Michael Silvio Fortino, Actor, Comedian, Musician

00:00
You know what one of the worst parts about being just a little bit successful in acting is? Everyone thinks you're doing okay.

00:14
Welcome to another episode of Chewing the Fat. I am your host, Big Robb. Thank you so much for tuning in. I certainly do appreciate that. Also wanna thank the folks that have bought me a coffee at chewingthefatbr.com. Always appreciate that. And also the reviews. If you have a chance, I always appreciate the reviews written at Apple Podcasts or Spotify Podcasts, give me a five star rating. And it really does help the podcast go far.

00:41
Also want to say welcome to our episode sponsor of the Black Cat Picture Show. International Film Festival gonna be happening August 19th through the 21st at Le Chat Noir in downtown Augusta. You can get your entries in at blackcatpictureshow.com. And speaking of films, I'm so excited about my guest today. Please welcome to the show. He's been in Stranger Things. He's been in a Super Bowl commercial. He's been in shows here in Augusta on stage. Welcome.

01:10
Michael Silvio Fortino. Thank you for having me, Robb. Thank you, sir, for coming in. I appreciate it. Of course, of course. So you are an Augusta native? That's correct, yeah. Born and raised in Augusta. I went to Westmont Elementary School, to Columbia, to Evans, and then to Augusta University. Nice, nice. So as an actor, as I mentioned things that are in your bio,

01:38
You always had that kind of performance bug that you wanna show out kind of thing? I think so. So I come from a family of athletes. And my dad was an athlete growing up, and my cousins, I looked up to growing up, they were like, my cousin Steve was drafted by the Cubs. Oh wow. Yeah, he's pretty good, he's pretty good. And I started playing baseball when I was younger, and then when I went to elementary school, they did the school play.

02:06
and they needed a soloist and I was like, I mean, I'll try it out. And I was like, hey, I like this. And my mom was like, well, you can't do both because I started doing player shows. I did Fiddler on the Roof back in 2001. Oh, wow. And my mom was like, well, baseball's at this time and rehearsal's at this time.

02:27
And so she said, you have to make a choice. And I said, well, I want to do the performing thing. And she goes, well, you got to fold up your uniform. You go to the coach's house, you hand it back, and you say, thank you. But this is for me. This isn't for me. Yeah. So, but ever since then, yeah, I've had that performance bug and I'm stuck with it ever since. That's awesome. That's awesome. So when you were coming up and coming along, obviously it sounds like your family very supportive of that. For the most part, yeah.

02:55
Sometimes they don't see the end goal. You know, because I'm like, I have to do this, this, and this, and this part's gonna suck, but when it gets to this part, it's gonna be awesome. And sometimes they're like, are you sure about that? I'm like, yes, I'm sure. And it's hard to see it, but for the most part, yeah, they've been very supportive. And I think that's hard for people that don't do, you know, the...

03:22
the artistic thing, especially whether you be like an actual like, you know, paint and brushes type artist or an actor or something like that There is all the work that you have to do before the exhibition. Absolutely. You know, I do free work you gotta do all that like Ensemble work you got to do the background extra work. You got to do the featured extra work the stand-in I mean you have to work your way up and I would go long distances that didn't make sense to them

03:51
Like I went to New York City to do a featured extra bit on The Deuce. And I just had to spend two weeks out there because there were three shoot days spread over two weeks. Oh wow. And so I stayed with friends and stuff and I had the best time. But to most people, that investment makes absolutely no sense. But to me, I'm like, well, those are the last two days I needed on set to get my sad card. Yeah. So just to be eligible for it.

04:20
And so, yeah, that was a good move, but yeah. But yeah, when you look at it, especially if you're someone who's normally a nine to five clocking in type of thing, it's like, okay, I'm going for two weeks. I'm only working three days and I'm only probably gonna make 150 bucks. Yeah, exactly. Total out of those three days. After all expenses, you're lucky to break even. But usually you're spending more. Yeah. But the...

04:49
The time that you have is there is super valuable. I met an actress named Dominique Fishback, and she's fantastic, and she was one of the leads on the show. And I was standing there, and she was right next to me, and she goes, do I know you from somewhere? I was like, nope, but everybody tells me I look like Alex Wolfe, and she goes, yeah, that's it. That's it.

05:13
I told her I was like, yeah, I'm from Georgia, and I was here trying to get my SAG card, and she was like, high five me. She's like, yeah, where you go? Go for it. And that was cool. It was a valuable moment. And now she's actually friends with Teehan Richards. I don't know if you know Teehan. And he's from Augusta. We went to high school together. Now he's the lead on a CW show coming out soon. The Tom Swift show, yeah. But they're friends, and I'm like, look at that. It's like a connection right there. But those...

05:41
I'm not saying you should go up to the actor and be like, hey, talk to me. But those connections that you make on set are super valuable. Yeah, there's a huge value in the networking side of things. Absolutely. And I think, and I've said this before, especially on artistic things, I say it to my son Jeremy all the time and I've mentioned it on the podcast before, you know, he is a...

06:07
jazz pianist and like, and he wants to score and he wants to, you know, compose for video games or movies and things like that. And I was like, that's awesome. Those jobs don't exist in Augusta, Georgia. You got to go where people can notice you. You got to know, you got to go and you know, be a session player in, in Nashville or something. So that when people come through, you know, you've got that networking, you've got that connection so that when they think, Oh, I need to say, Oh, I know this guy, Jeremy, or, Oh, I need this, this guy with the

06:35
curly dark hair, I know Michael Silvio Fertino. It's so much more valuable than the actual paycheck that you get while you were there. And you know, I did the Disney College program for a short time, which was life-changing for me. When I was there, I took an entertainment and show production course, and one of the producers said, you know, there's jobs here, and they're awesome jobs.

07:04
good luck getting one here. Because everybody here loves it. And if we're leaving, it's because we're retiring, or unfortunately someone gets fired for doing something wrong, or they're getting transferred to something better. So because nobody's leaving. And so let's say you apply for a job and you don't get it. And then the job opens up again.

07:30
am I gonna hire the person that stuck around at Disney waiting for that job to open again, or am I gonna hire the person that left and got better at their craft? And I was like, it's like, don't stick around here waiting for something to open, go get better. Go get better. And I was like, it gave me chills. I was like, all right. I was like, and I actually left my program early to take an internship because I wanted to go back. But you're right, you're right. You wanna get that experience.

08:00
And some of it, some things are here, some things are here, but you gotta go away for a little bit and see other things and learn about other people. Yeah. Yeah, because I think, I mean, that travel, that working with other groups gives you a different perspective, even just doing the same thing in a different location. Absolutely. You know, doing the same type of stuff if you were in Chicago or if you were in New York or LA or Colorado or where, you know, it's gonna give you a different perspective. Absolutely. And different ways of doing things.

08:29
which makes you, I think, more valuable down the road. Absolutely, absolutely. And like I said, that Disney College program was so valuable because I stayed in Augusta for a long time. That was my first extended stay away from home. And I learned so much about myself, but the cool thing, I got that simulated college experience. The dorm situation, I had six people in a three-bedroom apartment. Wow. It was terrible, but no, it was fine.

08:59
but you learn so much and you meet people from all over the world. That was the cool thing. You got the experience of people from different cultures from around the states, but when you met people from around the world, that was just really eye-opening to me. In your pursuit, you say your first role was something at your elementary school or whatever. Right, it was called Once Upon a Lilypad.

09:27
I played Freddy the Frog. I'll never forget it. I almost got fired How does the elementary school kid get fired? I got the note home from school that he doesn't know his lines. Oh, no, some people never grow out of that problem I guess but um My but well, I had a hard time. I didn't learn realize I was older. I had ADHD and I had a really difficult time Studying lines and just absorbing

09:55
And so my babysitter and my mom would just, every day, every day. And I guess I just enjoyed the work and I enjoyed the process. And then, yeah, I just fell in love with it. Yeah, yeah. And you say you still have the same problem memorizing lines or whatever. Is that what drew you to improv? You're like, hey, I can make up my own lines. You know what, I've always loved comedy. I started going to Shredda's Cat when I was 16.

10:24
because they came to Harlem Fest when I was in high school, which was like this festival where all the one act groups would practice their show for the one act competition. And they would do all these cool classes. And I met Gary Dennis. And so I started going to the shows and I started going to rehearsal. And then I just fell in love with it. But the reason I actually got into comedy was as a reflex because I got bullied a lot, tremendous amount of bullying.

10:53
But I realized if I made the joke before they did, they laughed. And then I was like, oh, this is changing people's perspectives. So it became almost a reflex, like just to make people laugh. And then I was like, man, this is actually, I really enjoy this actually. My therapist tried to ruin it for me though. He's like, oh, you make the joke before anybody else can, it's a defense mechanism, very nice. I'm like, don't you, don't ruin comedy for me, okay.

11:20
You know, the thing is I do the same thing and I did the same thing. It's like, you know, if I can, you know, say something that makes you laugh before you want to get in a fight with me or whatever, that's a win for me. Exactly. Call it a defense mechanism. You know, then you become a ninja at defense. That's fine. You know what I mean? You become a comedy ninja. It's exactly, there's, I don't think there's anything, you know, overtly wrong with that, especially when you're.

11:46
in high school in these crazy like social situations and trying to deal with that as well as learning whatever it is that they're trying to pour into you and And figure out hormones and all that other stuff. Oh, yeah, you know, I I think uh, you know a tablespoon or a cup of that Is not a bad thing, right? I I suppose I could understand that once you get past That you know that and you go into the quote-unquote real world. But at that point

12:15
knowing comedy and being able to enjoy it for its own sake instead of its defense sake, I think that's where you start to find that butter zone. Yeah, and I think even though I felt like I honed it through that way, just by using it as a defense mechanism, looking back, I was always a comedy nerd. I was a diehard fan of Mad TV and Saturday Night Live.

12:44
All Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell and Just like weird sketch shows like Mr. Show and stuff like that and I used to watch the show called Wild and Out which is still on but it came on when I was in middle school and Everyone used to do two-line rap battles in the back and I was just like try to take what I It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. I keep driving my phone. It's okay. It's okay but they we do these two line like

13:12
battles like improv battles in the back. And I would just like listen to it and I would just be like, okay, so how can I do that too? And I was like, this is fun. I'm making them laugh. I'm like, okay, okay, maybe comedy is something that I could get into. But when I joined Schrodinger's Cat, it took me a long time to break through and it really was confusing because I thought I was doing a good job. And the current director was like, or the director at the time was just

13:42
not putting me in. And I was like, what am I doing wrong? And then I went to Chris and then Chris sat in on rehearsals and he's like, yeah, I don't understand why you're not in. And from there, I just, you know, I just never looked back. And I did it for a long time and moved to Atlanta. When I came back, I knew I wanted to be the artistic director because I knew that spot was gonna be opening up. And so now I'm working with Schrodinger's Cat trying to,

14:11
Well, it was Schrodinger's Cat Improv and now it is Schrodinger's Cat Comedy. Cause we wanna do more than improv. We wanna do sketch, stand up, we wanna do it all. Yeah, no, that's awesome. And you guys are home based out of Le Chat Noir. Le Chat Noir, yeah. Yeah, Le Chat Noir is such a jewel in the crown of Augusta. It really is. And I think it's one of the probably most underutilized resources by the.

14:37
the city at large, you know what I mean? It's like, oh, I didn't know you had this. It's like, well, it's there, it's been there. I mean, they're going on, what, 16, 17 years now? You know, they're the home for the Black Cat Picture Show, Schrödinger's Cat, of course, they have their main stage season, they have Quickies, they have the performance venue, and they've done the remodel of the bar area there with Zach McCabe from All Equal Parts, and it's just freaking amazing. It's...

15:07
I cannot believe the job they've done with the bar to start. Like Zach has transformed that bar physically and just the spirit of it. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, it has its own entity now. I can't pronounce it. Lay Hydropaths? Yes. On Instagram and all like that too. So I mean, he's constantly creating these custom cocktails for the venue and everything like that. Sorry to gush on the chat. No, no, I love Zach.

15:36
No, I love Zach and I love Lashat too. And the thing is when I booked Martin Ormond right before the pandemic and he came into Lashat, he's performed all over New York City. Like that is his home base. And of course he travels the States, but he said he had never seen anything like that before and he's one of the coolest bars he's ever performed in. And I was like, well, there you go. There you go.

16:00
I'm like, this is a New York comic, and that's like one of the highest compliments you can get right there. Because they do like, I've been to New York, and they got some really cool hole in the wall bars. And I agree, I think Le Chat would be one of those places too. Yeah, for sure. And you mentioned booking Mark Norman in here. That's part of your latest endeavor of Big Brow Productions, correct? Yes, yes.

16:23
You know, obviously it sounds like a production company, but also you do events, you do productions, you do casting, you do talent, you kind of do it all, right? Right, so I started Big Brow Productions because I felt like there was a need in the film community that I could fill. And there have been issues with companies with like writing comedy or casting their productions. And...

16:52
Or they need specialty costumes or specialty props and they don't know where to go. And I felt like that is something that I work well with. I work well with like Uli and Moretz Productions and Le Chat Noir and places like that where I can help improve their product. Which, you know, I felt like that's like, okay, that's the way to make money, but I still wanna do things that are passionate to me, which is like bringing comedians to Augusta that you wouldn't see anywhere else, you know?

17:21
Like you can go to Miller and see like these big huge comics that are coming through, but there are a lot of really good comics that get overlooked. Yeah. You know, and Le Chat Noir is that perfect venue to put them in. Yeah, I mean, and we used to have comedy clubs in Augusta. Yeah. I mean, I think it was literally called the Comedy Club. It was up on Washington Road. I remember that, you know, going to see, and it was some folks that were like, you know, now big name comics, but I remember seeing like Jeff Dunham.

17:51
when he was just kind of starting out, of course this would have to be 20 plus years ago, but when the comedy club shut down, nothing took over in its place, nothing opened back up, other than like you said, a larger, somebody coming to the James Brown Arena type or the Bell Auditorium type of comic, none where you can see an actual card where you have a host,

18:20
and an opening act and a main act and a close, you just don't have that here. And it's disappointing because there's no reason we shouldn't, especially, and the thing is that's why I wanted to go with Lashat and work with them specifically, because Shrouding and Scad comedy has held it down for over 10 years now, but I want them to grow. I want the comedy scene to grow, and I think that, I think

18:50
we're making the right moves right now. Yeah. And it's, and it's nothing wrong with places do like open mic nights. I think open mic nights are great proving grounds for people like, I don't know if I'm, if I'm funny really or not. Somebody told me I was funny. So let me get up and try to do this. Exactly. And then you realize, nope, this is not for me. You know, I mean, I get that all the time. People are like, oh, you're just so funny. You should do standup. I'm like, I'm not a standup comic. I am a, I am a situational comic. I can do improv.

19:15
or I can do sketch comedy, but I am not gonna write a set and perform a set. It's hard, and when I hung out with Mark Norman during the show, because the cool part about that is Mark Norman at the time was my favorite comic. He's still one of my favorites, but he was my favorite comic at the time, and he revealed to me, I can't just go out there and just play it off with the audience and riff with the audience, yeah. I have to write everything.

19:42
I have to write it out and I have to go over it and I have to memorize it. And then hopefully at the point where I get good enough at it, it just kind of comes out and then I can riff the jokes that I already know and just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And it made me feel better because I was like, I'm not a riff, I can't. I said the audience will eat me alive. Yeah, yeah. As if I try to riff with them, it's like no. But this next comic we're bringing in, his name's Adam Ray, that's his specialty, is riffing with the audience. Okay.

20:09
That's awesome. So how many shows have you kinda got coming up in the future? So, so far Big Brow's got, we got two productions right now. So we have Adam Ray coming out May 12th. That's gonna be at eight o'clock at Le Chat Noir. We've got two or three openers selected so far. One, his name is Marlon Ballard. He's from Augusta. He is a regular in Atlanta at the Laughing School.

20:39
He's also a Cleveland guy, so a lot of love for me. And then Jen Snyder is from Columbia, and she's fantastic. She opened for Billy Anderson, who's another Augusta local. And she's great. And then I'm gonna pick one more opener from Augusta. I want somebody to represent the city, but I have not selected that person yet. So I've been going out and watching sets and looking for somebody. That's awesome. But that's the goal for every show, is that we have one person from the city that's a hardworking comic.

21:08
that represents us very well, and we wanna give them that shot to open for somebody that's big. Yeah, I think that's awesome. You know, and, because like what I was saying earlier about having to go to the place where you can network and be seen, get the right eyes on you, bringing a venue together with an opportunity like that kind of at least becomes more attractive for the right eyes to see you here at home without having to travel to somewhere like that. Yeah, and the thing is,

21:38
what I want to do is really add value to that spot, like I was talking about, that five minutes. Just like you said, anybody can go up and do stand-up comedy anywhere. So if they can go see you do an open mic at Joe's or at Metro or wherever, why would they come and pay to see you perform a Lush ad? So I want to put a lot of value on that five minute spot just because the comics that I'm bringing in are working regularly,

22:08
Touring or they're on TV right and I want to give those opportunities to to you know people who deserve it Yeah, and because again that gives them an opportunity to hopefully network with that Headliner, you know, that's good for business. Exactly. It's good for everybody. Exactly So that's that's definitely a huge goal big Browns to is to make those connections for Deserving folks. That's awesome. So how does how does juggling?

22:33
big route now tie into your own personal like acting pursuits and things like that. You said you have your SAG car now. Congratulations. That's awesome. Matter of fact SAG featured you on their Instagram not too long ago with your story. I thought that was amazing. It was a, yeah, it was really cool. I, uh, I didn't expect it. I was at, I don't remember what I was doing, but I was just like, section of my story. What? It's like, but yeah, it was, uh, it was a lot of work. It was very complicated, but, um,

23:02
But to answer your question, the good thing about, hate to say that, the good thing about the pandemic was that it made everything virtual. All auditions are virtual. And so- Self tapes. Self tapes all the time. Even callbacks were self tape, or not self tapes, even Zooms. So it's very easy to do the things that I wanna do and still tape auditions, especially now that I'm getting ready to move into a studio and, or into an office and-

23:29
So I'll have that set up there. So if I'm working on something, I feel like, just hop over there and tape it and send it over. That's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, and it's like, it's like you said, you know, terrible to say the pandemic. Yes, there was a lot of loss, but I think there was like, so a lot of opportunity too, for people to bridge those distance gaps by virtual, you know, Zooms and taped auditions, self-tapes, and things like that.

23:58
And I remember seeing things that were that first, those first six months, and then seeing things just in the past six months and the quality difference between what those first kind of self-tape auditions looked like to now what people have kind of upped their game to and being able to get a better camera and get lighting and get the background, you know what I mean? I did one audition during the pandemic and it was for, it's like some sort of,

24:27
living van, those vans called where you can live in them and they're nice. And somebody taped it from inside of their van that they lived in and I went, well, I'm out. I was like, dang it. I was like, touche. Genius, there you go. Talk about, you know, dressing the part. You're like, well. Congratulations. This guy actually lives in a van, so I can't beat that. Yeah, that's awesome. So.

24:55
So you have been in some pretty big productions. You were in a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. It did not air during the Super Bowl. What? No. Wait. No, but it did air around Super Bowl time. It aired near the Super Bowl. Oh, near the Super Bowl. But the thing about it was not supposed to go on cable though. It never was supposed to go to cable. Oh yeah. And it was only supposed to be like a YouTube ad because it's only 15 seconds. So I was like, that makes sense. That checks out.

25:25
And then one day my parents screaming in the other room, like, Michael, see you on TV. Michael, you delivered pizzas. You delivered the pizza. You made us proud. As an Italian. As an Italian, it was, my parents proud. No, but it shocked me because then I just started getting messages from all over, like from my family in Ohio and friends that are out of the States, or not out of the States, but around other States. But.

25:51
I was like, oh my God, it's on TV. And the crazy thing is I've never seen it on TV. Wow. I've left cable on sometimes just to see if it comes, never. Really? And the thing is, I'm on the first three seconds of the commercial. Yeah. So anytime they call me to come see it, it's over. Yeah, you're gone. I'm gone. Yeah. Well, so business question then is like, what was the buyout on that thing? And what was the usage? Because if it was supposed to be YouTube and you got paid YouTube rates,

26:19
Oh, no, they changed it. Okay, definitely paid me the cable. I'm still Thank I owe Hidden Valley my life Because I'm still getting paid out on it rally ranch today and And you can ask my best friend this is a shout out to you, bro I growing up. I was a huge hidden Valley ranch guy. Okay huge like I always dipped it in my pizza crust Yeah, yeah always always and so when I told him I got the hidden Valley commercial. He's like

26:49
I said, no, I'm serious. And he's like, oh yeah. But yeah, it was a lifesaver because I didn't think it was gonna be anything. And you know, but the financial gain of it was, it changed my life. I was able to like pay for the sad card, like with like my money and pay off debt, pay off just a lot of stuff. And it just was, it was nice.

27:18
pay for the LLC for my company and all the business expenses so far. That's awesome. That little ranch guy. Yeah, that's awesome. But again, from myself doing auditions and seeing what usage and rates and things like that go, I can imagine, you know.

27:39
getting it flipped from a, you know, from a internet only to a broadcast nationwide was a big flip. Yeah. You know, cause I didn't realize what the financial flip was for that, you know? And one day I was sitting at my desk at my old job and the first check came through and I almost started crying cause I had never seen that much money. Call the bank. It's like,

28:04
Is this a joke? Like this is not funny. Don't do this to me. And I freaked out. I was like, oh my God, this is gonna change my life. I was like, I can pay some things off and put myself in a situation where I can start my own business. Yeah, yeah. And if you're listening, you don't know what a SAG card is. That's a union that like Screen Actors Guild is what it stands for.

28:31
If you're in the union, you're able to get better rates. You're able to get better pay for, whether it be an internet or a cable commercial. So having a SAG card is very important. Unfortunately, all the stuff I do is non-union, but that's okay, it's still working at it. Still working at it. So. Really, in the state of Georgia, I don't think it even matters too much anyway. Is it's a. The right to work state. The right to work state. But again, if you.

29:00
you know, when you get those auditions and they're looking for sag people as opposed to non-union people, that's, that's the key. That's the key. So it does open up that door to a sag audition as opposed to a non-union audition. Um, cause yeah, there've been times when I've auditioned for things and they're like, are you sag? And I was like, no. And they're like, Oh, this is sag. It's like, it didn't say.

29:22
It's like, yeah, it's like, sorry. It's like, oh cool. If you give me this, I will be right. I can, I can, it gets me one step closer, but yeah, I just need one. I just need one speaking line and then I can, I can be sad. So, so there we go. Well, we do that. Let's make that happen as opposed to this, to the silent gas station attendant in the spectacular. Now you can see me on the deleted scene. Oh yeah. Yay. Check it out. My whole scene got cut.

29:50
That's okay. There was another kid that was in that movie that like he had lines and he and they they cut his whole storyline out of it. I felt so bad for that kid, but anyway, also speaking of movies and that type of production you also were in Stranger Things just that little that little Netflix Well, it's funny you just said what you said because I was terrified that my scene was gonna get cut from Stranger Things See look at that. We've both been convenient store clerks. It's amazing. Look at us

30:20
No, so you were Ricky the can yeah Ricky the gas station cashier which they decided the name that day because I was on set and they were like this guy doesn't have a name tag and It was like what should his name be? I'm like Mickey You know like that Ricky like okay, Ricky the Ricky that's cool Ricky's cool. Yeah But yeah, it was a it was one of the best experiences of my life though. I wish I could do it all over again Yeah

30:50
because I did not handle it as well as I wish I would have. How do you mean? I had a heavy case of imposter syndrome that day. I did not feel like I was supposed to be there. Because when you see how many people audition and you really see like it's throwing a dart at a picture and it just didn't seem real. And I remember that morning,

31:19
I woke up super early because with Atlanta traffic, it's gonna take you 30 minutes or it's gonna take you three hours. Right, right. Getting there took me 30 minutes. Getting home took me three hours. So I'm there early and I walk up on set and I'm just a nervous wreck. I didn't sleep. I'm just going over my lines over and over and over again. And they asked me if I want.

31:46
some breakfast and I was like, yeah sure, what do you have? And they're like, no, no, what would you like for breakfast? So I wasn't used to this, cause I was just an extra and they were like, go stand over here, you'll be lucky to eat. Right, right, go get in the extra waiting room, in the pool, there might be air, there might not be. There might not be, you might have to stand outside. Like the gas station scene, I felt bad, all the extras were outside in these tents and like it was hot and I was in a van, I felt bad, I feel bad. Yeah. But.

32:16
So that morning, I didn't want to be complicated, so I was like, just eggs, bacon, black coffee. You want anything in the coffee? No. And I didn't drink coffee at the time, but I just wanted to be as simple as possible. I didn't want to be complicated or anything. And so the first thing I do is go to makeup, and I don't know anybody in there, and I didn't realize at the time that I was sitting with two of the future stars of the season. And...

32:47
And then Dave Harbour comes in and I just, I just almost start closing my eyes because I'm like, oh God, don't look at him, don't look at him. I'm just, because I'm just nervous, I'm just terrified. I had never worked on a show that I was a fan of and never worked with like an actor at that caliber that I was just like. Right. Anyway, so makeup happens and then I go to set and I get out of the van and my friend Alec who was in Improv Athens.

33:16
who I brought in to Augusta is the PA, the first team PA. And I went. Thank God. Literally, I went, oh God, thank you, thank you, Alex. I am so scared. I was like, what do I say to Dave? What do I do? And he's like, just relax, okay, calm down. First off, take a breath. He will come introduce himself to you. Don't worry about it. You're gonna be fine. And instantly, I felt like just having somebody I knew, I was like, okay, we're good.

33:45
And then they start setting some chairs up, and then it's me and Alec Utgoff who plays Dr. Alexi. And he has a guitar and we're sitting next to each other, we're jamming. And then sitting directly in front of me is Winona Ryder. And I don't know how to act. I'm just like, I'm like, what is going on? What is my life? What is my life right now? And then all of a sudden she turns her chair around and now she's facing me, like we're facing each other right now. And then she's like, can I play the guitar?

34:15
And Alec is like, yeah, sure. And then she starts playing badly, but she doesn't play guitar. She's like, I don't play guitar. And she's like, no. And she goes, when I was in middle school, I was in a talent show, and I decided to air drum Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA. And she goes, yeah, let me do some of it for you. So she pulls her phone out, and she starts to play the song. And I don't know if this is a bit.

34:43
or if this is, if she's being dead serious, because born in the USA for about three minutes of the song is, pfftch, pfftch, pfftch, pfftch, pfftch, and she's like, hold on, hold on, let's get into it, pfftch, pfftch, pfftch, and it's just, we're like, do I laugh? Because it's really funny, if it gets like, but I don't want to laugh and insult her. Right, so I'm confused, I don't know what to do, but it was so, and then she's like, oh, I gotta go do that, and I went, thank God.

35:12
I was like, I'm just gonna laugh. She's like, what the fuck are you laughing at? No, no, no, nothing. Nothing, nothing. I have two rats and I laugh when I laugh. Right. I'm like, I don't know. But it was really like, it was great and Alec was like playing like a lot of classical stuff because he was learning that. And he comes up to me and the other Alec, the first team PA Alec, there's two of them.

35:37
He goes hey guys. I was wondering if maybe you could teach me an American song I was like alright. Well, it would be like the most stereotypical American song in 2018 2017 2018 wagon wheel so we taught him wagon wheel and And he goes hey mama. Talk to me. Okay. I like that Yeah, and it's so like I'm having a good time

36:05
And I haven't done anything yet. I'm like, damn, it's a lot of waiting. And finally it's time. And it all hits me at once. I'm like, oh boy. I get to the counter, like learn how to use the register. And it's like, they're like, oh, I learned it. They're like, oh, you gotta use your left hand. No! All right. And I'm like trying to do it left-handed. It's weird, but I got it. Then the slurpy machine's all acting up.

36:32
I used to work at Adventure Crossing here in Augusta, so I know how to fix it. So I went over there and I like click, click, click, fixed it up. And then Dave Harbor walks up. And I just, I remember it specifically. I just feel my heart just fall to my stomach. And he goes, hey man, what's up? I'm Dave. What's your name? Michael. Hey, I'm Michael, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. All right. And then like two minutes like, I'm sorry, man, what's your name?

37:01
It's Michael man. Okay. Okay. No problem That's when you mean like my name or you mean It's reading right here, it doesn't matter Michael doesn't matter it's all it's Ricky Ricky you just come in Ricky that's fine I don't know if your method or whatever, you know But he was like it was cool to see him. He's like a quarterback like of a team He was just like looking at the cameras. He's like, what's our shot here? Okay Okay, we need to go here. We need to back up. I was just like amazed that he was so knowledgeable of every part of

37:30
the filming process that you knew exactly how to tailor his performance to it. I was like, that's awesome. Yeah. So there was a huge like problem during the day. It doesn't seem like a big problem, but in the movie it was terrible. The director is German and she was wonderful, but there's a little bit of a language barrier, just a little bit.

37:57
And there's the part where I set the stuff down on the counter, including the carton of cigarettes. And I set the carton down and she goes, cut. Okay, the way that you're setting the cigarettes down, you're doing this, we need you to do it like this. And if you can't see what I just did, I did two of the same exact motions. Yeah, yeah, he basically turned from palm up to palm down, like you're placing something on a counter. And he did it the same way both times. And I had this shocked look on my face, like, well.

38:25
this is what I'm getting fired for. This is it. Because I don't know how to be a human being. And I looked at Dave after, and he looked at me, and he just shrugged his shoulders, he goes, I don't know. And I was like, and he must have seen something, and maybe I'm overlooking this, but he has no idea how much this meant to me. He looks at me and he goes, and this is his last shot of the day. He's done after this.

38:55
He looks at me and he goes, all right, Michael, now fuck this up for me. And he started laughing and then I started laughing. Oh my God. Cause he just put my biggest fear on the table. Right. Right. And he's like, it's out. So now do your scene. We did it and called cut and they wrapped him and we both walk out and I like, I go, hey, Dave. And I was so nervous to do that. I was like, no, if you don't fucking say this, you'll never say this to him. I was like, Dave, hey, I just heard you on armchair experts.

39:24
And you were talking with Dax Shepard and you were talking about like being vulnerable on camera And you know like how he shows his like belly in the scenes and you know That's fucking brave and I was like, I think that's cool, man Like you're this like macho guy, but you don't care about like showing your vulnerable sides And so that means the world and he goes Thanks, man. I really appreciate you saying that you're really fucking funny and our scene seems gonna be fucking great, man I was like And I'm gonna go melt now. Well, it's funny was the guy who plays the the

39:53
the villain on the show, the Terminator guy, Audrey Ivchenko. His manager was on set and her name's Becky and she was standing right next to me when he said that. And I look over at her and she goes, and, and I was like, I can die right now. Right, right. And be happy. I was like, just put this on my gravestone. I was like, I'm good. I said, that was the coolest moment of my life. I just felt reassured. I was like, I'm supposed to be here.

40:23
Like that imposter syndrome in the beginning, like it was gone. I was like, no, this is where I'm supposed to be. And then instant amount of regret, I was like, I wish I could have carried that attitude earlier, cause I could have just been approachable, or just played it cool with everybody and made some friends, but I was just a nervous wreck the whole time. But that second part of the day with like the,

40:52
where I get slammed into the counter. That's the second half of the day. And originally I wasn't supposed to do it until the director was like, it's too quick of a shot. You're gonna be able to tell it's not him. Because the stunt double looked exactly like me. Because we was walking back to set, I saw him and I was like, man, my hair is so rare. How are you gonna tell me somebody has the exact same hair as me? And I get closer and I'm like, man, he's wearing the same outfit as me too.

41:21
And I went, oh listen, that's my stunt double. And we look at pointing at each other like the Spider-Man. We were just laughing, because we're like, oh my god, you look exactly like me. And he had this wig on, and I remember now, like they took me in and they had a wig, and they were just like, kind of messing around with it. Like, okay, you're good, thanks. And I was like, all right. And I walked out, I was like, that's weird. And I was like, it's for my stunt double, that's hilarious. And his name's Noah, he's a really cool dude. But.

41:49
Like I said, I didn't want to be difficult. I didn't I never wanted to be difficult. I was like I'll do it I don't care show me how to do it. Mm-hmm and The the stunt directors names he Dakota and He does stunts on Cobra Kai. Mm-hmm, and he's the nicest guy in the world. He's like, alright, I'm gonna show you how to do everything It's gonna be awesome. We're gonna have a great time He's like twist your arm. He's gonna pull it and we're slamming on the counter boom. Boom when we did it was great

42:18
and my adrenaline is pumping. It is like, yeah, I'm a part of the team. I feel like this is the closest thing I can get to sports. I'm like, yeah. Right, right. I did my own stunts. Exactly, I played like Arctic Monkey song, all my own stunts on the way home. Yeah, that's me, babe. And so my adrenaline's pumping, and then Andre comes to the set, and he is as big as he looks. And his hands are like,

42:48
Like huge. And so we're doing that part and he's slamming my hand and one take his fingernail slices the inside of my ear. And there's like blood just coming down my face. And I'm like, oh, that hurt. That was a stinger. I said, that was a stinger, that hurt. And then the onset medic comes on and I like get off camera and they're like, we don't really see him in this shot. So they put the stunt double in. And I feel like, again, that competitive sports attitude is like.

43:16
Clean me up, get me right back in. Put me right back in. I was like, I'm good. So they're cleaning up my ear. And I'm like, I'm fine. And then the director is like, thinks I'm more hurt than I am, but I'm playing it, do it. I'll be like, she's like, you see this person, this is a SAG representative right here. If you go in and you're hurt and you continue, I'm gonna get in trouble and everybody here is gonna get in trouble. And I said, I'm fine, coach. Yeah. Put me in. And I finished up the day and I felt awesome.

43:43
Like high-fived all the stunt guys, I was like, yeah, I'm one of you guys. And it was awesome. And I went home that night and I went to sleep. All like, just all this great energy. I wake up the next morning, I feel like shit. You're like, I am in so much pain. You're like, I got slammed into a counter several times. I was like.

44:06
Oh my I look at my legs. They're all bruised like from because every time I he pulled me in my legs slammed against the countertop And I'm like, oh my god And my neck hurts because I would twist my neck and then like that cut on my ear was actually pretty sore and I was like the life of a stunt man But it was it it definitely changed my life for sure

44:34
All right, Michael, this is the second segment of this show. This is where we kind of dive a little bit deeper into you and possibly what your mental health journey may have looked like. So for you, how do you keep the darkness at bay? A lot of it comes with self-discipline and I have to sleep better. Like, I can feel, because I suffer from BPD, bipolar disorder, and...

45:05
And one thing that can really set it off is not getting enough sleep. And I go through those manic times and those depressive times. And so managing my sleep and eating right, that really helps me. But the big thing that I do, other than take your medicine, folks, take your medicine. If I could say that. Don't stop taking your medicine.

45:31
If it's not working for you, call your doctor. But take your meds, because it helped me so much. Anyway, but I also have a sign on my door, on my closet door, that I put my biggest goal on. I write it, it's kind of cheesy, but it's the first thing I see in the morning, it's the last thing I see when I go to bed. And no matter if I'm struggling, it's just like I look at that thing, and I'm gonna be like, I'm struggling for this.

46:01
you know, I'm hurting for this right now. Yeah. And it helps. And that's kind of one little thing that I do. But just, and it's also okay to lean on your friends sometimes. And sometimes, I'm Italian, very prideful type, very stubborn, but as you said, we're not alone. And if you talk to somebody, you'll find out somebody's probably going through the same thing as you right now. Yeah. And I don't know.

46:31
Like when I opened up about my breakup to people, like I, it must be breakup season because everybody was like, it's fine. Hey, you know what? I just got dumped, you know, this thing. It's like, oh, dang. Well, I just lost my job. Hey, I just lost my job too. Like the pandemic's been terrible. It's been bad on all of us. And so just being able to talk to people and manage your sleep, eat right, and take your meds. Yeah.

47:00
And do you think, because with the pandemic and everything like that, I think there are a lot of people that went through a big season of obviously down, depressed times, but also a time of self-reflection and what's important. What do I really wanna do? That kind of, that goal setting you're talking about, that dream board, whatever you wanna call it on your door, and resetting your mind to like, hey, this is what I want. I really want.

47:28
And if I'm doing something that's not getting me closer to that, maybe it's not as important as I thought it was. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. And putting your values in the right place. Like, what is it that I really want to achieve? You know, I used to look back and be like, I want to be rich and famous. What a terrible thing to just want to be. Yeah. You know, I was like, I don't know. I want to be in a community where I feel respected and loved and where I can say, make art that a community could be proud of. Yeah.

47:57
that we can all work on and make a living doing what we do. Right. Everybody still has bills that have to be paid. We have to, you know, I mean, but being able to, like you said, make art that you're proud of, do something that brings pride and honor to your community. Again, not for yourself, but for the area you're in or the people that you're in.

48:21
that you associate with in your community, your tribe, as you would say. Yeah, and I used to think about how emotional I would be if I ever won an award for something. And then as I've gotten older, I've like, how emotional I would be if I would be able to give my friend a job doing something that they love and let that be their career. That gets me emotional. That gets me excited. And it gets me like, I wanna make something

48:51
where like, because most people have to, like you said, we work our normal jobs, we work normal nine to fives, and we don't have time to, or the luxury, to be able to do the things that we wanna do. And especially in Augusta, it's just not really sustainable. But hopefully that's something that we can work on. Yeah, for sure. I mean, because if, like you said, if those opportunities.

49:17
Existed I mean I would like nothing better to do what we're doing right now and you paid for it. You know what I mean? Because one I love talking to people I love finding out about people but also love Letting people know that you know that they aren't alone that there are other people that are like them out there Oh, yeah, and it doesn't have to be that scary. Yeah, and one of my like I used to tell my best friend this I didn't tell me people this I said you know what one of the worst parts about

49:47
being just a little bit successful in acting is because everyone thinks you're doing okay. It's like, oh, you're on Stranger Things, man. Oh, you did that commercial, that's awesome. You must be doing great. And it's like, I am devastated and broke. So it's, and a lot of people tell me now, like you're living your dream, you're doing all this. And I said, you have to understand that there's a lot of failure that came with it. And I said, so if you're struggling and you think it's not possible,

50:16
I was thinking that six months ago. Yeah. I said, I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to do this. Because I didn't, just that imposter syndrome, I didn't think I was capable of it or that people would believe in my image. It's like, what if this is just in my head? What if this is just, you know. Right, and you talk about the imposter syndrome, you're like, what if I'm just boosting my own ego? Exactly. What if I'm just like, you know, putting this intention into something that's actually not.

50:45
Exactly and one of the one of the symptoms of a BPD is is like this false sense of like What's the word I'm looking for? It's like like your shit is hot. Yeah, that's why I'm like So I'm always questioning myself and I think that's I guess that's a good thing I'm just constantly questioning myself and constantly questioning everything. I write which sometimes can go off the rails but when you have those people though when you have those people that can

51:14
that you trust, that keep you in check. And I think that's important to be able to have people that you can trust with that are gonna give you their honest opinion and not that, oh, it's great. Yeah, I don't like that. Every time, oh, it's great. I mean, it's awesome if they do say, oh, it's great, if you know that there's been a history of, man, that sucks, or have you thought about changing this? Absolutely. Or it's like, oh, I don't like that, because then that adds more value to the greats when they give you those. Exactly. I hate those empty compliments.

51:44
Mm-hmm. Oh, that's all I saw I saw yours. It was great. It was great, especially like Now it sounds that sounds kind of shitty But I you know what I mean, it's like when if it's somebody in your field and they just kind of like blow it off Like oh, it's good. It's great stuff and they won't tell you what they really think that drives you nuts Well, you know and it's like I am I am guilty of this going to see shows and I staged or a lot, you know and

52:11
even especially in the local community because I know these people. And I know that work that you're putting in for a month, two months, like you were in something rotten not too long ago with the players. And it's like, I want you to know, it's like my go-to compliment is like you did a great job. You know what I mean? Because I mean that, because I know it was a job. You did a job, you performed. I know the work that you had to put in to get up on that stage. That's a perfect compliment. You know what I mean? As opposed to, oh, you were great. Now, if we had more time,

52:41
other than when you're stage You were really going at it in the cod piece and so I was like, you're trying to milk that too much but you know what I mean? But in that moment when you just want to convey that admiration of life you did a great job. My mom can tell when I think I've had a bad performance

53:11
change what she's gonna say. Like, she won't say great job. She sees me come up with like a shake in my head no. Like I'm like a, this shit is soft. She'll be like, it's all right. She knows not to say great job because I already know. It's like, I already know the show's like. I get that way about improv a lot. I'm feeling, miss some real funny opportunities out there guys.

53:41
It was just you know, and that's the thing as a performer. I mean, you know, I think you know when you're off yeah, so and being able to Acknowledge when you're off, but also not Totally beat yourself off about it. Yeah, that's that's what I had to learn how to do Yeah, because I I used to get I used to be so self-deprecating. I would just have no confidence to perform Yeah, it's like it's like well, I suck. I'm not never getting on stage again. Yeah. Yeah, well, I was like I bombed I had a I had the worst bomb ever I'm done. Yeah

54:10
because I got mixed up Captain Kirk and Spock. I did a Spock impression when I was supposed to do Kirk and everyone was like, what's going on? And I was like, oh my God. Oh my God. I was like, it's over. And it was one mistake. Yeah. I mean, that's a pretty big one. It's a huge one. It is a huge one. Listen, I got shit for it for a long time. But in my mind, I was like, wait, oh my God. I just, I knew that. It wasn't even something I didn't know. I was just like, I just did the wrong impression.

54:39
It happens, it happens. But like you said, you learn from it. Yeah. You move forward. Like I told you, I got bullied a lot growing up. But that doesn't mean I didn't deserve some of the bullying. I was a cringey dude. Still a cringey guy, I must say. I had a cringey moment yesterday where we were at Knuckles and I opened the door for the guy bringing his food. I went, oh, thank you. And then he brought it over to somebody else.

55:07
That's me in a nutshell. But I got over a lot of the embarrassing moments pretty quick when just living those parts of my life. So yeah, yeah, but I was able to, I was in my head a lot about that, but nowadays when I fuck up I'm able just to let it go. It's like it happens, it just happens. And that makes growing this business a lot easier because I'm gonna mess up.

55:36
I'm going to spend too much on legal zoom for the things I don't need. Right. Right. It happens. So if you had a piece of advice, uh, thinking in the realm of, of, you know, the things that you've gone through, um, mentally, uh, you know, deciding to, to, to follow that pursuit in the life of an actor or a performer, uh, and you could offer a piece of advice to someone that's wanting to pursue that as well. Um, what's, what's something you kind of wish you knew then?

56:06
that you've learned that you can tell somebody going forward. Trust the process. Yeah. If I could, I was so scared when I was younger because I didn't think I knew anything, which I didn't, but I had a good plan. I've always had good plans, but just never had the confidence to follow through. My first plan was to join the Marines.

56:32
and to get out as quick as I could and then use that GI bill to go to Juilliard. I won. And I never did it, but do you know who did? Adam Driver. That was the exact route he took. And I was like, that's what I wanted to do. I'm like, dang it. And I never trusted myself to do it. And I dropped out of college before Stranger Things. And I was starting to get auditions in Atlanta.

57:01
And my professor was like, if you miss any more class, and this is a film professor too, for a film acting class, if you miss any more classes, I'm gonna drop you. And I said, but I'm going to film. This is film acting. This is supposed to lead to that. And he goes, I don't care. And I said, fuck you, I'm outta here. Why? And I left. And I was like, I'm never going back to that school unless they give me a reason to, like.

57:30
Like they have something because the degree that I was getting wasn't worth it. It just wasn't worth staying and Now that I've waited They've added programs that makes sense for my degree that makes sense for my business. They have a So hopefully I'm enrolled back in school for the summer By the time I'm done I'll have a BA in communication a BFA and visual and digital storytelling with a certificate in media production

57:59
filmmaking and theater performance. Nice. But if I would have graduated four or five years ago, I would just have a comm degree. Wow.

58:10
But I just, I didn't trust, I was like, I wanna go back when the time is right. And everybody kept like, you need to go back to school. You need to finish your degree. And it's like, I just don't feel ready. It doesn't feel like the time is right. And now I'm back in school and I'm gonna have so much more stuff. I'm gonna learn so much more valuable things that help me and help my business grow. And I had to trust myself because nobody believed I was gonna go back to school ever. It's like, but I knew if

58:39
if the time was right, I would. And so, I think we talked about this earlier, not everybody is gonna see the plan that's in your head. And, but you just have to trust it and trust it. And don't try to take any shortcuts.

58:59
All right, Michael, this is our third segment of the show. It is time now for the Fast Five, Fast Five. It's time now for the Fast Five, Fast Five. Sorry, I don't have theme song. I'm still working on that, workshopping some things. Fast Five? Fast Five is powered by Poddex. It's an app created by my friend Travis Brown. It's great conversation starters. It's built for podcasters, so you always have the interview questions and things like that, but they're great.

59:26
icebreakers if you're ever going to a SAG meeting and you just want to start a conversation instead of just standing in the corner or whatever. David Harvey comes by, you can just like... I was thinking, I should have brought this out with Dave Harvey. Without a PODex card, ask questions. As a matter of fact, if you go to chewinthefatbr.com slash PODex and use the promo code CHEW, you can get 10% off your physical decks. But we're going to ask you five questions, random. I just need the first answer that comes to your head.

59:56
No wrong answers. All right, you ready? I'm ready, let's do it.

01:00:02
You can choose anyone in the world to become friends with. Who would you choose? Woo, oh God, okay. Ah, God, that's a great question. Oh.

01:00:18
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

01:00:20
Don't poop in the chair. Bill Hader. Bill Hader, that's a great, oh that's a great. Yeah, yeah, I love Bill Hader, he's great, he's great. Barry, one of my favorite shows. Oh me too. Oh my gosh, it's so good. Written, directed, produced, starring Bill Hader. He did all of it, that was inspiring for me. So good, so good, that's awesome, that's awesome. All right, question number two.

01:00:42
What makes you lose track of time? Video games. Video games? No doubt, no doubt. I'll be like, I'm just gonna play one quick game of Madden and it's like three hours, what? Oh man. Is that your go-to game though, Madden? I'm a big sports game guy, but I also like good story-based games. I like Red Dead and Far Cry, but oh, big MLB the Show fan, Madden. Oh yeah. Nice, nice. All right, question number three.

01:01:12
If humans came with a warning label, what would yours say? Cries a lot.

01:01:22
Don't drop hats. He's gonna cry. Good tears, bad tears, we'll cry a lot. Okay. Okay, and number four.

01:01:37
How many chickens would it take to kill an elephant?

01:01:43
Oh man. At least a thousand. At least a thousand. At least a thousand. At least. They'd have to mighty morph and power rangers assemble into a larger animal than the elephant and take it down. Take down the elephant. See, I'm of the mindset that's like, oh, you know, it could be one. If that one had salmonella. Oh, boom. Oh. See? Just saying. Get him with a disease. That's right. That's brilliant. That's right, chemical warfare. No wrong answer. So you're good.

01:02:12
That's good, that's good. All right, and number five.

01:02:17
What's your favorite classic line from a comedy movie? Where'd you get your clothes from? The toilet store? It's from Anchorman, Steve Carell. They're having this big argument. This is right before the anchor fights. And Brick, who played Steve Carell, he goes, where'd you get your clothes from? The toilet store? And they all just stand there for a second just looking like what the? Yeah.

01:02:45
And the Vince Vaughn character's like, even that guy had something to say. It's a great movie though. Do you use that line often? Oh yeah, oh yeah. Oh yeah, somebody like says something mean to me, I'm like, oh yeah? Well, where'd you get your clothes from? The toilet store? Nice. Devastating, devastating. Awesome. All right, Michael, that's our Fast Five, and that is the show. Thank you so much for being here today. Thanks for having me. I really, really appreciate it. If folks wanna keep up with you and.

01:03:12
What you have going on personally as well as like Big Brow Productions, where can they find you? So Big Brow Productions is on Facebook. Big Brow Productions LLC will pop up. But you can follow me on Instagram, Msilviofortino. And that's Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Awesome. Of course, I'll put those links

01:03:38
in the show notes as well. And of course you could find out more about Michael on the website as well at chewingthefatbr.com. Thank you again, Michael. I love to have this chance to talk to you. Yeah, this is fun. I've been looking forward to this all week. So thank you for having me. Absolutely. And thank you for listening. And if you would like to support this podcast, I'd appreciate it if you buy me a coffee at chewingthefatbr.com. But until next time, I look forward to, we have the chance to set a spell and chew the fat.