how's your morning going?
it's going pretty good. it's, like, my first major activity.
um, i've been in new york for, like, three months now, just doing nothing, so--
oh my gosh, you've been in new york, like, three months?
yeah. um, well, i'm gonna be here for three months. i don't know why i said it like that.
so, um, yeah, i've been here for, like, two weeks now.
do you like l.a. or new york better?
um, i'm from l.a., so i'm gonna say l.a. for sure. but new york, i like, it holds a special place in
my heart. i have a good time out here every time. and it's fun, everything's very close and, like,
you go out on the street, there's always something happening. it's so funny, like,
there's, like, things will happen on the streets that you would never see in, like, like, a year of
being in los angeles. you see, like, yesterday, i got a free painting, um, from this guy diego,
an artist in tompkins square park. um, shout out, diego, my guy, painting for no reason. but, yeah.
love that nice little welcome back gift, you can hang it in your apartment.
exactly, exactly.
he knew, he knew--
he knew. he did.
okay, so, you have a new "dragons: the nine realms" coming out.
yes, we do, we do. very excited about it. dr. d is back in action.
how do you feel about your voice and seeing you animated versus you in person
for your other acting jobs that you've had?
um, i think it's, honestly, it's really cool to see yourself animated. uh, i feel like
i've been fortunate enough where d'angelo, like, honestly, he favors me a little bit. so, it, like,
really makes sense when my voice comes out of the character. um, but it's still, it's still
kind of trippy, you know, being somebody who grew up watching cartoons and anime and always
being a huge fan, it's, like, your dream come true, it's your dream realized. i mean, me and
my sister would always look at characters and be like, that one's gonna be me, that one's me.
yeah.
now it's like, it actually is. and my younger cousin watches the show, so,
um, it's pretty cool, it's pretty dope.
it's so crazy. do you, when you're watching it, and you hear your voice,
i know you said it's a little bit trippy, but do you, like, you know,
like, when you hear yourself, it's like, oh i sound bad, like, that does not sound like me.
yeah. i feel, like, it's, um, honestly, after being on "black-ish" and "grown-ish" for
so many years, it's, like, i'm used to it. it's still a little bit cringy. um,
i hate, it's always uncomfortable to watch yourself because you do sound different,
and you sound--but, like, i feel like, for some reason, d'angelo is, like, when i don't
have to see my face, and i can just hear my voice, i'm like, all right, i rock with this.
and did you record in person? like, when did you record it?
because i know a lot of, during covid, people recorded, like, in their houses.
yeah, yeah, we recorded in person, sometimes we recorded on the dreamworks lot, sometimes
we recorded in burbank. they have, like, a little sound stage over there. um, but yeah,
all of it was in person, but we don't really ever get to interact with each other. it's the way
animation is done nowadays, which is unfortunate because i used to--a lot of shows that i did
earlier, like, in the past, we, if we had, like, group scenes, we would get together and all be
in the recording booth together. um, but now, we're kind of separated. um, but for some reason,
it all works so well, we have an excellent, um, voice booth director in mary, and john has been
with the characters for so long, so, um, yeah, it all ends up working out. we do it in person.
it's so funny, though, because that you don't, a lot of times it's, like,
when we interview other voice actors, it's like,
oh no, i didn't meet, like, any of the other cast, like, we never recorded--
yeah, no.
it comes together so well.
i honestly have not met anybody. i met some people, but i know that there were, like, some
role changes and stuff. i don't think i've ever met jeremy. so, um...
that's crazy. you're like in a whole production together.
i know, exactly. that's, like, my best friend on tv, and it's, like, i've,
we've been working together for four years, and i've never met him. it's hilarious.
when you found out that you first got it, and you were going to be an animated character, was,
like, what was the reaction? were you excited? i mean, you, of course probably were excited,
but were you kind of, like, this is going to be, like, a new venture for me, or...?
yeah, i had done, um, a few animated projects in the past. so, i've done "she-ra and the princesses
of power", "home", um, "the good dinosaur", so it was, like, all right, this is cool, like, another,
another--i love doing voiceovers. just, a lot of, every time you get in the booth, you really just
get to go full force, so i feel like acting, um, when you're on camera, is a little bit more, um,
nuanced sometimes with, like, what you have to do with your face, but voiceover, you can really
just focus on using this instrument and just going ham, you know what i mean? so, it's fun.
so, in one of the taglines, "new dragons, new adventures", so
what the craziest adventure in your personal life, do you think, that you've been on?
craziest adventure i've been on in my personal life? um, honestly, this, this three months in
new york is gonna be, it's gonna be pretty fun. i'm actually, i'm subletting a room for one of
my friends, and i'm here with my girlfriend, and we're just chilling, just trying to figure things
out, don't really have any plans. so, um, it's definitely been a crazy adventure to embark on.
i guess this whole, like, doing "grown-ish" and "black-ish" was a wild adventure. um,
trying to think of something more exciting that doesn't make me seem mundane. um, i don't know,
those are--oh, i went zip-lining in puerto rico. that was crazy. there was no safety also, this was
the craziest experience i've ever had. there was no safety while we were climbing up to, like, the
100-foot, like--yeah, exactly, and it was raining, and we weren't, like, strapped to anything. it was
the scariest thing i've ever done in my life, because, like, you slip and you're just dead.
you're done.
yeah, you're done.
so, um, that was, that was an adventure.
definitely not. that wins, that wins.
that def--yeah.
and on your instagram, you've been to a couple rams games. are you a big football fan?
big, big rams fan, for sure, yeah. and, i mean, i grew up a raiders fan cuz my dad was a,
um, a raiders fan and, but, you know, we've got a team back in l.a. finally, so...
and they won the super bowl, so you're probably very excited about that.
i was at, i was at the super bowl. that was, that was, like, one of the
greatest adventures of my life as well. um, yeah, i mean, just bless up, let's go rams.
you want odell to come back?
i mean, obviously. odell was, like, a key piece for us in the super bowl. he got injured,
which was, like, unfortunate, but it's always great to have, like, a flashy kind of player
on your team. it's always exciting, you know what i mean? so, i'd love to have odell back.
we'll see. okay, so we have a game, "this or that?"
okay.
so, there's two scenarios, and you'll pick which one.
all right.
okay. dragons or snakes?
dragons.
facetime or voice call?
voice call.
don't like the facetime vibe?
i do not need facetime. i'm just like, i will listen to your--i don't, i'd rather text,
honestly. so the voice call is a big step for me. yeah.
stay in or go out?
um, i'm a little bit of both. i probably stay in most of the time, though, i'll admit.
yeah. in new york, though, you're gonna have to step out.
yeah, exactly. no, i've been having that--people are having, like, freaking dinner at 9 and then,
like, linking up for pre-games at 11. i'm like, uh, i'm not built for this.
no because new york never closes. like--
exactly.
--like, 2, like, we're gonna pre-game--
yeah.
but, like, in new york--because i lived there for 3 years--and
it's, like, 5am is, like, normal to get home.
yeah, exactly. i'm like, uh, this is not--i need my beauty sleep.
uh, lose sleep or skip a meal?
um... i honestly normally have like two meals a day for some reason, because i have like big
meals, so i'll say skip a meal because i, like, eat humongous meals each meal that i have, so...
uh, pause time or rewind time?
um... i think, i think rew--i'm gonna go rewind.
okay.
that way, you make a mistake, you just, bam, back.
big family or small family? which one do you want?
oh, which one do i want? um,
i think, i think, like, small, i would say. i don't know about small but, like,
i mean, what would you consider, like, two to three kids? how is that, like, big or small?
i would say that's small.
that's small, right? that's, like, normal, i would say. yeah.
and last one: binge-watch the show or one episode at a time? any show.
uh, binge-watch. i honestly, you know, i am pretty terrible at binging, though,
but, like, i like to binge, but i just start way too many series at one time,
so i end up watching a couple episodes at a time, then another series. i'm back and forth.
yeah. well, thank you so much. congratulations on the new project,
and have fun and the best time in new york for 3 months.
i appreciate it. i will, i will.