More Than an Actor: Marcus Callender on Writing, Producing & Being a True Creative | Part 1

Summary

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The Breakfast Club – "More Than an Actor: Marcus Callender on Writing, Producing & Being a True Creative" (Part 1)

Aired: November 25, 2025
Host: Lauren LaRosa
Guest: Marcus Callender

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Episode Overview

In this impactful episode, Lauren LaRosa sits down with Marcus Callender—best known for his roles as Ray Ray on “Power” and Power on “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”—to unpack his journey as a multi-hyphenate creative. Marcus discusses his growth from actor to writer and director, focusing on his new play "Spades." He explores the emotional ups and downs of an acting career, the challenge of creative lulls, his relationship with notoriety, and the importance of taking authorship and producing your own work. The conversation is layered with insightful anecdotes about career setbacks, mental health, and the messy journey behind creative achievement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Marcus Callender – More Than Just "Ray Ray" (03:36–05:36)

• Lauren introduces Marcus’s multi-faceted identity as a creative: “He would be so annoyed if I only called him an actor, but he is a creative. He is a multi-hyphenate…” (03:36)
• Marcus gives his backstory: “Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I’m a Pisces. Yeah. And I am the writer and director of Spades, the play. Some of y’all might know me from Power… Wu-Tang: An American Saga…” (05:04)
• Memorable Quote:
  "If people see me and still think that I'm that character, I guess I did a good job in portraying that." – Marcus (05:46)

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2. The Impact of "Power" and Public Recognition (06:40–08:54)

• Marcus describes how "Power" brought him street recognition and notoriety.
• The specific episode in which his character killed Raina was both a career milestone and a source of public ire:
  “I literally had to, like, hide my face all the time… especially when that episode dropped.” (07:28)
• Navigating fame as a New Yorker took adjustment:
  “When you from New York and you see somebody staring at you, the first thing you thinking is, like, yo, what's up? What you looking at?” (08:29)

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3. The Pressure of Sudden Visibility & Facing Uncertainty (08:54–12:13)

• Lauren asks about the pressure felt when his character’s arc was ending.
• Marcus reveals the inside info on his character’s planned demise, learning about it only at the table read (10:03).
• Explains how he was originally hired for just one episode, but creator Courtney Kemp extended his role based on his performance:
  “Every character is in you. But what’s going to make it different is simply you. There’s only one you on the planet.” (11:50)

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4. Careers, Lulls and Mental Health: The Post-"Power" Plateau (16:40–24:10)

• After "Power," Marcus faces a year of not booking work, causing confusion and depression.
• He describes hoping for signs and getting a workshop offer—reminding listeners always to give 100 percent, no matter the stage (18:45):

  “You never know. Right. So when I realized it was him, I was like, oh, this is the guy from—He remembered me. Wow.” (19:43)

• Advice to creatives: Trust intuition, work hard, recognize the journey is as valuable as the goal.
• Quote:
  “The journey is way more interesting than the goal… every time I reach the goal, I’m still mostly thinking about what it took to get here.” (24:50)

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5. Taking the Leap to LA, Facing More Setbacks, and Staying Hungry (21:12–25:33)

• Marcus recounts moving to LA, surviving on faith, and chasing opportunity despite uncertainty:
  "I didn't have the money to do it… but it's about trusting that intuition… there's no way I had that epiphany to move to LA and he's not gonna make a way." (21:13)
• Details near-misses for major TV roles (“New Amsterdam,” a CW series), and being in casting conversations with legends like Lorenz Tate:
  “Even though you can’t pay your rent with that…” (Lorenz Tate casting, 23:10)

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6. Coping with the Creative Down Times & Returning to Writing (26:00–29:42)

• Marcus describes how downtime, failed auditions, and distractions (including relationships) led him to pick up the long-abandoned script for "Spades."
• Recalls starting "Spades" in 2015, staging an initial reading, and revisiting the script after being re-inspired at a spades game party in LA.

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7. Self-Production and Redefining Success on Your Own Terms (29:42–31:15)

• Marcus details how, by focusing on his play, he started attracting new opportunities, including landing an off-Broadway play and then the Wu-Tang series.
• "The minute I dive into my own shit, now all of a sudden opportunities come." (29:59)

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8. Landing and Living Wu-Tang – Character Study and Authenticity (31:15–47:04)

• Talks about the unique process of auditioning, screen testing, and eventually playing “Power,” a real person and Wu-Tang’s executive producer.
• Story of finally meeting the real Power, studying him in-depth to nail the details: how Power walks, counts money, dresses, and more.
• Memorable Scene: Marcus FaceTiming Power for wardrobe advice and learning to always wear his chain tucked in rather than outside (47:04).
• Quote:
  “Down to like how I wear the chain. He never wears his chain on the outside. He always has it tucked in… Just like little things. So I was able to bring more to the role, which I think paid off.” (47:04)

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9. The Writer’s Strike, Depression, and Choosing to Bet on Himself (48:54–57:16)

• After Wu-Tang, creative momentum stalls as the writer’s strike hits—once again, Marcus faces a mental health challenge and questions about his circle and support systems.
• He candidly addresses how distractions and vices crept in, and a deeply introspective birthday gathering sparked him to cut off negative energy and “clear space” (53:19).
• After a failed Detroit reading and feeling stalled by traditional white institutions, Marcus decides to produce "Spades" himself: “I’m tired of waiting. So… I’m gonna do this myself. Yeah, I’m gonna do this myself. And it woke something up in me.” (55:10)

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10. The Play "Spades"—Building Momentum & Finding Purpose (56:52–57:18)

• Recent staged readings of "Spades" in New York—Marcus describes the long, 10-year evolution of his play and the satisfaction of finally moving forward on his own terms.
• Lauren closes out the conversation with a rally for listeners to check out “Spades the Play,” now running in New York.

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Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "If people see me and still think that I'm that character, I guess I did a good job in portraying that."
  —Marcus Callender (05:46)

• “Every character is in you. But what’s going to make it different is simply you. There’s only one you on the planet.”
  —Marcus Callender (11:50)

• “The journey is way more interesting than the goal… every time I reach the goal, I’m still mostly thinking about what it took to get here.”
  —Marcus Callender (24:50)

• "The minute I dive into my own shit, now all of a sudden opportunities come."
  —Marcus Callender (29:59)

• "Down to like how I wear the chain. He never wears his chain on the outside. He always has it tucked in… Just like little things. So I was able to bring more to the role, which I think paid off.”
  —Marcus Callender (47:04)

• "I'm tired of waiting. So… I’m gonna do this myself. Yeah, I’m gonna do this myself. And it woke something up in me.”
  —Marcus Callender (55:10)

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Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Marcus's self-intro and career background: 03:36–05:36
• Reactions to infamous "Power" episode: 05:46–08:29
• Learning about his character’s death on "Power": 09:30–11:50
• Career drought and mental health struggle: 17:00–21:57
• Moving to LA and casting near-misses: 21:12–25:33
• Reviving the “Spades” play: 27:13–29:59
• Landing Wu-Tang as "Power": 31:15–41:07
• Meeting the real Power & character study: 43:13–47:04
• Writer’s strike and creative depression: 48:54–55:10
• Committing to self-producing "Spades": 56:52–57:18

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Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is raw, real, and encouraging—highlighting both the glamorous and gritty sides of a creative career. Marcus’s openness about insecurity, rejection, and finding the courage to do things on your own terms offers inspiration for artists and anyone facing self-doubt or setbacks. Listeners are left with the sense that resilience, self-belief, and authenticity are the real game-changers.

Stay tuned for Part 2, and look out for “Spades the Play” in New York.

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Episode hashtag suggestions: #SpadesThePlay #MarcusCallender #CreativeJourney #TheBreakfastClub

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Transcript

[Lauren LaRosa]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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[Marcus Callender]

All.

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[Big Long]

Mmm.

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[Marcus Callender]

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[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

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[Marcus Callender]

Exclusions apply.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm the home girl that knows a little bit about everything.

[Marcus Callender]

And everybody knows you don't lie about that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right?

[Marcus Callender]

Lauren came in hot. Back on the grinding.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Hey, y', all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa. And this is the latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is your daily dig on all things pop culture, entertainment news and all of the conversations that shake the room. Now today I'm bringing you guys another conversation that was guaranteed to shake your room but also shake your faith a little bit, your motivation a little bit. I'm sitting down with Marcus Calendar, who is not only an actor, he would actually be, he would be so annoyed if I only called him an actor, but he is a creative. He is a multi hyphenate, an actor, director, writer, all around storyteller who has been able to make impact both on screen, behind the camera and now behind the script with his play Spades. Spades to play is everything black, bold, conversation, nuance, comedy. Put into one spades game and put on a live stage, you guys will know Marcus Callender who played Power, who played Oliver Power Grant on Wu Tang in American Saga. He also played Ray Ray on Ghost from Power Book 2. Y' all remember we lost Reina because of Ray Ray. But if you don't know him or if you're just finding him, I'm so happy to introduce him here in conversation on the Latest with Lauren LaRosa. This is part one. First of all, let's let the people know who you are and who these voices are that they're hearing and you know, for the, the visual people seeing. So introduce yourself.

[Marcus Callender]

Marcus Callender, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I'm a Pisces. Yeah. And I am the writer and director of Spades, the play. Some of y' all might know me from Power. I play Ray Ray. I was the guy that, that killed the little girl. I know you're gonna ask why did you have to do it? It was in the script. Some of y' all might know me from Wu Tang. In American Saga, I played Power Oliver Grant, who's one of the co founders of Wu Tang, and I've done a bunch of other stuff, but those are the, like, the main two things people recognize.

[Lauren LaRosa]

They stop you on the street about.

[Big Long]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So when people ask you, why did Ray Ray kill Tariq's sister? And you say, it was in the script, how does the conversation go after that?

[Marcus Callender]

They'd be like, yo, man, like. But you did your thing, though. Like, for real. For real. Can I get a picture of you? You know, like, yo, like, I hated you for a long time, you know, But I take that as, like, look, you know, if people see me and still think that I'm that character, I guess I did a good job in portraying that. You know what I'm saying? So. But I think also, too, the beauty in that is that people get to meet me and, you know, sense my energy because I'm a pretty down to earth person. I don't. You know, I know some celebrities give off that whatever, but I'm a pretty down to earth person because, you know, I understand what the journey is in this kind of career.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? This wasn't handed to me. This is something I had to work for, work very hard for. So I'm cool. I'm approachable. I'm from Brooklyn. You know what I mean? I'm a New Yorker still at the end of the day, so, like, don't come at me too crazy. You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

But that era of power is, like, cemented in so many people's like. Like, I remember waiting for power to drop, like the new episodes. And I mean, there's all these different iterations of it and chapters of it now. And I think there are still some people that do that. But I feel like those early days of power, we had Tariq and Raina and Tasha and Ghost, Like, y' all was really in people's houses.

[Marcus Callender]

For real.

[Lauren LaRosa]

People's homes. For real. For real. Had us waiting all. All talking on Twitter together, you know what I'm saying?

[Marcus Callender]

Like, watch parties and everything.

[Lauren LaRosa]

A. What was it like for you? Because you're on both sides. You're a creator of, you know, these conversations in film and theater and all these things. But also, you're an actor.

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What was it like being that, like, intertwined with culture, where people lived and breathed for your next episode?

[Marcus Callender]

Oh, man. Well, one. It was power where I started being recognized on the train or, like, everywhere I went. And, like, especially when that episode dropped, like, I literally had to, like, hide my face all the time, you know? You know what I mean. Cause people like, yo, you the dude from Yo. Wait, yo, that's crazy. You know what I'm saying? And I remember when it happened because it. The. The episode leaked at first it ain't, you know, so people saw it before it officially came out. And I remember being. I was in LA at the time and like, some friends hit me like, yo, yo, son, I saw you on this episode. That's. That's you killing the little girl that I said, wait, how the. You know that. That's not supposed to be information yet. So I came back to New York, I got invited to some watch parties and shit. And you know, going there and like, experiencing the people and whatnot was. Was kind of like a surreal moment for me. Like, it was. As I said, it was the first time. Like, okay, now I'm being recognized outside of, you know, I'm being recognized on the street.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right?

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? So, like, getting used to that and acclimated to that. Cause, you know, as I said, when you from New York and you see somebody staring at you, the first thing you're thinking is like, yo, what's up? What you looking at? You know what I mean? So, like, for a while, it's like, yo, why people keep staring at me? You know what I'm saying? It's like, oh, yeah, the show. You know what I'm saying? So that was, that was an adjustment period. But at this point, I'm used to it and you know, I show love all the time and.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And you know, so now people are recognizing you. You can't go on the train because people want beef. They want step on your tims. And for you as an actor, at that point, does it put pressure on you? Because, you know, you. We. We had you for some time, but then we didn't have you anymore. And in a certain point in the episode and season.

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah. Does it put pressure? What kind of pressure?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Pressure, like, I mean, because you know more about the script and where the story's going than we do. Right. So, you know, people are getting to know you. They're starting to recognize you, but you know that you're not going to be on the show forever eventually. Or did you know that at that point when people were recognizing you?

[Marcus Callender]

No, I. I knew. I mean, even before we shot the episode, Courtney Kemp, she. She called me personally and was like, look, you know, this is what we're going to do with your character. We're going to kill you off.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Damn right.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? Because I'm like, I could have. You know, I could have been raining havoc for another season. She was like, yeah, we're going to. I mean, I didn't know. I didn't. Okay. So I didn't know I was going to kill Raina until the table read of that episode.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

Because, you know, they're pretty top secret about the script. Like, you don't see it until the table.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And the table read is how far out from actual shoot date we shoot.

[Marcus Callender]

We do the table read probably like a week before we shoot it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay, gotcha.

[Marcus Callender]

So I came to the table read. You know, I'm highlighting my lines before, and I'm reading the thing, and I'm like, oh, shit. And I remember, like, looking up and, like, everyone was looking at me like, yeah, you. Everybody going to hate you now that I said, yo, what? Like, me. Okay. Okay, cool. This is interesting, right? All right, I'm going to be a villain. Okay, I'll take it. But I didn't realize, like, how much of an impact it was gonna be. So, you know, we did the table read, and then right before we started shooting, that's when Courtney was like, yeah, so we're gonna. We're gonna. Because I think I did, like, two more episodes. It was the episode where I killed Durana, and then the next episode, Courtney.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Like, don't get comfortable.

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah, exactly. She's like, look, we gonna kill you off, but look, we love the work you're doing. Da, da, da, da, da. I said, okay, cool. You know, like, it was an honor to. That y' all chose me to even do this part, because that's another thing, too. I don't know if a lot of people notice, but originally I was supposed to just do one episode in season three. I did the. I was in the last episode of season three. I was just supposed to do that episode. But Courtney liked my work so much that after we filmed, she said, look, I want to bring you back for next season. And, you know, in this business, you hear that all the time. You know, people say, hey, we're gonna bring you back. And it's like, all right, cool. So I didn't necessarily believe her until, you know, my reps hit me, hey, they wanna bring you back. I said, all right, cool. So, you know, coming back to it, it was like, all right, now I got some time to, like, really develop this character and see where I wanna take where I wanna take it. You know what I mean? And that's when, you know, I was shooting that with Anika. Noni Rose was in that Cause she played jukebox and so that was cool to work with her and 50s in it, so that was cool to work with them. But you know, I, I approached it in the best way I know how. I, I tell people all the time, every character is in you. But what makes it, what's going to make it different is simply you. There's only one you on the planet. You know what I mean? So for me it was just kind of like, okay, like, what's my version of this?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right?

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying?

[Big Long]

What's up, y'?

[Marcus Callender]

All?

[Big Long]

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[Coca Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got, y'.

[Marcus Callender]

All.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit Chance echo drum beat everybody. Showing that school pride. A game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer, right? Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere and an ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

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[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

Hey, everyone. Ed Helms here and hi, I'm Cal.

[Marcus Callender]

Penn and we're the hosts of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.

[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the I Heart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

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[Lauren LaRosa]

I can see you as Mr. Darcy.

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You got a little Colin Firth.

[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

Okay, that's really sweet. I appreciate that. But are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennett.

[Marcus Callender]

Here.

[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

Listen to Earsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Lauren LaRosa]

What happens in an actor's mind when you get that moment and it's big and everybody's talking about it and your phone's ringing crazy. And then you're not on the show anymore. So now it's like, I mean, you're not new kid at school because you got the work under your belt, but you gotta figure out what's next now. Yeah, like how, how does, what's that mental journey like?

[Marcus Callender]

That's a great question.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You know, this is my job. This is the Latest with Lauren LaRosa, the podcast.

[Marcus Callender]

No, that's, that's real right there. Because there is pressure if you. Especially if you allow it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

You know, in our community especially, it's all about what's next? What's next? What's next? What's next? It's like, damn, I just Shot this shit. Can I, you know, let it breathe for a second? So, yeah, there was that pressure of like, okay, what's next? Fun fact. I didn't work for about a year after I shot Power. And I was confused by that. You know what I mean? Cause here I am, like, okay, like, I did this role and it's 50 cents.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Everybody's paying attention to that.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly. You know, everyone's recognizing me. But I was not booked. I couldn't book a gig for shit.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Why not?

[Marcus Callender]

I don't. It was out of my control. You know what I mean? Like. Cause I moved to LA shortly after, thanks to Courtney Kim. When I finished. I finished filming Power on my birthday of that year. I forget what you. Year that was. I think it was like 2017 or something like that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

And it was my birthday on the last day of filming. And I remember she came to me, she was like, you should move to la. I said, yo, people tell me that all the time. She said, no, you should. Like, you will work a lot out there. Like, you know, there'll be a good city for you. This is when LA was la.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

LA ain't the same no more.

[Lauren LaRosa]

No. I was living there during that time.

[Marcus Callender]

And so I was like, okay, I'll think about it. And then. Wasn't working. I've. You know, in not working, I was depressed. You know what I'm saying? Because it's like, yo. Like. Cause I had just finished shooting Power, and I was doing a show called the Breaks. I was literally shooting both these shows at the same time. Like, one day I'm on Power, one day I'm on the race.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Living your dreams.

[Marcus Callender]

So I was booked.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

So for all of it to just come to a halt was just. Was extremely confusing to me. And I couldn't fathom it. And I was at home one day, I took a nap. I took a nap. Right before I took a nap, I said, lord, like, I need a sign. Something like, what is going on? So I took a nap and I woke up to this offer to go do a workshop in Connecticut for a play. And I was like, okay, all right. It's something. You know what I mean? I read the script. I liked the script. I realized that the playwright who wrote it, I worked with him on another workshop, like, a year or two ago, and he just remembered my work from there. That's why you. You always got to bring 100 to whatever you do. Don't ever think that something is too little or too small to give you all, because you never know. Right. So when I realized it was him, I was like, oh, this is the guy from. He remembered me. Wow.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay.

[Marcus Callender]

So I said, all right, cool. I'm gonna go and do this workshop. At this point, I hadn't done a play in a very long time. I was just doing tv, so getting in that environment again was an adjustment. But I remember the day I got there, I, like, I was, like, staring into the abyss, and something just hit me like a ton of bricks. You need to move to la. Like, it just. It just hit me. I felt like it was this guy speaking to me. It's like, you need to move to la. And I immediately called my manager. I said, yo, I think we got to do the LA thing. She said, all right, cool. I'll set up some meetings. And boom, boom, boom. I said, all right, cool. So I did the workshop. The workshop was cool. That was a dope experience. And then shortly after I came back from the workshop, I went to LA to take some generals, like, some general meetings with, like, casting directors, producers. I was supposed to be there for two weeks. Two weeks turned into a month because, you know, one meeting followed up with another meeting, right? Followed up to another meeting. I signed with a new agent. Like, I got all these things on this LA trip. And that's when. Right before I came back, that's when the Power, the episode of Power leaked. So it was just a lot going on and you know what I'm saying? So I came back and, you know, basking in all of that. But in that trip to LA was when I decided, okay, yeah, I'm definitely going to move out here. Because, like, every person I was meeting with, they're like, you're moving out here, right? I was like, yeah. I didn't know how I was going to do it. I didn't have the money to do it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

That's the LA story, man.

[Marcus Callender]

I didn't know how.

[Lauren LaRosa]

That's how it be.

[Marcus Callender]

That's how it be. But at the same time, too, it's. It's. But at this, it's. It's about trusting. Trusting that. That intuition, you know what I'm saying? Trusting what God placed in me, you know what I'm saying? Because in my head, I'm like, there's no way. I had that epiphany to move to la and he ain't gonna make a way. And lo and behold, you know, the. I got the money to go out there. I had just enough to, you know, to survive for a couple of months. Thank God, you know, I got Some friends out there, you know, I was able to stay with family, you know, people who I love. So, you know, I went out there. I was there for the pilot season of that year, and I tested for two pilots. I'm thinking, okay, cool, I done moved out here. I'm about to book a show.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Baby, we up.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Ostra's up next.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly. You know that show New Amsterdam on NBC?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes.

[Marcus Callender]

I was almost on that show. I was. I tested for that show. I thought I was gonna get it. I was convinced I was gonna get that role because when I did the screen test, the producers were like, how'd you make that look? They literally say, yo, you made that look easy. So I'm walking out, like, yeah, I got this. And then I didn't get it. You know what I'm saying? So it was, you know, and that's the thing, too. It's true what they say. There's way more no's than yeses. Right. You know what I'm saying? So I didn't get that. I was up for this other show on the cw. I didn't get that. I mean, but that show didn't end up going forward anyway. But, you know, I had. I had these two shows that I was up for. Didn't get. I was almost up for this other show, but they went with Lorenz Tate. But understandable. I love Lorenz, you know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

But that's a good. Like, oh, they didn't book me. They booked Lorenz. He's a legend.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

So, like, the fact that the casting directors and producers or whoever are debating between you and Lorenz Tate, a lot of times, too, for us, as talent, just being in a conversation in the room is a win. Even though you can't pay your rent with that.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You know what I'm saying? But I mean, that's a great either or to be in.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly. So it was like, okay, cool. I mean, yeah, I didn't get the roles, but, like, I'm. I'm like this close and that's. But okay, I didn't book these jobs, but I'm still in la, you know what I mean? And one thing people don't tell you about L. A. Yeah. It's all sunny and all that, but when you ain't doing shit, that shit really gets to you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It feels.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah, it feels like. Especially because you're so far away from, like, the people, you know, and, like, the ways that you were just like, you know, real quick, I could go do this real quick if I'm back home or like, whatever. It feels so lonely. It's like you're in a room and it's like echoing and you're trying to figure out, like, what do I do to turn the noise down.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I was in that space when I first moved to LA for about, like, six, seven months, and I was just like, what is going on? And then people, the move to LA itself, people are just like, oh, look at God. You know, move to la.

[Marcus Callender]

You got it, you made it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah. So you. It's like, you know, opening up about it not going the way that you want it to go is tough. And explaining to family why it's not going the way you wanted to go, it's tough having to ask for things in the meantime. It's like such a process. But I think for anybody that has done, definitely is like survival of the fittest. But it makes you a different type of hungry about your career.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly. That's a good word. Hungry.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

I feel like a lot of folks ain't hungry, you know what I mean? People just want the result. They want the end goal as opposed to knowing. Understanding what the journey is. The journey is way more interesting than the goal, you know what I mean? Because every time I reach the goal, I'm still. I'm mostly thinking about what it took to get here.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? It's like, okay, yeah, this is great, but like, man, I did this, I do this, I do that, I do this to get to this point, and it allows you to appreciate it more. I feel like when people get things too quick, they don't understand, you know, they have. They don't have an appreciation for it, so they fumble it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? They think they're entitled or they think it's just always going to be that way. You know what I mean? So at the same time, it is a blessing that I had to go through the journey that I did. But in that time after, you know, not booking these gigs, I'm still in la and I'm like, okay, well, what the hell am I gonna do? Because after pilot season, it's a little slow in terms of auditions. It's mostly like independent films and all of that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

So I'm just like, okay, well, what. What the hell am I gonna do with all this time? I started dating this girl, that's a distraction, you know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

And it's expensive and it's exp.

[Marcus Callender]

It's expensive.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

So especially in LA.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It's like 25, yo. I know. She wanted to go to town.

[Marcus Callender]

Come on now.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I like room on a Wednesday.

[Marcus Callender]

You know, she. She's on TV now, funny enough, anyway.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Oh, really? What show?

[Marcus Callender]

That's, that's, that's an off camera conversation.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Were y' all auditioning together?

[Marcus Callender]

No, no, no, no, no. I mean, I would help her with auditions and stuff like that. She knows who it is.

[Lauren LaRosa]

But anyway, you watch the show she's currently on?

[Marcus Callender]

I don't.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Oh, so it ended bad.

[Marcus Callender]

I didn't. I don't watch it because she's on it. I just. That's just not my kind of show to watch.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay, so it's like a Zeus network thing?

[Marcus Callender]

No, no. Okay, I'm sure you watch it though. No, no, it's a TV show, scripted show that they, they're in there like fifth, sixth season right now.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It's not Dear from Detroit then? No, because that's like second season. I'm gonna figure this out.

[Marcus Callender]

Okay. Beautiful girl, amazing woman, you know, Nothing bad to say about it. Just didn't work out. And she's a Scorpio. Anyway, so I'm in la. I'm like, okay, what am I doing? I go to this party. It was on Easter. As soon as I walked in, I saw people playing space. I'm like, oh, I need to start. I need to get back into this script. Because I had put the script down for like almost two years.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So you wrote the script when you were in LA or before you moved to LA?

[Marcus Callender]

I started writing the script in 2015.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Got you.

[Marcus Callender]

So 10 years ago.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay.

[Marcus Callender]

I started writing the script when I first started writing it. It was just a one act.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I explained to the regular people what the one that means.

[Marcus Callender]

So typically in a play, you know, you'll have like two acts in a play. In a full length play, you'll typically have two acts. So one acts are just, you know, kind of like just the first half of it. I didn't think it was going to be a full length thing when I first wrote it. It was just something that I was inspired to write because I was learning how to play spades at the time.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes.

[Marcus Callender]

When I started writing it. So I was inspired to write it. I wanted, I knew I wanted to get into writing at some point, but I didn't think I could do it because I didn't go to school for it. And, you know, like, who do you think? You know what I mean? I had A bit of imposter syndrome. But I just started writing it and it just kind of poured out of me. So I did a. I did a stage reading of it. This is in Brooklyn at this spot. At the time it was called the Kimberly Project in Bed Stuy. And we had a pretty big turnout. This is before, like, Instagram was Instagram for real.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Gotcha.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? So the fact that we got so many people there off of word of mouth was a really big deal. So we did the reading and, like, the biggest feedback, people were like, we want more, we want more. Like, it's got to be longer. So I was like, all right, cool, I'm gonna do that. But then I started filming something else, so I kind of put it to the side.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What were you filming?

[Marcus Callender]

That's what I started filming. The breaks.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Got you the breaks. Okay.

[Marcus Callender]

So I started filming that. So I got caught up in that and power came along, so I was just all in that. So with this downtime, I go into this space and I see the script. I mean, I see people playing space. I'm like, okay, this. This is going to give me something to do. Because I was tired of, like, running into people like, what are you working on? That's the number one question people going to ask you in Los Angeles. What are you. So, what are you working on?

[Lauren LaRosa]

What are you working on? Or what do you do?

[Marcus Callender]

What do you do? You know what I'm saying? So I was tired of not having anything to say, so I said, you know what? Literally the next day, I went back to the script. At the time, the script was like 180 something pages. It was a lot of. A lot of pages. And I had some friends over to read it. I said, look, you know, I just. I need to hear this out loud because I need to see where I want to go with it. They read all 180 something pages of it, shout out to y'. All. And from there, I just kind of like started diving into that. Like, that became my focus, you know what I'm saying? I'm like, okay, I'm a. I'm going to employ myself.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes.

[Marcus Callender]

So I said, look, so I'm a dive into that. So I started working on that. I did a. I did a reading of it in la, and I want. So I was going to produce it in la. That was going to be, like, where I first produced it. But then I booked a play in New York. See, that's another thing too. I went so Long, not working. The minute I dive into my own shit, now all of a sudden, opportunities come.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Which play did you.

[Marcus Callender]

I did a play called Fabulation, written by Lynn Nottage at the Signature. Got you really big off Broadway theater company. It was actually like my dream theater company to work at. The Signature is where I got some of my first bearings into theater. You know what I mean? So, you know, I was like, oh, shit, I'm about to go do this play in New York. All right, cool. So the plan was to go do the play and then come back and produce Spades while I was doing the play in New York. That's when I booked Wu Tang. So it kept me in New York. So I said, all right, well, okay, I'm gonna stay in New York. So I kind of, once again, put.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Space to the side, because now Wu Tang is like that after. When that series dropped, too.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly.

[Lauren LaRosa]

People were also very tied to it just because people wanted the story.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And it was timely and it was all the things. So now your star is, you know, rising again because of Wu Tang. And what was that experience like? Because you were going through this, like, very mental depressing period of like, why is this not like, God, am I supposed to be here? And then, boom, you're back up again. So you're high up on the hill now. So what is that like for you as talent?

[Marcus Callender]

Let me tell you something. It was December 21st or 22nd when I got the call that I got that role. It was how I approached that entire process was like, unlike how I approached any other show that I auditioned for. Because, you know, sometimes, you know, we'll get a part or we'll get an audition, and we're like, well, I want this. Like, I'm gonna make sure I know all my lines for the audition. I'm gonna be perfect. Those be the ones you never get. It's always the ones where you're like, man, I'm gonna just. You know, I'm gonna just do it. So with this one, when I read the script, I was like, oh, yeah, I could do this in my sleeve. It's New York niggas, right? I'm from New York. Yeah, I could do that. I didn't know Power was a real person. I thought it was a fictional character, but I was like, okay, cool. I could do that. It's funny. His name is Power, because I was on Power, but, okay, that's cool. So I did the audition. I did a. I sent the tape. I sent the tape. I was also. But I Was also up for another. You see, you see. You see the theme here? There's a lot going on. I was up for another role. They were gonna bring back NYPD Blue on abc. Remember that show?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes.

[Marcus Callender]

So I was up to be on that show. I wanted to be on that because it's abc. You know what I'm saying? Like, Hulu's cool.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

But network television, we talking about, which.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Is normally a bit more stable.

[Marcus Callender]

It's more stable.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

It's just more money.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes. 100.

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah, it's just more money. So I wanted that. And it would have kept me in New York still. So I was like, okay, cool. I want that. So the same day I found out that I didn't get that, I found out I had a call back for the Wu Tang shit.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Got you.

[Marcus Callender]

Okay. All right, well, something. I went to the callback for Wu Tang, and I remember going in there. We had to do it. And this is before 2020. I had to do it to a computer, to RZA in la. So I go to the office. The casting director's like, okay, so, you know, we have RZA on the laptop. He's coming in through zoom. So you gotta do the audition to the computer. I'm like, what? You know what I'm saying? Like, at the time, it was like, I ain't never done that, you know, saying. And it's Rizza. But, like, at the same time, like, I thought it was. I thought I was at a disadvantage because I'm not in the room.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Gotcha.

[Marcus Callender]

It's always different when you're in the room. They could feel your energy and all of that. I'm like, there's no way this is going to translate over a computer screen. But I did the. I did it. I only had to do each scene once. I didn't even have to do it again. I remember after, the casting director was like, really good job. That was amazing. I was like, thanks. All right, cool. I left. I went to my friend's house. As soon as I got off the train, my agent calls me. This is like 45 minutes later, my agent calls me. She's like, hey, they want to test you. I was like, I just left the motherfucking audition.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right?

[Marcus Callender]

But I knew in that moment that I had to roll.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Gotcha.

[Marcus Callender]

Because I was like, I've never gotten. That's not true. That's not true. New Amsterdam. I found out they wanted to test me probably like 15 minutes after tomorrow. Did you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Got you.

[Marcus Callender]

I was in the room.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Test you for those who don't know the talent side of TV means what?

[Marcus Callender]

Okay, so when you do a screen test, it basically means, hey, we love you. We want you for this role, but we also want this person for this role. We're also considering this person. We just want to see how what make what makes the most sense on camera visually. You know what I mean? Visually.

[Big Long]

What's up? It's big long from It's Up There podcast. On this episode, we're unpacking the difference between toxic love and a real bond. How so many of us were taught to survive love instead of experiencing it. A lot of men think being solid means being silent. I'm good. I got it. That's the script we memorize before we even know ourselves. Because somewhere along the line, expression got labeled weakness. So now we perform composure while we're falling apart. You share your body but not a conversation. And that's not intimacy. But what if being a man really means you care enough to communicate? Real love isn't loud. It's consistent. It's the small things. The small check ins, the shared accountability, the honesty that feels awkward but keeps everyone safe. Stop confusing numbness with dependability. We gotta break the cycle and break the pattern. This special episode of It's Up There podcast with Lone brought to you by Healthy Sexual from Gilead sciences on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Marcus Callender]

Whoa.

[Big Long]

What a vibe we've got, y'.

[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

All.

[Big Long]

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[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

Hey, everyone. Ed Helms here and hi, I'm Kal.

[Marcus Callender]

Penn and we're the hosts of Irsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.

[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation, timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

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You know what?

[Lauren LaRosa]

I can see you as Mr. Darcy.

[Annabe Sofa Advertiser]

You got a little Colin Firth.

[Ed Helms and Kal Penn]

Okay, that's really sweet. I appreciate that, but are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennett here. Listen to Irsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Lauren LaRosa]

Who else were they testing for the role of power?

[Marcus Callender]

They were testing. It was me. Damn this cat named Antwan Harris, who I did the breaks with, and I don't remember the other person, so we did the. They said they wanted me to test, so I was like, okay, but I'm doing a play. How the hell am I gonna make it to la? Cause you know when you're doing a play, it's eight shows a week. You only have one day off, which is a Monday. So I said, yo, I mean, do they know I'm gonna play? I can't. How am I gonna. You know? Cause what they do in those scenarios, if you can't be there, they'll use your audition tape as the screen test.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Got you. But that kind of is like, it's.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? I'm like, I want to be there.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

So they worked around my schedule, which is another test. That was another sign. I was like, oh, yeah, they want Me for this.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Gotcha.

[Marcus Callender]

They scheduled it. It was. So I had two shows that Sunday. I did the two shows. Then after the second show, I literally went from the theater to the airport to la. I flew on a red eye and did the test the next morning and flew back to New York that same night. It was just like, I felt like a rock star. Right. You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

So. But I remember how I felt going into the test. I wasn't nervous. I wasn't trying to put on. I kind of just knew it was mine. You know what I mean? I walked in, said, what up to rza? Said what up to Kim Coleman. Shout out to Kim Coleman. She was the casting director. I did the scene. I only had to do each scene once. And I left. I didn't, you know, like, I hope. You know, saying, like, I hope I did the screen test, went back to New York to do the play.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

And, you know. But that also helped too, because I was locked in on that. So I wasn't too distracted about, are they gonna pick me or not? Because I already had something to do.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

So I remember the day I found out I got it. It was like December 21st or 22nd or something like that. I went to lunch with a friend of mine, shout out to Megan. I went to lunch and I was telling her. I was like, yeah, I'm supposed to be finding out today if I got the role. But I was so jaded at the time because, you know, I had just.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You've been through so much.

[Marcus Callender]

I've been through so much. The year's been crazy. I'm like, you know, it was raining that day, too. I got a little trauma with rain because the day I found out I didn't get New Amsterdam, it was raining in la. In la, it don't rain like that in la.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Them boys lied. It rains in Southern California.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying? It was just like, damn, it's raining again. Damn, that means I ain't gonna get it. So I left lunch, and as I'm walking, it stopped raining. The sun's coming out and I'm like, okay, okay, okay. I remember I went to Team. I went to the T mobile store to pay my phone bill while I was in line. My manager at the time, she calls me. She goes. She calls me. She's like, hey, I got a so and so and so. My agents, they, you know, they're on the line, too. They only on the line if you got the role. So I said, wait, hold on. A second. Let me step outside real quick. What's up? What's up, y'? All? I said, just give it to me. Don't try. Because sometimes they'll try to, like, play with you and be like. So unfortunately, psych. I said, just give it to me, right? They said, look, they want to offer you this. I said, get the out of. I was on. It was like Midtown, like, 50 Something Street. I said, yo, get the out. I say, yeah, yeah. Because it was just. It was the. It was that moment of like, yo, I've been through so much this year. This year has been so hard. So they ended on this note, was like, yeah, I'm about to be a series regular. Yo, this is crazy on the Wu Tang joint, right? This is crazy, right? So more distraction to take me away from spades, you know what I'm saying? Because remember, the plan was to go back to LA and produce it. So I just kind of dived into Wu Tang. I did that. We did that for three seasons. I was still working on spades.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And the guys were really, really involved with you guys too.

[Big Long]

Like.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Like, you know, developing the characters. And on set, what was. I mean, because you say distraction, but I'm sitting here, like, all this stuff you're learning in real time from all these great people to then bring back to your players. How I'm looking at it, but in the moment, I get it. It don't feel like that, right? But like, talk about, you know, showing up on set and you have RZA and whoever else would come.

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And you were like, these are superheroes to us.

[Marcus Callender]

I mean, I was in a unique position because I wasn't playing one of the rappers.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? I was playing the behind the scenes guy, the business guy who a lot of people don't know about.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? So for me, it was like, yeah, you know, meeting the, you know, meeting the Wu Tang was cool, but I. I need to meet Power. Where's Power? Never, like, he would never show up to set. I'm asking around. I'm like, where's. Oh, you haven't met Pete. Oh, you got to meet P. Yo, P. Is this P? Is that. I'm like, all right, well, where you at? Yeah, where he at? I'm playing him one day. We were like seven episodes in, so the season's almost done. We like, seven episodes in. We shoot season one. We shot all of that in Staten Island. So we had to pause because it was raining. Theme with rain. Yes, it was raining crazy so we had to pause filming for a couple of hours. Next thing you know, I get a knock on the door and the PA is like, yo, you know you have a guest here. I said, come visit me in Staten Island. And he peeks his head over. He said, what up? I said, oh, shit. What's up, yo? What's good? He came into my trailer. Our first conversation was like three hours. We spoke for like three hours, just shooting the shit. Like, we got along immediately.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

And once we met, we've been locked in, even to this, to this day. Yeah, we're locked in. You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

What was it like? Because on. On Power, the show Power, you're playing a person that we don't know. This isn't a real person. You know what I mean?

[Marcus Callender]

Even.

[Lauren LaRosa]

But then on Wu Tang, you're playing a person named Power who is a real person. And you have played him for almost all of the season. And then you get to meet him. So how does your direction as an actor change when you go from something that is based on a real person or something that's not based on a real person to based on a real person? And then even after that, it probably changes because you then meet the real person.

[Marcus Callender]

That's another great question. So season one is all about who these members are before the group was formed. So it's just a lot of like, just backstory stuff, you know what I'm saying? So, like, I was kind of pretty. The performance I was given was pretty solid for what was asked of me that season. Right. Because we hadn't gotten into like Wu Tang yet.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

So when I met him, it was like, okay, the timing is good. So once we finish filming season one that summer, I spent a lot of time with him. I mean, we went to, you know, I. I went to D.C. with him. Miami. Like, I was just traveling with. He was just inviting me out, like, yo, come to this, come to that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Because he's doing now, cuz. Well, first of all, I guess explain a bit for anyone who may not have seen the series. Power's role in the Wu Tang and then kind of where he is now, like what his life looks like now.

[Marcus Callender]

Power. Power is the executive producer of Wu Tang as well as the co founder of Wu Tang. He was a part. He was there from the very beginning, you know what I mean? In the show, you see that, you know, Powell was the one that basically fronted the money for RZA to make this album, you know what I mean? Because Power, you know, Power was a Street.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Gotcha.

[Marcus Callender]

I'm saying he was a getting money and you know, especially in, in the rap game, a lot of the time we go to the, you know, when, when we need that bread.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

Going to the street, you know what I'm saying? So that's who power was. Power already had a name for himself. He was already established. So it was kind of like he recognized what RZA was doing and said, okay, cool, I'm gonna invest in that. That's gonna be my flip, you know what I'm saying? So season two is when we got into all of that. So before we started shoot, shooting season two, you know, I got to see. Cause he's still, I mean, Wu Tang is still very much his brand, you know what I mean? He has Wu wear, which is the clothing line as well that he started.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes.

[Marcus Callender]

So you know, he would do pop ups a lot. So he would invite me to these pop ups. So I'm meeting people, I'm seeing him like at work in action. I'm. I'm talking like down to like how he counts money. He counts money like a. You know what I'm saying? Like, so I'm like just taking note of all of that. So in spending time with him now I'm able to refine my performance because now I can add details, you know what I mean? Specificity. I'm big on specifics, you know what I mean? I don't like general, you know what I'm saying? So like I was able to pick up on little things. How he dresses, how he, you know, like power never ties his shoelace. He always, his, his kicks is always super clean, fresh out the box, laces, you know what I'm saying, Doughboy, you know what I mean? So I was able to pick up on all of that. He sags his pants a lot. So like even down to like my wardrobe and how I wore it, I'm picking up on all of these things. Sometimes I'll be at a fit in and I will FaceTime. I'm like, yo, is this something you will wear? Like how you feel about this? Down to like how I wear the chain. He never wears his chain on the outside. He always has it tucked in, you know what I mean? Just, just like little things. So I was so in that I was able to bring more to the role, which I think paid off because now when I meet people, you know, they're like, yo, you got Billy down. Like to the. Yo, you got P. D. You know what I'm saying? Like, and I, and I Heard that from Wu Tang members. You know what I mean? So, like, to even get their blessing was a big deal, right?

[Lauren LaRosa]

So then, okay, so Wu Tang has happened. Or at this point, put spades on the back end your play, which is honestly what we're here to talk about. But this all is a part of the journey. We're gonna get there, y'. All. So at what point. So Wu Tang happens. That's done. When do you say, okay, I need to get this play happening, and it's going to be New York.

[Marcus Callender]

Okay, so finished shooting Wu Tang. We finished filming in 2022. The end of 2022. And then was it 2022 or 2023? 2022. And then the writer strike happened right after we finished filming. Yeah, it was like, what the fuck? It was like, yo, we just finished shooting this show. We feeling like, okay, cool. We off this show. What's the next thing?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Did you have things on the table, like, conversations and stuff for other shows that were coming your way? It was finally like, okay. This show led to boom.

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah. I was doing a. I was doing this film, and we had to stop production because I think production. I think they ran out of money or something like that. But it was like. But it was supposed to be this, like, really dope indie film that they offered me this role, and I was going to body this role. We had to end production on that. And then I had a meeting with this producer for this other film, so it was just like, okay, okay. And then the writer strike happened.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

So everything kind of just came to a halt. So it's just like, all right, okay. What do I. What do I do with this information? So it put me in another depression again, because it's just kind of like when you're an artist and you. And you're not doing your art, you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Don'T feel like you.

[Marcus Callender]

Alive with you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Are you doing anything actively for the depression? Like, are you? Because I know, like, I was doing.

[Marcus Callender]

The things I'm not supposed to be doing. Meaning? You know.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What? Tell us. We want to know. You can't just leave us hanging like that.

[Marcus Callender]

Look, man, I was. I was.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You have vices, huh? You're. You leaning into your vices?

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah, yeah, I was leaning into my vices. You know what I mean? I was, you know, messing with. You know, messing with young ladies I shouldn't be messing with. Just kind of just. I was just all over the place. So I was indulging in that, but that wasn't Good. Because, you know, here I am, not really staying focused and letting distractions kind of get to me.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

And then I had my birthday party in 2023. I'll never forget that day. I had my birthday party. I invited everybody. I mean, invited all my friends, all my little joints, all. Everybody came out. And I remember I didn't even. Like. It was. It was. It was at this spot, remember? The Grill bk?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah. I wasn't here during the time of all of that, like, popping off. I just started coming around. Breakfast Club guest Hosting started in 2023.

[Marcus Callender]

Okay.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So I was a little new, but I. I knew of it. I would see people there.

[Marcus Callender]

Yeah. My homegirl, Melissa, she owned that spot. So I had my birthday there. It was open bar. Like, I basically threw my birthday. I threw a party for people on my birthday because I wasn't even really. Like, I was literally sitting at the bar the whole party. Everyone's like, yo, this your party? Like, why you not chilling? I said, I don't know. I'm just kind of chilling because some. It was. One of. It was another one of those. Like, my spirit told me, like, okay, I should throw a party for my. It was my 33rd birthday thing. I was like, something told me I should. I should throw a party or something. So I did it. And I remember sitting there, I couldn't even enjoy it, really. All I did was, like, watch people. That's all I did. I took some shrooms. You know what I'm saying? I had my little shrooms as.

[Lauren LaRosa]

That's why you were sitting at the bar.

[Marcus Callender]

But. But, you know, like, I love shrooms, man. Shrooms that open your mind.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Y' all got that. That is not my ministry.

[Marcus Callender]

It would. You would love it. It's. It's a fantastic thing. So I'm shrooms. I'm sipping my rum punch and shit, and I'm just, like, staring at people and just, like, watching people. And I'm just thinking to myself, I'm like, yeah, like, I feel like most of these people are here just because, you know, I'm on tv and, you know, I don't know if, like, all of these people actually fuck with me. You know what I'm saying? But that was something I was thinking about. And then, you know, after that party, I ended up, like. I. I ended a lot of friendships because it was. It was starting. You know, people starting to show their ass. You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Like, off the rum punch that night or.

[Marcus Callender]

No, no, no, not okay.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm like, oh, what happened at the.

[Marcus Callender]

Party, but just following after that, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, people, it's easy, people. It's easy to be around people or to be with you when you're up. You know what I mean? When things are up, that's when it's easy. But when. When it's not like that, that's when people start to show their true colors.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Right.

[Marcus Callender]

And for me, I kind of was just like, yo, I need to kind of, like, clear space because I feel like some of this energy is not helpful for me. It's not conducive. It's distractions.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I mean? Just energy I shouldn't be around. So 2023 was a really tough year for me because it was a lot of purging, a lot of it, and a lot of, like, realizations of like, oh, this motherfucker's been like this this whole time. I couldn't see it because I was, you know, I just spent the last three years, you know, living on a high that I didn't. I didn't have the moment to, like, really dissect and, like, really understand what was around me.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying? So in that, you know, 2023, I was, you know, I was also in a. In a relationship. So I was just kind of like, feeding into that more than anything. I wasn't really feeding into myself as an artist because I didn't know what to do. You know what I mean? I still had space, but I wasn't inspired to keep working on it. During the, like. When the writer strike first hit, I recorded the first two scenes on audio because I was going to try to sell it as an audio. As an audio book kind of thing, because that was like, one of the things we could do.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah.

[Marcus Callender]

In. In the writer's strike. So I did that. I was supposed to meet with some people. They never responded back to the email. So it was just like. It just kind of felt like, yo, nothing is, like, going my way, man. Like, nothing. You know what I'm saying? So then I had a friend at the time. We were supposed to do a reading of Spades and Detroit, and that ended up not happening because it was a lot of. It was more like funny business happening, you know what I mean? It was another moment of like. Kind of like seeing. Of someone who's supposed to be your friend. They true colors, you know what I'm saying? It was starting to feel like she was. She wanted to take my work and put her name on it and take the credit for my shit. But in hindsight, I'm glad that happened because it lit a fire under me. You know what I mean? Because even before that, you know, like, I try to pitch this play to, like, different theater companies, you know, these are all white institutions, you know, that are gonna take our stories and kind of dilute it and not really give it that authentic authenticity that it needs when it comes to our stories, black stories, and how we tell our stories. And that's a whole nother thing I'll get into later. But so, you know, I'm pitching it to all these theater companies. They're like, we love it. Okay, but what's up? Oh, you know, we're gonna do this other play. We're gonna. It's like, I'm tired of waiting. So after that whole Detroit thing fell through, I said, you know what? I'm just. I'm gonna do this myself. Yeah, I'm gonna do this myself. And I said, you know what I mean? It woke something up in me. It woke something up in me. So I did a reading of so where the play is now. Yes, I did a stage reading there last year, last September. Same kind of formula with the whole theater in the round at the table, but, you know, except they had scripts. And that was kind of like the launching of like, okay, like, I'm going to commit to producing this play. Like, I'm just going to commit to it, you know what I mean? Because I got all this downtime, I'm not filming anything. I need to do something, you know what I'm saying? Like, and what. What better way than to employ yourself? You know what I'm saying? So from that moment, I did the reading. Then after that, we did the reading at Dumbo House. And then from.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Oh, so that was still relatively, like, new when I saw that. Dumbo House. Okay, cool.

[Marcus Callender]

Exactly. So, you know, but. Because the point of doing these readings was to, like, get the word out.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Gotcha.

[Marcus Callender]

I wanted people to start knowing about this place so that when we produce it, it's like, oh, that's the play that I. You know what I'm saying? So it's not like out of thin air, but some people thought, I. I think I. I just wrote this play, you know what I mean? Not knowing. Like, no, this was a 10 year journey.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Got you.

[Marcus Callender]

You know what I'm saying?

[Lauren LaRosa]

Now, y' all stay tuned because this is only part one. But if you're feeling inspired, if you're digging this story in this conversation, I want to hear from you, my low riders. Make sure you at me. I'm Lauren LaRosa everywhere. And check out Spades to Play now playing in New York. Visit Spades to Play on Instagram or on Pop for your tickets. You know what might be the best thing about JD Sports? The possibilities. I mean, they're endless. I stopped by the other day at the Times Square location, and I didn't even really need anything. I was just there. Y' all know how you wander in and then you end up buying everything? But I was like, JD Sports gets me like they feel me. I couldn't leave without picking up something, so I grabbed the Nike tech for bae. Cause y' all know it's that season. And to no surprise, it worked out perfectly. Elevate your fit at JD Sports, explore the latest drops, and make your style your own. JD Sports, where the latest global sportswear lives.

[Marcus Callender]

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[Marcus Callender]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

Theater presents real customer reviews performed by a real serious improv podcaster. Tonight's review Furby. I bought a Furby as a nostalgic joke. Joke's on me. Day 1 Adorable giggles wiggles its ears, says me love you. Day 3 Woke me up at 3am whispering in Furbish. I think it summoned something. Day 5 I'm starting to ask it for life advice.

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Day 7 It blinked at me like it knew I blinked back. We've reached an understanding.

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I fear it.

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I love it.

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5 stars Aaron M. Find your perfect gift this holiday on Amazon.

[Marcus Callender]

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[Marcus Callender]

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[Marcus Callender]

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[Marcus Callender]

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[Marcus Callender]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

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