Willie Geist (3:38)

Benito, so good to see you. Thanks for doing this.

Bad Bunny (3:40)

Thank you.

Willie Geist (3:41)

We were just talking about Caught Stealing, this amazing movie you're in, which I watched this morning. And to watch that movie at nine o' clock in the morning is quite a wake up call.

Bad Bunny (3:51)

How you feel?

Willie Geist (3:52)

I'm still recovering. I'm still recovering. Tell me about your character, Colorado and what you love about him.

Bad Bunny (4:00)

Well, the most that I love about him is the. Is he's Puerto Rican and is the first Puerto Rican role that I, that I, that I have on this journey on acting. So that was my first. Oh, finally. Because I love to make like every role and represent the Latino community as Mexican or whichever country I have to make. But the fact that I'm doing a Puerto Rican role for the first time is so cool. And only a Puerto Rican role is the. A Puerto Rican in, in New York. So that's most special. Even what I can say about Colorado, he's a tough guy. He's. He's good on business. He's smart.

Willie Geist (5:08)

Well.

Bad Bunny (5:11)

He'S smart and he's just trying to, to, to win, you know.

Willie Geist (5:18)

Yeah.

Bad Bunny (5:19)

To, to Jose Algomos, Imano Sodro. Hustling in streets and the clubs and he's, he's a real passionate.

Willie Geist (5:33)

Yeah.

Bad Bunny (5:34)

Guy. I think he wants to make. He love to give the best every time. So yeah, it's very interesting.

Willie Geist (5:43)

This is a big time movie. Great director. Darren Aronofsky, Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, Vincent d'. Onofrio. Amazing cast, full of Action. I know you've been enjoying acting a little bit more lately. How did this role come to you? Did Darren give you a call and say, I'm thinking of you for something?

Bad Bunny (6:02)

Yes. I never asked too much how the roles end to me, but the thing that I know is I'm very grateful about this opportunity. I'm very grateful with Darren for trust on me. I know he did his research and he has like, people that I know. Like, should I give him this role? What, you think I'm scared? Yeah. And, and I was. I told him like I was 100 sure that he wanted best for the movie and he never was going to let me do a bad thing, you know, like, yeah, he pushed me to, to give my best and that's something that I really appreciate, especially because I want to keep growing and learning on this industry. So, yeah, it was a beautiful thing the way that everything became.

Willie Geist (7:24)

The world knows what a great performer you are, but this is a totally different kind of performance on a movie set. Was it nerve wracking at first? Was it thrilling? What did it feel like to first step into the role?

Bad Bunny (7:37)

I'm always. I could say that I was a little nerv because I know, I knew the, the.

Willie Geist (7:50)

The.

Bad Bunny (7:53)

The important of this movie. Also work with Darren and with Austin on the same scene. He was insane. Like a great actor and he did like a great job and it was like, okay, I need to be the. I can. I don't have to say it in English, but no puedo tengo que representad. Like, I have to show what I can do. And also I need to, to. To make this work for everyone. Like all people in this room are like huge actors and, and huge people on this. So I have to do my best to. To be at their level. And that was my mindset, you know, just give my best not only for me, also for. For them. For. For. It's about respect their job, their work. You know what I mean?

Willie Geist (9:00)

Well, you definitely earned it. You fit right into that cast. You did so well. And all the other actors and Darren have said the same about you.

Willie Geist (9:08)

Hey guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Bad Bunny right after the break.

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Willie Geist (10:18)

Welcome back.

Willie Geist (10:19)

Now more my conversation with Bad Bunny.

Willie Geist (10:22)

What is the joy you get from acting that's different from walking into a football stadium and seeing 50,000 people screaming for you? How is it different for you as a performer?

Bad Bunny (10:33)

I think it's something that is, of course, when I'm performing in stadium, everyone is watching me. When you are in a movie set, you know that they gonna watch me, but not yet. It's a thing like it's very personal. I think it's like me and the actors and sometimes you know that there's a camera, but sometimes you forget about that. And I think that's when you really get into the role and get into the scene and get into the story. So I think that's the part that I really like, that part where you really forget about maybe the reality of the world or of even your life. And you are in a different whole story, in a different world, living another life. People sometimes dreams, dream we would have another life or something. So that's the closest thing to live another life or be another person. But always bringing something about you or, you know, expressing something that maybe you can't do it on a normal day. Being yourself. It's something.

Willie Geist (12:08)

Yeah.

Bad Bunny (12:08)

Is rare, but it's good.

Willie Geist (12:11)

Yeah. It's been fun to watch you the last couple of years perform in different ways. I was just saying how good you are on Saturday Night Live. All these sketches that they put you in and the digital shorts are so funny. You're great when you go on Fallon, you were sort of the talk of Happy Gilmore 2. Everybody said, did you see Bad Bunny in Happy Gilmore too? Taylor Swift said it was her favorite part of the movie. This feels like you're making an effort to flex that muscle a little bit, too. Is that something you want to do more of in terms of acting, for sure.

Bad Bunny (12:41)

It's something that I, since I was a kid, I really like to act and it was part of one of my dreams. Of course, the music is my first love, is what I love the most. But acting also is something that I really love. And it was on my life plan, like someday I want to act. And now that I'm having these opportunities and I'm just embracing it and enjoying and learning because that's the most important thing. I want to learn, keep learning and go step by step. And take every, every, every opportunity. That is not like. I just want to be, you know, the. The biggest movie star.

Willie Geist (13:51)

Right.

Bad Bunny (13:51)

I want to. I want to leave my. My process. I don't wanna everything just because I'm Bad Bunny and I'm this music star. No. I wanna earn every thing on the acting world.

Willie Geist (14:10)

This movie feels like a good step in that direction. You're not the guy on the poster, the head, but like you're a central, important part of the movie and you prove yourself there.

Bad Bunny (14:19)

Yes, that's what I'm talking about. And I feel proud about my work. I feel proud and I feel really proud. To be on this movie is definitely a huge step on my career.

Willie Geist (14:38)

You should be proud. And we're not going to say because we want people to watch the movie. All the crazy stuff that happens to Colorado, it gets weird fast. But you have to watch the movie to find out.

Bad Bunny (14:48)

Yeah, yeah, you have to watch the movie because that Colorado story is very interesting.

Willie Geist (14:55)

So you're taking a break and we're so grateful you're here with us because you're spending your weekends on this incredible residency down in San Juan in Puerto Rico, where you're doing, I think, 30 shows. 30 shows and all in the same arena. Sold out immediately. I was looking at some of the figures about how many tickets were sold that you're bringing like $250 million to the economy of Puerto Rico. What a special thing for you as a son of Puerto Rico to get to feel that love and to show the love with that show.

Bad Bunny (15:28)

This is so far my best experience in music, maybe in life, is something that I never seen before. I've been doing this for the last 10 years. I had so many great shows around the world, even in Puerto Rico before. But what is happening right now in San Juan in that arena is something magical. I swear. It's something that I never felt before. There's a feeling that I can even explain. It's like everyone love each other Everyone is like a. Everyone is like a big family just having fun, singing, dancing, crying. And I'm very. I'm very. I'm very grateful. I'm very happy. With everyone that is coming to the island. Around the world is such a pleasure to show my culture, my. My country, my. My land there, right there in my. In my house. Like, be with my family every night. Sleep at home every night.

Willie Geist (17:04)

That's nice, too.

Bad Bunny (17:05)

That's beautiful. I don't have to take planes.

Willie Geist (17:10)

Ah, now we see your favorite part.

Bad Bunny (17:12)

Yeah, that's my favorite part, definitely. And of course, when we were working on it, we was like. We knew that was going to be great, but it's even greater. It is bigger than we thought.

Willie Geist (17:28)

And you have put the eyes of the world onto Puerto Rico to show all the beauty of Puerto Rico, but also to talk about some of its challenges. What do you want to say in this show and beyond about Puerto Rico? What should the world know? What's the story you're telling with that show?

Bad Bunny (17:44)

When people go to a show, it's a unique show because there's everything on it. You can learn, you can dance, you can express your feelings. As I say, there's people dancing, singing, crying, hugging each other. We show the best of Puerto Rico and also the toughest or. Delicate things about Puerto Rico also. And I think that's the. That's the beauty of this show. That is very powerful. And honest, I think is. Honest is the word for this show. And you can feel it since the beginning to the end.

Willie Geist (18:46)

Talk about all the people coming from around the world to the show that includes one Jon Hamm. Have you seen the videos?

Bad Bunny (18:55)

No, I didn't see the video. I saw him there on the casita, probably. He was lead. He had fun. I'm happy that he went and he had fun.

Willie Geist (19:10)

It's impossible not to have fun at that show.

Bad Bunny (19:12)

It's impossible. It's impossible.

Willie Geist (19:14)

And it must be an amazing feeling as a guy who obviously was born and raised what, 30 miles west of San Juan to be the one who gets to tell the story of the island. So I'm curious, going back to your early days, I know you sang in your church. You were a fan of all different kinds of music, listening to your mom's CDs, from, like, the Bee Gees to Tupac and everything in between. What were your big musical influences as you were growing up? Who did you love to listen to?

Bad Bunny (19:46)

There's a lot. There's a. I always say, like, is.

Willie Geist (19:52)

Really.

Bad Bunny (19:55)

Hard to mention just one name. Because as you just said, I grew up listening to a lot of like salsa. My dad loved to. He always was listening to salsa music, you know, Hector Lavo, Frankie Ri, Myer Rivera, Ruben Blade, El Gran Combo, La Sonora Poncegna. There's a lot of really great artists and just. That's just a couple ones because there's. There's so many that I grew up listening to. And my mom used to listen a lot of merengue that's from Dominican Republic and Balada the Mutual Tita Incluso de Mexico, Como Juan Gabriel. And then of course I born on 1994, so I'm a Y2K boy. So I grew up listening to reggaeton. So of course I have to mention Teo Calderom, Dariyanki, Dongo Malandel, because he.

Willie Geist (21:13)

So it's a lot. And it's all different genres, right?

Bad Bunny (21:17)

Yeah. Because I born this island that there's so much artists and musical culture that is like impossible.

Willie Geist (21:30)

You. You.

Bad Bunny (21:31)

There's a lot of influence not just on my blood, like in my mind, in my. My soul.

Willie Geist (21:37)

And you can hear it in your music. All these different bits of music you grew up with.

Willie Geist (21:41)

Stick around for more of my conversation with Bad Bunny right after a quick break.

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Bad Bunny (21:57)

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Willie Geist (22:48)

Welcome back.

Willie Geist (22:49)

Now to the rest of my conversation with Bad Bunny.

Willie Geist (22:52)

At what point, Benito, did you decide you wanted a life in music? It's one thing to be a fan of music and to listen like most of us are but when did you decide I'm going to be a professional musician, I'm going to become an artist?

Bad Bunny (23:07)

Well, I think I took that decision when I was seven. Seven.

Willie Geist (23:13)

Wow.

Bad Bunny (23:14)

Well, I was thinking on that the other. The. The other day because I remember I told this story before. The first album that I. That I got was because that's like a OG Legend rapper of Puerto Rico. And that was the first time that I listened to. To rap music and urban music and I liked it. Then I think the first time that I listened to. To Tego Calderon. There's another OG legend from Puerto Rico, I think is when I said, I don't know some that when I'm big, I want to, I want to be. You know what I grew up. I want to, I want to be like these. I want to, I want to sing, I want to be a rapper, I want to be a artists. And since 12, I started to make beats, write songs, practicing every day, every day of my life. And I think when I turn 20, I think when I said I should start to, you know, to take it serious, if I want to made it, you know, if I want to make it, I need to start to work on it and put my music on social media, on the Internet to show to the people. And that's what I did. I started to work when I was 20, and then my life changed when I turned 22.

Willie Geist (24:53)

22 years old.

Bad Bunny (24:55)

22, yeah.

Willie Geist (24:57)

I mean, and it just exploded from there, right? You went from. You're working at that supermarket.

Bad Bunny (25:01)

Yeah.

Willie Geist (25:02)

Which probably doesn't feel that long ago to you.

Bad Bunny (25:04)

Yeah.

Willie Geist (25:04)

So all of a sudden you're a household name. Everyone in the world knows who you are.

Bad Bunny (25:08)

It's crazy.

Willie Geist (25:09)

How have you adjusted to that?

Bad Bunny (25:11)

It's been a. A long journey. It was. I'm still learning a lot. I'm still working on it. But at the very beginning, it was hard. And I could say it wasn't that hard because I was very focused on my thing. But then is when you realize that everything changed. And you said, oh, how, how I'm here now. So that's the part that you need to be tough. And I'm very grateful about what I learned at home with my parents. And I'm very grateful about the people that is around me, my friends, my family, my team, that they've been very, very important to me and special to. To survive and learn and grew up on this world and accept the reality of my life. And I think I could say that right now I feel great. I'm very Happy about what I have done so far and I have a lot of goals and more dreams to make, that's for sure.

Willie Geist (26:48)

Given where you came from. When you walk out on that stage this weekend in San Juan and there's another sold out crowd and you're viewed in many ways as the face of Puerto Rico, do you ever stop and think about the little boy who was just going through his mom's CDs, dreaming of being a musician? Do you have that moment?

Bad Bunny (27:07)

Yeah, sometimes we talk about it, especially with my mom. I think that's the beautiful thing. Like enjoy what I'm doing now, but never forget where that dream start, you.

Willie Geist (27:29)

Know.

Bad Bunny (27:31)

And keep dreaming. Never stop. Sound like a very cliche phrase, but that's what it life about. Have dreams. Even when you can make it, at least try it and you know, put your energy on something that you really want to and give your best. That's what life is about to me.

Willie Geist (28:03)

So when you think about that future, you just said there's more you want to do and you have a lot of roads still ahead of you in your career. The acting is one thing. You did some wrestling, which was great. What else do you see out there? More in movies? More in different areas.

Bad Bunny (28:20)

For sure. I would love to do more acting and movies, but there's a lot of. There's another things that I would love to do. I always, I never mention any of those things because I prefer to show up.

Willie Geist (28:47)

So we'll know when it happens.

Bad Bunny (28:50)

Yeah, but yeah, for sure. I'm still young. I have a lot of. Well, I hope I have a lot of time to do all that things.

Willie Geist (29:03)

And the last thing before I let you go, for people who don't know the story behind the name Bad Bunny, that was a childhood bunny costume, right?

Bad Bunny (29:13)

That was a picture of me when I was a kid. I was wearing a bunny costume. And it's, and it's funny because I would say that I was mad that day on that picture and I think that I. The picture that I always talk about it, I don't know where it is because I've been posting another one from that day. But there's one that I'm smiling. There's another one that I was mad. That one. It was the purpose of, of my name and then figuring out, you know, with my friends, like Bad Bunny. I think it's different. How, how there's, there's no bad bunnies. I think even, even a bad bunny is gonna look like a good bunny. So I don't know, it fit perfect on me because I could be bad. I could be good.

Willie Geist (30:15)

So, yeah, it's a big decision, but you don't realize it when you're young that you're going to become one of the most famous people in the world and that's going to be your name forever, right?

Bad Bunny (30:24)

Insane. I never, I never thought that. Yeah.

Willie Geist (30:27)

Well, I appreciate you taking some time with us. Congratulations. Thank you for stealing, which is amazing. And thank you as someone who's been going to puerto Rico for 35 years for all you do and the attention you bring to it. Andrew, thank you so much, man.

Bad Bunny (30:41)

Thank you.

Willie Geist (30:42)

Appreciate it.

Willie Geist (30:46)

My big thanks to Benito or Bad Bunny if you like, for a great conversation. Just a really good guy, fun to talk with. My big thanks to all of you for listening again this week. If you want to hear more of our conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday Today every weekend on every NBC to see these interviews with your own two eyes. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

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Bad Bunny (31:34)

Awake up.