian and Christen
are they're so good at that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So when someone calls you a passionate perfectionist.
Speaker 2: Oh.
Speaker 1: I have faced that with more operations managers, and they
always tell me you got to put away mister perfectionist
because it's costing me flow. And this is about cash flow.
What happens when you do earn that label of a
of a passionate perfectionists? Do you kind of stand up
straight or you go, okay, how can we work this out?
So you understand where I'm coming from.
Speaker 2: You know. And for me and my work, as long
as I corellas in my golf game, as long as
I am allowed to, as long as I'm allowed to
get out of my own way and I do my work. Yeah, sure,
I've got to learn to be gentle. Jr. Needs to
be more gentle with himself and pat himself more on
the back. Sure, you know. But as long as I
do my work, and as long as I get and
we get to that moment of time where we are,
you know, in the battlefield together, and I quiet my
mind and I put my focus on you and I
go do what I need to do, then I'll stand
up with my shoulders where they need to be, you know,
Because like as long as I'm present and I'm there
and I'm learning, and I'm throwing myself off that cliff,
allowing myself to follow my face as I do so
many times. Then we're good, you know, because that just
equates the growth for me. And and that's all I can,
you know, that's all I want in this in this
this one only chapter we have on this you know,
on this planet. So hey.
Speaker 1: So that that inspires me so much because I just
did a thing on iHeartRadio this morning where I go
the things that we post on social media, if we
didn't know who we were as a person and we
came across it, would we inspire us inspire ourselves? I
think that you would inspire yourself because you do go
through things, you do say things, you do, have these roles,
and I'm going, he's got to be inspired by these
other people's writing in order to become a stronger walker forward.
Speaker 2: Mm hmm. It's one hundred percent. I mean for us,
like it starts, I know, we starts. We've got a
couple times, a couple of things right now that we're
working on right now on my production side, but that
we're trying to get off the ground, and like it's
like it starts with the writing. It really starts in
It starts on the page. It starts on the page.
No matter how visionary you are as a director, how
incredible you are as a storyteller, being after whatever, maybe
it starts on that page. You know, so one percent
were nothing about that.
Speaker 1: So then let me ask you this question. And only
because I've been invited to share lectures at different schools
and stuff, because I am so pro writing first, and
teachers will go, no, we got to teach them to
read first. I'm good. I'm not thinking that's the way
to go, because if we're not writing, we're not reading.
I mean because I mean, because I mean, who are
who's going to feed those lines to you if they
haven't written them first? What comes first? The chicken or
the egg?
Speaker 2: Exactly exactly? I mean, it's it's it's it's as it's
factual as we can get my brother like, it starts,
it starts on the page.
Speaker 1: Do you ever have one of those relatable moments on
it's not like that and go at give me five minutes. WHOA,
I've got to deal with this, I've experienced this. I
can give you more if you just give me five
minutes to put it together.
Speaker 2: Well, not really bad to be awes with you, because
we again Ean and Christian had everything in Garrett had
everything ready to go way beforehand, so we were able
to get a material way beforehand, which is a blessing.
Uh because I've had pages, I've had ten pages come
in the night before or the morning of sometimes, you know,
and it's crazy as business, but uh, yeah, we had
so much time to kind of be able to dissect
these words, dissect these humans, understand what they want, understand
what their obstacles are, at least think that we know,
and then we get them because you know, you can
prepare all you want and then you get on, you
get on, you know, you get in the battlefield and
Aaron will throw something my way and I'm like, in
the middle of the damn scene, I'm like I have
a revelation. I'm like, oh, that's what I meant. Come
we go down, Let's go get And they're like, you're
not even done with the dunk KAMD, what are you doing.
I'm like, no, let's go get, let's go good. You know.
So it's just like, yeah, you know, it's it's we
were again even that we were very blessed with we
had the words way beforehand, so I was able to
kind of really let him have too many of those moments.
Speaker 1: How do you get in the car and shake that off?
I couldn't do that. I would have to go home
and vocal def I would have to sit there and
break it down and say, what did you learn from this?
How are we going to grow from this? There's got
to be a message here. I mean, how are you
just shaking that off?
Speaker 2: Or are you? Oh, buddy, I go home and beat
myself up every day. You don't want to ask, You
don't want to ask. You don't want to ask. You
should you should have? You should ask my fiance that question.
I go home every day I'm like, did I did
they call there? She's like, you're not getting fired? You
freaking draw my queen? What's wrong with you? Like? Are
they fire gonna fire me? Are they gonna fire me?
I said the word? I said a word in Spanish
instead of English, like are they gonna fire? I'm the worst?
I'm the I'm the absolute worst.
Speaker 1: I mean, where could people go to find out more
about you? Because you have had a major league presence?
Speaker 2: No? Well, blessing man? Yeah, man, I mean We've got
this show going on right now. I have a film
coming out next year, my first all Spanish film called
The Mouth of the Furnace. Uh. Well, I'm very proud
of and it's very kissing from Uh it's not like that.
It's a it's a it's a little it's like a
our fantasy class horror that I've never done before. But
it's it's a story within a story, kind of like Thinner,
like you know, about this father who's trying to get
his he's trying to do good and get his kid
out of this mining town. Stayed on this kind of
true folk Columbian folklore, and there's he's a miner and
it's a very dangerous business and it's a very real
thing that's happening in Columbia right now. And it's this
beautiful story with this incredible director who's a baby. He's
twenty seven years old. But the guy is you know,
he's he was named a variety he named him up
and coming director to keep an eye on, like the
guy with the Guy of the Beast. And I'm super
I'm super proud of it. I'm super nervous. I really
stressed myself. I've never done a whole dayn thing in
Spanish and yeah, man, so anyways, I got that coming
out next year and then you know, you know, hopefully
blessed enough to so hopefully blest enough to keep telling
this this current story we're doing right now. But it's
not like that, and I have a good feeling about,
you know, it continuing and social is a jail or
eight ramires socially, and.
Speaker 1: Well, please come back to this show anytime in the future.
The door is always going to be open for you.
Speaker 2: You've had lovely energy. Man, I really appreciate you taking
the time this morning.
Speaker 1: Will you be brilliant today? Okay, sir, thank you about
enjoy your talk too, Man, thanks you for your pos