Actor and Director Rodney Roldan

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: Welcome to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I am your host, Sharon Cline, and in the studio, I’ve got a very cool individual who wears a lot of hats, which is fascinating to me. He’s an award winning producer, director, writer, actor. He is also a member of the military. Thank you for your service. He’s also a member of both acting unions. Is that correct? Okay. Sag and AFTRA and also Actors Equity. Actors equity. Thank you. I was like, what is it called? I’m so used to Sag-Aftra. Um, and also, luckily enough, I got to work with on the set of Fatal Attraction in, um in Tennessee about 5 or 6 weeks ago, and since then, we’ve been able to keep in touch and help each other in the acting world a little bit. So I just want to thank you for coming to the studio. Rodney, how do you want me to say your name?

Rodney Roldan: Oh, Rodney Roldan.

Sharon Cline: Because I said it wrong. The last time I met you, you were like, that’s so American sounding.

Rodney Roldan: No, I say that because it’s like, so a lot of my, you know, Puerto Rican Cuban friends, it’s like Roden. But you say Roden. Rodan like Tehran, but they say Roden.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, that’s what I said. And you were like, huh? Interesting. I’m sorry I said it wrong, but. Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: No, it’s fine. When they mail me letters, it says Roland. And then I said, well, technically it’s the same, but I’m not going to go by that. I won’t pay it. It’s not me. I’m just kidding.

Sharon Cline: Get it right. Everybody out there, including myself. Thank you for coming to the studio. I’m so excited to talk to you.

Rodney Roldan: I’m excited to be here. I love doing this and it’s great. It’s great meeting you and talking to you on set A few weeks ago. And, you know, I’m happy to be here.

Sharon Cline: I think it was really fun. I talk about it all the time, so I won’t talk about it too much today. But what’s really cool about you is that you’re very unassuming. You have you’re just on the set doing like normal things, just chit chatting about the military and a little bit. But you have awards in your in your acting awards. You’ve got producing awards, you’ve got directing awards all like on your wall in your house, like it looks like it’s fake, but it’s not.

Rodney Roldan: Hey, I know.

Sharon Cline: It’s on a shelf. I’m like, what the what’s that back there? Anyway, I’m very excited to hear about your success this way, because I think there are many, many people who would be listening to this who are in the acting world, who would love to be able to have that kind of credit to themselves. So can you talk to me a little bit about I know you’re a New York native, right. Um, how did you come down here to Georgia?

Rodney Roldan: So while I was so in my entire life, it’s an entire life. But I’ve kind of had this dual, um, military and then getting into the arts world. Um, so I’ve been kind of wearing both hats. I started off in the Navy, and then while I was in the Navy active duty, I started doing TV and film acting. Um, took a break from the military and then saw that I had, like, so many years left in the Navy that it was like nine and a half years in the Navy. And I said, I don’t want to throw that away. Right. So then I went into the Army Reserve and kind of toggled between being on deployments and, you know, doing like active duty assignments, especially during Covid. Um, and then currently the last 4 or 5 years. Um, so Covid is interesting because that’s actually how I ended up down here. Wow. So we were on, uh, I was doing I was on Adolf’s orders, which in civilian sense, it just means like, temporary active duty to, like, counter to help a lot of the medical units come into the city. Um, since that was, like, the epicenter. Um, but at the same time, I had a lot of acting roles going on, but then a lot of them started disappearing. And so one of the challenges I’ve had, like as an artist or it’s kind of like balancing. So a lot of times I’ll be on a show and then say, oh, you got to go overseas to Afghanistan or Iraq.

Rodney Roldan: And it’s like, oh man, what do I do? I have to get off a show. So I’ve kind of used to toggling between both. Um, but in 2020, some of the, you know, a lot of the projects got canceled and I got scared. And then the Army was like, oh, hey, there’s a position down in Georgia. And I was like, I didn’t know what that was. And he said, well, you won’t deploy, but you get to, you know, work with the reserve unit, so you’ll be active duty, but work with them and then at least you’ll have time to be like. So I was scared to come down here. So I got the orders to come down. And I said, I don’t know what’s going on, like I’m going to be leaving. I felt like I was going to be leaving my acting career behind because. And the opposite happened. You know, I got down here and the following year I started getting busy with my career again. And then up until this moment here, it kind of went on the upswing and a lot of different variety, like things I never did before, like hand modeling to like of all things. And um, and then I, you were talking about the awards earlier. I had started getting into documentary filmmaking and I started that in 20 1516. And while I was down here, I ended up doing a feature on called Country and Courage and that one that that was more of using Shakespeare to like, heal soldiers.

Sharon Cline: I would love to know. I was reading about that. I would love to know how you marry those together, because that’s kind of a very surprising mix. If and I’m wondering how you kind of discovered that Shakespeare has anything to do with soldiers and how they process and deal with what they’ve been exposed to?

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. So, you know, and I have to for that, I actually have to give credit to my, um, Shakespeare teachers at Stella Adler because I went to Stella Adler in 2016, 17, Iraq. And then when I came back, I finished it. But, um, I’ve, I’ve watched Shakespeare as a kid. Right. And I love Macbeth and, you know, look at, like, Hotspur in, you know, in King John, all these plays. But there’s, there’s one thing when you’re watching it as a child and then later on because, like Shakespeare is all love and war, right? So like when you get older, then you start realizing there’s a connection. So I remember working on a few monologues, and one was the Hotspur monologue with Lady Percy starts telling him about, like, the nightmares that he has and my, um, my Shakespeare teacher at the time, she she was like, you know, Rodney, you being a soldier, you understand that? Like, he was talking about PTSD in his monologue and I was like, you know, that’s crazy. So I started like, researching it, and then I started seeing a lot of, like, similarities between the experiences. There was, um, Troilus and Cressida. Right. So, you know, the whole speech about, um, Troy, it’s winning in our weakness. So I started thinking about, like, our approach to, like, Afghanistan and all this stuff. So, um, you know, looking at these monologues, I was bringing, like, personal experience into it. Well, later on, I was thinking of, you know, reading Shakespeare.

Rodney Roldan: I was like, mm, we’re talking about PTSD. And then I started meeting different people that like, there’s a group up in, um, New York, there’s a program called The Crew, and I talk about it in this documentary where he, he, he works at, um, well, he’s an instructor at NYU, and he has this program called The Crew, which is kind of, you know, helping soldiers with PTSD, but then using Shakespeare the same way they taught us at Stella Adler. So I wanted to do a documentary on Veterans Day, PTSD. But then I was like, well, I want to introduce something into society. A lot of people don’t know. And that the arts is like a way of healing, you know. So then that’s what kind of motivate me to, you know, form the basis for doing this project on it. And, um, you know, and it was a good experience because I got to talk to like, the, like Berry College out in Rome, Georgia. I got to work with NYU on it, a lot of soldiers. And then there’s two veterans on there from the Vietnam War that I got to talk to. And then I had like some other soldiers in my unit at the time that were helping me gather the interviews. So when I put it together, I was like, wow, this is, um, telling a different story. And you also got to think of, like the little, um, Subtleties and like as far as education is concerned, because one of the units, um, was the Harlem Hellfighters that I talk about in there.

Rodney Roldan: And then there’s a soldier out in Alabama. She was like, you know, Rodney, as a black female, I didn’t realize that this was the kind of like this unit was like an all black unit out of New York. And they in the First World War, and they got World War One. That’s the First World War, but they got the, um, the I think it was the cross from France, from one of the battles. And the irony behind that, by the way, I’m going all over the place, but that’s okay. The irony behind that is that when I was in high school, I was in a group called the Harlem Youth Marine Cadets. Right. And we used to drill out of the 369th Armory. That was the Harlem Hellfighters, that building. That’s what they were at. So later on when I did, I was like, oh, wow, this is a lot. There’s a lot of me in this project, you know, being in the military, studying Shakespeare, having that. So when I was doing it, it was a lot of personal feeling into it, but it was also a broader thing that a lot of people don’t address, which is like the PTSD or the things that soldiers go to on a daily basis, you know.

Sharon Cline: What was it like to see your film completed?

Rodney Roldan: Um, it was it was so stressful at first because honestly, I was trying to get it to be, you know, disseminated on Veterans Day. So I literally spent 20. It was 23 hours up until that morning editing it throughout the night, like doing final edits. And and I’m kind of a perfectionist. So I was trying to make sure there’s a frame missing. We got it correct.

Sharon Cline: Was it you who filmed it? You had your own camera and went, yeah. Did you hire a crew or anything? No.

Rodney Roldan: I, I had help from another sergeant. He was capturing two of the interviews up in Tennessee. Um, and then, you know, some of the, like the, the crew guys, they sent me some footage they had.

Sharon Cline: Um, but then you edited it all together.

Rodney Roldan: So I did it was like ten I had, I filmed, like, 90% of it. Wow. And, um, and then I invested a lot of money into it because I also had some of it. I had to get, like, stock footage, some I had to use, like I use previous footage from. So let me jump back a little bit. So in the Army I’m working public affairs. So a lot of, a lot of our, um, a lot of the footage came from like things that I actually filmed overseas.

Sharon Cline: Um, you had access to. Yes.

Rodney Roldan: You know, and this is public information. Like, there’s a site called Dvids where all this stuff goes on, as you know. Yeah. And, um, so, you know, a lot of that’s from there. Um, so I gathered all that together, and then I was editing it, kind of creating the graphics for it.

Sharon Cline: Did you do The Voice? Did you do voiceover for it?

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. So I narrate a lot of it. And then I had another actor friend of mine. He did one of the monologues. So like, there’s some pieces in this, um, project where you have a soldier myself and then another, um, you’re not a soldier, but they’re doing little monologues from, like I did, you know, the the to be or not to be monologue. Um, and that, that that’s that dilemma. So that’s why we had it. So and then we have the Lady Percy monologue in there as well. And then the Caspian speech, which is famous in the military as well.

Sharon Cline: Wow. Who knew? I didn’t know.

Rodney Roldan: So it’s, it’s, you know.

Sharon Cline: What do you finding that being able to tap into the performance aspect of Shakespeare for these soldiers. What does it help them process.

Rodney Roldan: So I think it brings so the language like it’s one thing that I find interesting about Shakespeare. You look at that as it was written hundreds of years ago. I’m like, but the fact that it still speaks to soldiers or not just soldiers, but people today. And so the the degree in which the the depth, I should say, that the writing goes into and then the depth of the experience of the person, especially one that’s been in combat and reciting these words. It just kind of there’s like a life to it that it connects and it kind of brings it kind of brings those feelings on the surface and brings meaning to it or understanding. So I think that there’s something and then it’s even the action of studying. Right. Because a lot of times Shakespeare is not one of the things you can just read. You got to sit there and like one thing they used to make us do and, you know, my acting school was take each word and define it. And this is there’s no phone, right? You have a book you’re writing. You have a dictionary. And then what does that word mean? Well, it means this and that. No. What does it mean to you? What do you think it means? What? So when you dissecting the script, you start realizing the depth of this, of this writing. It kind of coincides with the depth you experience because those kind of war experiences have. That’s deep. And that’s, um, there’s a lot of layers that get coded in so people can cope. So like we remove those layers and kind of connect with the person inside and the words on the page. And I think that’s what makes it like so like beautiful thing actually. It’s like an artistic work.

Sharon Cline: You know what I think is cool is what you’re talking about is that there’s a feeling of collectiveness like 200, 300, however many years ago these things were written is still applicable today. Which means that you aren’t you’re not alone in the human experience, right?

Rodney Roldan: Exactly. And that that’s what I found because it was like especially that that that Lady Percy speech, when she’s like the sweats and the, the, you know, sees like images of war and the uh, and I’m looking at them like, man, when he wrote this, like people, I mean, humans are humans, right? No matter how long, you know, 2000 years ago.

Sharon Cline: They just didn’t know. It was called post-traumatic stress disorder.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. I mean.

Sharon Cline: You look.

Rodney Roldan: At I mean, it was like. I think it was 79 AD Pompeii, and they found bread in the oven like people did things we did today.

Sharon Cline: You know? Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: So it’s not so it’s just it’s kind of we know that we’re like a lot of soldiers know they’re not alone. Because he even helped me. There were some things that I seen that I didn’t know affected me. And when I started doing a lot of acting exercises, some of that thing would surface. And I’m like, oh, we have a dream. Like, what the heck did that come from? I thought that was something I forgot about, but it’s because when you truly are like, if you truly look diving into acting and get into character, you’re removing layers, right? And you’re getting into who the character is. So you start. It’s almost like a form of therapy for yourself, you know, if you truly hone in on the character.

Sharon Cline: You want a Davey Award for this?

Rodney Roldan: Yes.

Sharon Cline: What was that like?

Rodney Roldan: It was, um. It was actually. Okay. So with these awards, I didn’t even know about these things. Right. So, like, I kind of knew what the telly awards were, and, um. And I had this thing when I started acting like, oh, I want to win. Um, you know, I want to get an Emmy, an Oscar, a SAG Award.

Sharon Cline: A Tony.

Rodney Roldan: Award, a Tony.

Sharon Cline: And.

Rodney Roldan: Then, then Natalia. I was like, oh, I like that because I. And the reason why I tell it because when I first started acting, I saw a lot of the companies that do like industrial videos and things like that, and they had a lot. And I’m like, what’s that? And they’re like, oh, it’s it’s for, you know, like commercials, documentaries, you know, a lot of businesses. And so I put two of my projects, like the first one I did was on, um, it was a 20 minute film on a p.o.w. Um, and the cool thing about that was I filmed, like his granddaughter in Germany of where the POW site was, and then back home talking to the son or her father. And so I got two telly awards for that, and then three for Country and Courage and then I answered that into the communicator Awards. And then it won. And they made me a member of the, you know, of the, say, Ava, which is the Academy of Interactive Video. Um, so I became a member of that. And then they also have like the I think they run the Davy Awards and there’s one more. But so I ended up winning there. So I thought I was it was it was a big deal for me. Oh, this is really cool that somebody would recognize that, you know, because at first it’s like you do these things you don’t know about somebody, do it like, oh, I get an award. But I had I didn’t even know about that. I didn’t start getting them until like 2018. Wow.

Sharon Cline: So it’s not that long ago.

Rodney Roldan: No.

Sharon Cline: But you have lots of awards. Yeah, in lots of different ways. Could you even imagine that? That would be your story?

Rodney Roldan: No, I didn’t, and like I said, I didn’t know about it. Um, and that to me was, um, because like, a lot of, like I said, I don’t a lot of people chase things, but for me, it was like it was more the thing with the award is like, oh, that somebody actually believed in it, and they’re showing it on their platform and letting everybody else know, hey, check this out. And so it’s more of like the message getting out. Um, but I didn’t know that that would happen or. Well, it’s still kind of surreal for me today because then people would say, oh, you got all this stuff here. It’s like, yeah, but I still don’t know what that means. I’m sorry. I hope the members of the Academy don’t hear that. The Oscars, like you’re not gonna know what it means.

Sharon Cline: No, but what I think is maybe what is, um, what we’re supposed to do is rather than create something for the end result, like, I want an award. You’re creating something that has meaning for you and and for a lot of other people, obviously. Yeah. Um, and has catharsis to it and healing to it. So I think there’s something about the energy of that as being just for the, for the betterment of people. Not so that you’ll get an award. Maybe people can sense that it was something that you were so personally attached to and wanted such good things for the end. Not I would like to be able to have a shelf with all these trophies. Yeah, exact words on it.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. Because I didn’t even so. And then that’s, that’s like some part of the business that, you know, because like, you know, I’ve been I’ve been acting. So I did a lot of times other actors, especially ones that are like that I meet that are stars like that I’ve worked with. And they say one thing about acting is like, you also have to get into like writing, directing. But it wasn’t like I did that because it was like, the advice is to direct, let me direct something. It was just, um, in the military, being in public affairs, we tell the soldiers story. So I was like, well, I want to tell this soldier story, but as a civilian or as an actor. And that’s how I got into that first documentary. And, um, with Country and Courage, one thing I got offers on it. Like to sell it to different. Yeah, to like different streaming services. And I couldn’t though, because the reason there’s, there’s other side of it where if you film anything military related, um, because it’s so it has to go on DVDs. Right. Which is fine. You know, um, I don’t it’s not like I have a regret for that because it’s still being seen, but like some people. Oh, you can make money. I was like, that wasn’t my intention at all. You know, my thing is, like I said, it’s a message. And with acting in general, like any kind of performance, is to connect with people. They used to say that at, you know, different teachers used to tell me, like acting says, the things that we don’t want to say or we’re afraid to say. So whenever you, um, doing like documentaries or things that you have to expose certain truths that educate people, um, especially nowadays with a lot of stuff going on, you know, I say nowadays, but, you know, over the last couple of years, right?

Sharon Cline: Well, and there’s another side of it, the acting side, obviously, there’s like creating media and movies, but then the documentary side is, is real life, you know. So there’s the, the ethical responsibility there as well.

Rodney Roldan: Yes. You know, and telling telling stories of what we do. If you think about whether it’s fact or fiction, um, as performers we tell a story. Like, I love, love music, right? So when I listen to a song, every song has a story, but every song also, um, everything I do has music with it. Like I listen to songs. So it reminds me of a memory. So it’s like a trigger for certain good, bad, sad, happy memories or, you know, things like that. So the same thing I see with like, um, you know, film, TV, documentaries, things like that. It has to trigger a response in the viewer. And in that response might be to be empathetic towards something or respond or to do something like call to action. And I think as artists overall, whether you’re a singer, you know, dancer, dancer translates, you know, movement into into an experience. Um, there’s a responsibility to performers to bring to life, you know, writing or anything so that you can communicate with viewers into doing something for the betterment of humanity.

Sharon Cline: I love it because there is that feeling of we are more alike than we are different. And this, this is such a great medium to be able to highlight that there are lots of different ways people do write, but to be able to know that collectively, we’re all sitting in a movie theater and we all gasp at the same thing, or laugh at the same thing. Having that sense of, um, you know, not being alone. I’m not an anomaly person. I actually am kind of just like a lot of other people. That translates to me that we’re not all enemies. We actually are more friends, right? And because we’re so much alike. That’s not to say that everyone you meet is, you know, going to be your friend. I just mean that we don’t have to always be fighting all the time. Because as as if someone as if we’re all very different. There’s so many things that we all like so much. And that’s why I like doing this show, because I really want to focus on the things that make people feel seen and heard and understood and valued. And who doesn’t love that feeling, right? But you also have another film. It was called Typography Through Time. Can you talk about that one?

Rodney Roldan: Oh, so I so I’m kind of a history buff. So that one was um, that that was okay. So I go to Liberty University. I’m working on my PhD right now. And that was.

Sharon Cline: You don’t have enough on you?

Rodney Roldan: No, I know. I’ve always been like that.

Sharon Cline: Like, no, I.

Rodney Roldan: Know, even as a kid. Like. Yeah. Doing three things at once.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, that’s funny.

Rodney Roldan: But that was actually my, um, my. So it was for my master’s degree, and that was my final project. It was supposed to be a paper, but I wanted to turn it into a film. And, um, and I had the opportunity of. So at the time, um, if you, if you watch these episodes, they have to do with like topography and how it’s changed, but it also has literally to do with like the Protestant Reformation and, you know, the, uh.

Sharon Cline: There’s a religious.

Rodney Roldan: Renaissance. No, there is, because, um, at the time, the it was kind of considered revolutionary, like how language or how things were written. So the a lot of those things happened. They kind of coincided with what was happening in real life. Like you had the so one of them is the Age of Enlightenment. So during that you had a lot more changes on how things are written. And then if you go back to the Renaissance or the Reformation, things, It was like kind of restricted to the text was kind of restricted to how the old Bible was written. So in this project I talk about topography, but then how, like the Latin Bible was translated, you know, by what was a Martin Luther and his 90, 99, you know, his the theses where so and then you look at the, the what was it, Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press. Um, he’s credited to that, but it actually came from China because they had kind of but he kind of revolutionized it. But he basically translated the Bible into German and then English as well as English offshoot from that, so that the common people can read it because.

Sharon Cline: It changed everything.

Rodney Roldan: Right?

Sharon Cline: Which changed everything, because the common people started to become educated and have an understanding. And then now they started to have ideas.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. So that’s kind of like this all mixes together. It’s not like so people look at type like how and they’re like, oh, whatever. And then even in your office you’re like, you have.

Sharon Cline: All these different fonts and things.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah, Well the fonts and like and it’s interesting because like and I and I like I love history and museums but there’s like several there’s there’s one in Columbia. I think there’s a museum I forget. And in New York they talk about like how these came about because it’s like you start mixing in the effects of color, like reds and blues and how it pops up to the eye. And then, like, you know, something with like, a white background can stand out so that the person would probably buy it more or watch it more. So that’s kind of later on, like in the, in the 21st century. But if you go back, these things started being incorporated where they started changing, like how topography looked. And I wanted to highlight and highlight that in there. And that’s, you know, so that’s what I did. So it’s like a mini series kind of thing. And it was actually on TV and I was I was blown away with that. So that was a mistake. So not mistake. It was something that happened by accident, I should say, not a mistake. So when I did it, I there was a company called Docs Now+ and they reached out to me saying, hey, we like your product. We want it to be on our experimental platform where we’re going to have just play documentaries. So, you know, I signed a contract and I’m like, is this real? And then one day I was looking at the apps and I see docs now and I click and I’m like, this is amazing. And I took pictures of it.

Sharon Cline: Oh my gosh, how.

Rodney Roldan: Cool is that? So I was like, oh, I made it there. So I didn’t, you know, this is something that.

Sharon Cline: But it’s cool because it’s things that you’re naturally interested in, you know, that you think, wouldn’t it be interesting for more people to know about this, and then you take the initiative to do it? Why are you fearless like that?

Rodney Roldan: Um, I don’t know.

Sharon Cline: Great, I guess.

Rodney Roldan: I guess. No, I mean, no, I think I came from, I came from a big family, you know, and I think, like, growing up in New York, um, just one of them things, like, like as a kid, I felt like I was. I was always on the alert. So I was a kid in, like, in the 80s and and, um, you know, back then, it was a weird time, like, there was a lot of, like, we lived in a I think I say, I think, but it seems like everywhere in these big cities was kind of like, challenging. But we lived in a generally nice area, but there was still things you had to be washed out. And then growing up in a big family, you know, I got you first introduced to like, you know, fighting with your brothers or arguments. And there’s six of us in this house. So I think, um, one of the things especially being like my, my brother Michael and I were the middle child. So it’s kind of like, okay, you kind of psychologically develop this, how am I going to be different from everyone else? And then I think that slowly grows into like, well, I’m going to be the best at this. And I was a straight A student growing up. And yeah, but then I also had like, you know, challenges with that like, and um, so but you know, I think that caused me to like try to break through and like prove something.

Rodney Roldan: Um, and I think that just grows over time. Um, but then we, we realized that that’s the wrong approach, like proving something. You shouldn’t ever have to prove something to yourself or anyone to just be. So I think for a good part of my life, it was about proving something, um, like when I was getting, uh, I was, like, always competing for something, right? Or when I get, I’m going to get this or I’m gonna get like, even when I started first started acting in my 20s, I was, oh, I got to get this role. I got it. And then when I realized later on that that’s not the good approach or the right approach to it, I let go of it. And then I found like my true passion is the arts. So I kind of like resonated into it. And then from that point on, it was it was it was like all she wrote, I just had a great and it was, I know the year that it happened. So it was like 2007 eight and it was a bad year. And I don’t mean when I say bad year. It’s not like, um.

Sharon Cline: Because the housing market in 2000.

Rodney Roldan: No, it wasn’t even that. It was me being what I consider a diva.

Speaker3: Oh, you were a diva.

Rodney Roldan: No. So. And the reason I said that. Because I think that there was some personal stuff going on in my life, my family. And I think I was, um, running away from that. So I kind of, like, surrendered myself into, like, acting and everything. So I was, you know, I was getting a lot of roles, but then I kind of get like, demanding, like, oh, am I cast for this? Okay. Or like, going to South Carolina and say, do you guys have a Starbucks or a hot tub? Like, no. What kind of hotel is this? It’s like weird things like that, you know? I don’t know. And for me, it’s like, you got to admit all the stuff you’re, you know, things that. Yeah, you’re.

Speaker3: Right. You’ve grown, you’ve grown.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah, exactly. So. But I see that. But then I. And I remember being in Vegas, I had there was a big party going on, and I won’t say who.

Speaker3: Okay. But we we talk about that. It was a big it was a big part. Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: And, um, but I remember leaving, and I was like, I just happened to walk down. It was at the. The pyramid. Was that the.

Speaker3: Oh, yeah. The Luxor. Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. So I walked down from there and I stopped by New York, New York, which is like right now. And I was like, what the heck am I doing? Like, it’s just weird, you know? Like, it was partying all the time and just flying. I think I flew like 30 times that year, you know. So as we get into this life and then I just, like, let go of that and, um, that’s not it’s like, this is not. It just wasn’t, you know, and then interesting. Then after that it kind of changed, you know.

Sharon Cline: Well, people love the glamor. Do you know what I mean? The glamor side and the fun side. And that’s kind of what I imagine you were talking about. Yes, but there’s a price to pay for it.

Rodney Roldan: Yes it is. And it was crazy because, like, the following year I moved to LA, and, um, I had some weird experiences out there too, you know. And it was, um, you know, some of my fellow artists, they or actors would say, uh, hey, we go to this person’s house and they’ll like, you see a lot of the stuff that you hear about. And I just I didn’t want to be part of that. So I kept myself distance. And some people ask me now, they said, you know, do you think that kind of like walking that fine line is attributed to you being in the service? And I don’t know, maybe it is. Maybe it’s not. I wouldn’t know because I’ve been in this who I am. I’ve been, you know, a soldier and an artist at the same time. Um, I do think that, um, I because I’m busy with all of it, like, especially with school, that it kind of keeps me responsible in those things. Um, because, like, you know, for the military, we have a responsibility to soldiers in my unit. And then is an artist. I have responsibility to the director and the set and they they both kind of the same. I will tell you that though, like you say, acting in the army. What is that? I said, no, they actually structurally the same and they’re both discipline based. Um, so I think to me I put that first so that anything afterwards like, you know, like partying and things like that, it’s like, if I absolutely have time to relax, I might go to the beach. And but I think on the forefront, it’s like always be ready, you know, and to be ready, you have to be clear minded, to be clear minded. You can’t be intoxicated. You can’t be. And I never got into drugs, which is a good thing. I think it was probably my mother discipline. But but but you know, I think it’s just always, always be ready, you know, because like, auditions come on the fly, like, you know, we talked about this.

Speaker3: Like, you get.

Rodney Roldan: Like, 7 or 8 auditions. And so you always have to be ready to perform, ready to do anything. And, and I think that keeps you disciplined. And I think that’s helped me so that along with like realizations on my own that like, you know, that root of, you know, going to parties and drinking and doing that. That’s not that’s not good for you. You know, it’s not good for you spiritually or health wise, you know. And I think that’s what I never had a big problem with that. But I knew like if I went that route, then I was like, let me catch myself and not go that route, you know?

Sharon Cline: Yeah. I imagine you’ve seen some cautionary tales about people. Yes, who have gone too far, I bet. I imagine there’s a price to pay as well, if you don’t sort of play by the rules of being social in that way. In other words, they expect you to go to the after party that if you’re at a certain level. But if you don’t want to, it’s not to say that you’re doing anything wrong, but you’re also probably putting there’s a limit. Either way, you’re you’re paying a price if you don’t play by those rules, but you’re paying a price if you do, you know.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah, absolutely. And I and I’ve seen it like I’ve gone to, I would say for the amount of films or like shows that I’ve gone to, um, maybe 10% of like the wrap parties or the and and the reason and it was more of like 2008 that I did post it up, but I’ve done a few after and um, but I think and sometimes I would see, I would get like a comment like, oh, you know, I got a, you got a network to build and it’s like I do. But at the same time it’s a choice, you know? Um, it’s not to say you can’t control yourself, you know, but it’s more of, um, to be honest, it’s more of timing. You know, I there’s times I was going to a party and then it’s like, hey, two days from now I got to go overseas for something, you know? Um, but at the same time, that’s that’s a risk you take, you know, and I and I for me, I see it’s a risk, but it’s not one that like, I think it’s that important for my soul. You know, to me, it’s like, okay, you’re not going to network at these parties, okay? Whatever. But it’s not something later on I’m going to regret. It’s more of like, I like, I like doing this the way I’m doing it right now.

Sharon Cline: You’re staying true to yourself.

Rodney Roldan: Exactly. You know, and that’s. Yeah. And that’s another thing like because to to even suggest that like someone, oh you’re going to network. It’s like, do you really want to go to this? No, but I should. And my thing, especially, you know, 47 years old. It’s like I’m not a kid. You know, it’s like, if I don’t want to do something, I don’t want to do something, you know? And I think that that’s going to that goes a long way for you. For yourself. Because I never wanted to. There was, um, you know, you see a lot of horror stories with, with, um, a lot of artists and I know other people where I never wanted to sit in the future and look at something and regret how I got it, you know. And, um, and I think you have to stay true to yourself, but also make sure you’re planting the right seeds as you go along, because that that road travel is your road. And in the future, you’re going to look back on that road. And if you have a lot of regrets, then it’s like, you know, I understand things are out of control. Like there’s a lot of things that happen in my life that I regret. But it’s like, well, you know, you can’t take you can’t have it all, you know what I mean? But at the same time, um, you still can control the majority of, like, the decisions you make and how it affects you.

Speaker3: Right?

Sharon Cline: If you’re staying true to yourself.

Rodney Roldan: Exactly.

Sharon Cline: I don’t want anything that isn’t supposed to be mine. I don’t want anything off the back of someone else. I don’t want anything that, you know, caused a tremendous amount of pain for for someone else. Because I took it, you know, in an unethical way. I just. I think I have to live with myself. And I can’t run from myself no matter what people say. Unless you’re a psychopath, I suppose.

Speaker3: Oh, yeah. You know.

Sharon Cline: To be able to shut yourself off from knowing that you’ve done someone wrong or done a situation wrong, there’s something to be said about trying to stay true to yourself and in what you consider to be your ethics.

Rodney Roldan: Right. And that’s that’s what a lot of integrity comes in, you know, and that’s, um.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. Your personal.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. And that is, you know, like we’re born with certain things, I think, I think everybody’s born wanting to be good people, you know. But a lot of.

Speaker3: Times.

Sharon Cline: Their conscience.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: Just challenges in life cause people to, you know, and that’s where, you know, you have, like, the moral compass, things like that. But I know for me, um, my integrity now is a result of mistakes that I’ve made in my life and ups and downs that it’s kind of like ingrained in me like, oh, actually the last time this happened. So. And I think that makes you a better person if you’re learning from your mistakes and if you’re learning from things like.

Speaker3: That.

Sharon Cline: And being willing to acknowledge and not have your ego be so big, you know, or your pride so big that you won’t acknowledge that you are a human right who maybe fell victim to some of the vices of being a human. I think we all are. And I think there’s something to be said about self esteem. If you have at least that I’ve that I’ve noticed that someone with a strong sense of self is willing to admit that they made a mistake, but it’s like the the ones that kind of hide behind, you know, the story of why, or they’re a victim or whatever. There’s just something like, no, you just, you know, you wanted to do it or you liked that.

Speaker3: Or whatever.

Sharon Cline: It is. It just makes us human. And there’s there’s like, I don’t know, I suppose I appreciate someone who’s got enough self-esteem to say, here’s the mistakes I made. Here’s what I want to do next time. I mean, that’s the best we can do.

Speaker3: It is.

Rodney Roldan: And you got to be content with who you are, you know? And it’s um, and that’s it, you know, and I know, like, that feels better. Like, I know a lot of times, um, especially, like in the military, like I have a certain rank. And then there’s when somebody looks on the outside, someone’s like 3 or 4 ranks lower. But I treat everybody like human beings. And so otherwise. But I, you know, if somebody and then I think your experience in life, um, you offer advice for someone and that’s where I think discipline comes in. Or someone like you shouldn’t put somebody down, but it’s more of like, hey, I’ve traveled this road longer than you to know this, but it’s not. You’re advising them because you care about.

Speaker3: The next.

Rodney Roldan: Step they make, you know? So and, um, in the military, there’s different leaders that we have. And I know for me, my leadership style is to be more empathetic. But I also know that that works for me because human connections, everything like there’s, you know, there’s there’s some leaders that that say, hey, you got your equipment. And then for me, I’ll say everything good at home.

Speaker3: Oh, yeah, because.

Rodney Roldan: These are people, you know. And, um. And I know, um, you know, I’ve gotten feedback from you and I say, no, that that’s okay. But I think that human connection, that’s what the artist side comes in because a lot of art is empathy and relating. So I think that they both kind of mold me into who I am. And that’s the approach. So it’s it’s kind of like when I’m, you know, doing acting a lot of some of the military, as far as the discipline and the structure comes in and helps me stay on that course. And then in the military, a lot of the empathy and that side of being an artist comes into that. And I think it works, you know, because like, we’re not robots in the military and we’re not, you know, free, free flowing over here. So there’s got to be a balance. And that’s essentially what it is.

Sharon Cline: I saw, um, I think it was a TikTok actually, about a scene that Julia Roberts was in when she was doing Erin Brockovich And the. It was an actor. Director. Very um, an understanding of of how structure is in different scenes was like, let’s explain and break down this scene about why it was so amazing, because she had the right in the scene to be as angry as she could be. I think it was the scene where they were, um, meeting with the lawyers who had presented their first offer, and it was like a terrible offer. And she was like, you know, I want to know how I think the lines that she was saying is, how much is your uterus worth, you know, to the lawyers and things. So she was they were explaining how controlled she was because she could have been emotionally very high and hot and out there, but it was actually more, um, impactful that she, she wasn’t. So she had like, that kind of contained, um, energy, which kind of reminds me of what you’re talking about. I guess that’s why that popped in my head is because there is a discipline to it. Like, you can’t be too all over the place and too high. But but having the discipline to be able to control your emotion, but still be able to express enough of it in order to connect with people. That’s kind of what all got put together in my head very briefly.

Speaker3: But no.

Rodney Roldan: It’s and that’s interesting because like, there’s um, that one of the and let’s say lessons. But one of the acting exercises or things in acting they talk about is like the subtleties with they call it psychological reactions, where if we’re doing a scene and that’s kind of like a different we talked about earlier about being in the union for stage. And it’s like, well, they both different in a way because. So in film and TV you have this like you can look at somebody, but there’s a slight action reaction in the eyes that the camera picks up on. And it’s that. And for me it’s like what we were just talking about the you don’t want to give too much, but too little, but just enough to communicate what it is that you’re feeling. But at the same time, that result is, um, you can’t fabricate that. You know, that’s a it’s a true result if you’re true to the character.

Speaker3: If you feel if you’re feeling it. Yeah, exactly.

Rodney Roldan: So it’s interesting and that like there’s a lot of actors out there that I, that I like are my idol, you know what I mean?

Speaker3: And who’s your.

Sharon Cline: Idol? Who’s your idol? Like number one.

Speaker3: Um.

Rodney Roldan: Well, it’s kind of balanced.

Speaker3: Okay.

Rodney Roldan: So, like, Daniel Day Lewis is one, and, and I know a lot of people, you know, say these things, but, um, you know, I, and I always say De Niro, but Cate Blanchett actually.

Speaker3: You know, was wonderful. Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: So, so. And I remember arguing with somebody because they’re like, well, I figured it’d be male. Oh shut.

Speaker3: Up. You know, so.

Rodney Roldan: So it’s the same as, you know, I mean, an artist is an artist, but I think with her, um, with her performances, I, I like there was I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie The Aviator.

Sharon Cline: No, I didn’t.

Rodney Roldan: Oh, so it’s a great movie.

Sharon Cline: Okay, good to know.

Speaker3: Good to know. Leonardo DiCaprio.

Rodney Roldan: So he plays Howard Hughes. And so, um, and and her performance in there was like, she played Katharine Hepburn, but it’s just a little intricacies in her performance that and that I pick up on. But it makes her more human. And the same thing with Daniel Day-Lewis. Like there was one of my favorite movies he did was, um, there Will Be Blood, and then there’s like an eye movement that he does where he’s like doing kind of like this. And, you know, that’s communicating so much. It’s like, that’s where that less is more thing. So it’s like a little slight movement, but it tells a bigger story because it’s got something inside that’s percolating. And just allow a little bit and you’re like, ah, I don’t know. Whatever’s under there is interesting and they’re conveying that.

Sharon Cline: So without words.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. So I think the actors that um, you know, and like especially well, Leonardo DiCaprio is another one too, like they, there’s like this dedication to the character and, um, you know, and I for me it’s, it’s not like you’re copying that, but it’s like, I, I respect it so much because it’s like that discipline or that this writing is important. Like someone wrote this down and someone asked you to play this role. It’s like, man, you got to give it your heart because.

Speaker3: You.

Sharon Cline: Embody.

Speaker3: It, right? Yeah, exactly.

Rodney Roldan: It’s like they trusted you to perform this. And so that’s the responsibility of the artist. And so there’s like yeah. So a lot of those actors, they they really convey that and I respect that. And as, as an artist, you know what that I hope that, you know, I continue my, my success continues in that realm where I’m able to do projects such as those to, you know, for the purpose of communicating with the audience and bringing that to life the way they do. You know.

Sharon Cline: Did you ever see Who’s eating Gilbert Grape? One of the very first times I really noticed Leonardo DiCaprio. Yes, yes. Amazing performance. I actually thought he was, you know, truly, um, mentally, physically, somewhat handicapped. Anyway, I thought it was just amazing.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. And, you know, and he embodied that, but it’s like it’s he wasn’t playing a character, right?

Sharon Cline: It felt like real.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: And that’s important. Like, you could tell somebody you’re playing a character because. Or you, you living this, um, this this person, um, especially like Basketball Diaries was a good one. So I don’t know if.

Speaker3: You I did not. Yeah. I really clearly.

Sharon Cline: Don’t see enough movies, but.

Speaker3: You.

Sharon Cline: Know, it’s good to have a list of movies that people think are stellar. I don’t want to waste my time. You know, there’s so much media out there, it really almost is overwhelming. There’s not enough time for me to watch.

Speaker3: What’s out.

Sharon Cline: There. So I like to be very strategic with the way I spend it.

Rodney Roldan: I use it as a I honestly laugh at me all you want, but I use I take a notepad to the theater, um, and people are like, what are you doing? And I was like, I take notes because I look at it as an acting exercise. I’m like studying. What does this you know.

Speaker3: I.

Sharon Cline: Wonder how much that informs you to where you’ve you’ve been so successful.

Rodney Roldan: A lot.

Speaker3: Of it, I.

Sharon Cline: Imagine.

Speaker3: So.

Sharon Cline: I mean, you’re taking it seriously, like you’re saying, because you’ve been in so many different projects, you’ve been on movies, you’ve been on Law and Order.

Speaker3: Which.

Sharon Cline: Which is amazing more than once, right?

Speaker3: I think, yeah.

Sharon Cline: And also think about, um, just the different projects that you’ve been you’ve been on TV, you’ve been in print, you’ve been in commercials, you’ve been in movies. I mean, have you been done any theater as well?

Rodney Roldan: Yes, I have, and it was a lot more in New York, though. And um, but it’s with theater that like, somebody asked me, what about community theater? I said, dude, if I was financially able to, I’d do community for the rest of my life. I love I love that, you know, and I think, um, the theater is the audience is right there. There’s something about theater where it’s when you’re you’re you say something, then you, you hear somebody go, mm. And you’re like, we’re communicating. You know, that’s taking place. But, um, yeah, I’ve done a lot of theater in New York. And it was, um, I’ve had a great time in it. There was, there was one, um, play that I did called Ghetto Babylon, and it was at the 59, 59 Studios, which it’s a it’s a really nice. It’s I wouldn’t say it’s off Broadway, but it’s a, um, a well-known theater up there and, um, well known is not so. Well, everybody sees it. It’s more of like the capacity. Yeah. And, um, and who’s watching it and the community. And so I had a really good time and, and actually it’s a little story about this. So, um, and it sounds like when I tell this story, he was like, what is that? That’s really a big deal. Or is it? Or, you know, but it’s to me it is. So here’s the thing. So when I was, um, when I first, um, I think when it was the first year I was acting, I was auditioning for Anna in the tropics. And this was, I started, I believe, when I started acting in Virginia because I was stationed at and, um, and I remember looking at the play and I opened the cover and inside, they always have the original performers of the play. So one of them was like Jimmy Smits, you know, he’s a Puerto Rican actress and actress.

Speaker3: Actor. Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: Sorry. But, um, you know, and he’s been in a lot of stuff, and, um, and I was like, oh, great. He performed that. And then that memory stuck with me for for a reason. So like later on I’m doing Ghetto Babylon. And then this was like 20 1314. And then the play gets published and I’m at the drama book shop. I don’t know if you know the drama book shop in New York. So Drama Book Shop is where Lin-Manuel wrote, you know, Hamilton like, but it’s a if you’re ever in New York, you got to go.

Speaker3: To the bookshop.

Rodney Roldan: It’s the only one. It’s not a chain.

Speaker3: It’s okay.

Rodney Roldan: And everybody and anyone goes there. Like you have people in the basement writing plays.

Speaker3: And.

Rodney Roldan: It’s just it’s an actor’s haven. So I was there and I’m looking through the plays and I see and I thought, and I see ten books in a row saying back Ghetto Babylon. And I open it and I caught a tear because like original cast and my name is in this book.

Speaker3: Wow.

Rodney Roldan: So, you know, so like I was like, well, I don’t you don’t know because that’s my personal. But like, I’m sitting at the drama book shop with a play that I did. And so, like, there’s another actor who’s going to pick up this book and read and say, oh, this person is this is the original cast. You know what I mean? So to me, it was like, man, that’s crazy. But but I feel like as artists and it’s not about like, oh, I’m my name is out there, look at me. It’s more of you got to. You got to check in with yourself, you know? And that’s what I saw it as. I didn’t it didn’t matter if like, because maybe a lot of people don’t even know about this play. Maybe no one’s heard of it. Maybe. Maybe ten. You know what I’m saying? But that wasn’t it. It was. It was me. It was something like. I feel like the universe is telling me, hey, you’re you’re on the right track or you’re on the right path.

Speaker3: You almost.

Sharon Cline: Completed a loop by seeing Jimmy.

Speaker3: Smith’s.

Sharon Cline: Name, and then you got to see your own.

Speaker3: Name. Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: And I was like, this is really, you know, it’s important. Yeah. And I’m like, man, this is crazy. Because even then, like, we, you know, you go outside and then some friends of mine would, um, take pictures with me and say, oh, look, your name is on this billboard here for this. And, um, and that’s another thing about that, because you don’t know the impact that it has on people. You know, like sometimes we do stuff, but then like you have I have certain friends and acquaintances that check in and say, hey, by the way, you know, keep doing what you’re doing because it’s inspiring. You just don’t know it. And, um, but that’s how we keep each other up, you know, because, like, acting is not an individual thing. It’s a community. And, um, that’s one of the reasons why I’ve also, like, stayed away from, like, people trying to, like, cut each other down or because I look at and I was like, man, actors always support. The other day I was, um, I continued to do this to this day, but any of my friends that have auditions, they’ll call in. I was working with somebody. We worked together on a few, but there was another person the other day that she was having a, you know, a bad day with her script and like, I didn’t have time, but I was like, you know what, make time. And so I went into depth with her script. It’s not my audition, it’s her audition, but this is our community. You know, if someone’s getting a role, if someone’s be getting their work produced, then we all are getting our stuff because we’re all that community. You can’t act by yourself. So like, you got to support your fellow artists. And you.

Speaker3: Know, I love.

Sharon Cline: That because it does. It feels like if you’re helping, like you’re saying you’re helping someone else, you’re actually helping yourself because you are showing people an example of what could be for yourself. That’s the way I look at it, like, oh, if someone gets this really great voiceover job that is now, you know, on a commercial in the Super Bowl, which is one of my goals. Seriously.

Speaker3: Um, seriously, someday.

Sharon Cline: Stuff is out there in the universe. Now, I’ve never told.

Speaker3: Anybody that, but.

Sharon Cline: Like imagining that if I see someone else actually have that happen, Well, then it’s possible for me to, you know, and that’s a gift in a way. It’s it’s encouraging. Not I’m not jealous of it. I want or envious I want, I want to have that same experience. And I would hope that something I did would be encouraging for someone else, too. It’s partly why I like this show, because one of the things that I’m hoping people hear is, is your passion for what you’re doing, as well as what your path was, because someone else may have a similar obstacle that they’ve been able to overcome. And and because because they got advice from you and there is room for everyone because not everyone is like you. Exactly.

Rodney Roldan: No, we’re all different. And that’s the thing. Like you’re always it’s kind of like trying to think I’m getting I’m confused. I don’t know if it’s Plato or Aristotle when.

Speaker3: He said, get it.

Sharon Cline: Right, okay.

Speaker3: Because you know, this is serious. No, no.

Rodney Roldan: It’s, uh, but it’s it might be. I think Plato was the one who wrote what Aristotle said down. But he said he he knew. I think he knew everything when he admitted he knew nothing, you know, and and that’s to me that’s capacity or potential energy. So like, we always have to be there’s always room for improvement or knowledge or to know things. And I’m I’m always on that lookout to like, learn something new. And and it actually influences like I also there’s just something weird. So I don’t know if you ask me how many roles or how many projects you’ve done, I don’t know, I can’t give you a number, but I can tell you every time I get a part, it feels like the first time, and I don’t want to ever lose that. And I tell somebody, if I ever lose that, if I felt like I. If I didn’t get the part because I was supposed to get it, I’m out of here because as soon as you then you’re not. If you’re. I have to live with my passion in this. And if I treat it as that, then I can’t do it, you know? And that’s one thing that’s never left me to this day at all. And I like, pray to God it does it. But but but even with that, um, something else too. And I know with auditions sometimes, um, it can be discouraging. And that’s something I wanted to talk about because, um, there there’s times where we do, um, we do a bunch of auditions and then you’re like, man, what am I doing wrong? And there’s a lot of actors, including myself, right.

Speaker3: That feel.

Sharon Cline: The same.

Speaker3: Way with voiceovers.

Sharon Cline: I’ll be I’ll get several and then I’ll get nothing for months.

Speaker3: Oh. You did. What did you.

Rodney Roldan: Do? Ten auditions in one week and not get one. But then what? I started, you know, and I and I actually I want to say it’s Domingo Coleman. I was watching something of his on the because the Screen Actors Guild they have a the Sag-Aftra Foundation and it’s really good. I have to like connect you to it. I don’t think you have to be a member.

Speaker3: Oh nice. But it’s on a member.

Rodney Roldan: But if you follow the page, they always have these videos. And he was on stage, um, and to me, like, he’s, he’s, you know, a really successful actor and everything, but to hear him say he’ll get an audition and then like, what changed in him is that he stopped thinking about, is he going to get this part? Is this going to happen? Um, it felt like something. But anyway, um, so he. And then he just did it, and then he moved on, and then that’s when. But because it was in the back of his head about, am I going to get this? Then he feels like it may have infringed on his performance. And that was interesting because I the way I started seeing it was like, I get like 7 or 8 auditions a week and like real time, like the last couple of weeks has been kind of hectic because I got like these military, um, temporary missions coming up, and I’m looking at my schedule like, I got to turn this down because I can’t, but I still do them and sometimes. And the reason I still do them and I and and help other people with theirs is because it’s all the training, right? A lot of times we pay for acting schools, acting classes, but if you get an audition, a lot of when you go to acting school, a lot of people know if the listeners out there who do acting, they know they’ll go to a workshop and they may not. They’ll sit in a workshop for three hours and they may say they’re seeing once or not at all, you know? And so when you get an audition that’s a free like, all you need is two actors and that’s a free class.

Speaker3: Wow. It’s true. That’s a.

Sharon Cline: Very good way to.

Speaker3: Look at it. It’s an.

Sharon Cline: Experience.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: And you bring bring stuff to it. And I know, um, one thing because there’s like even different techniques. So I first trained with Meisner technique and then when I went to Stella Adler, I see Adler Technique. And there’s a lot of like Stanislavski in there and, you know, things like that. But so the mixture of it and I think that it hit me like until 2022 when I started marrying the two or having my own twist on it. And, and I started taking some of the things that I learned from there and then combining it with other stuff. And, and when I combined it, I was like, this, now this is working for me. And so whenever I’m working with other actors who, um, call, you know, call me and say, hey, my audition, I give them I, you know, pay it forward, right. So I’ll tell them, you know, like recently, this one actress that I’m working with, um, she’s got an audition for one of the Tyler Perry movie shows. And so one thing I explained to her, and I said, hey, always set the scene right, so there’s no where you’re at because you have to live in the scene, and then you have to use the imagination and all that. But that came from, like me, training at Stella Adler, where we talk about imagination, prop and all that kind of stuff.

Rodney Roldan: And then the Meisner technique comes in when we’re doing the promotion performance. So when I’m looking at that, that’s a way of me not reteaching, but kind of staying connected with the things that I’ve learned, but also visiting a new character because, like, I learned something from her script. Like I said, not my part, right. But it doesn’t matter. You know, as an artist, it’s your responsibility to keep training and you have to find moments to do so. Right? Like, you know, with acting, you have to do your vocal exercises, you have to do your reading. So it’s like with a busy schedule, you have to take every moment and do the most with it. Um, and that’s also helps with balance. I know you earlier said you’re at school acting army, but I think but I think what helps me with that is like, you can only focus at one thing at a time. So and it’s and it’s normal for your human to be like, I’m doing this, but their mind is what I got to do tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is not here. Why are you worried about what you got to do tomorrow? When tomorrow comes, do what you have to do. So, like, right now, My time is with.

Speaker3: You on this.

Rodney Roldan: Amazing show.

Speaker3: It’s really cool. I love it.

Rodney Roldan: But my focus is here because this is what’s happening in.

Speaker3: The moment, right?

Sharon Cline: Like, I don’t touch my phone other than to look at notes. And then when I leave, I’m like, my goodness, I’ve got like 12 emails that just came in the last hour. But it does feel like one of the things I like about this show is that I get to focus on, without distraction, this exact moment and the presence of it. I can’t fake it. I can’t not, you’ll know. But also, I like what you’re talking about regarding the way that you approach different scenes. It’s the same for voiceover, because I’m supposed to, and it’s encouraged, and you can hear it when you don’t imagine those the scenes. I’m imagining myself with a bunch of groceries in my hands, and I’m having trouble opening my minivan, and I get to just throw my foot underneath.

Speaker3: The bumper.

Sharon Cline: And it opens the back. And I like that you can tell if you have that in your head. Yeah, you can hear it. And I’m imagining that’s just voice. So if you’re really being an actor and showing all of you your whole body, I can imagine that all of that translating out if you don’t have it really a real true, um, imagination that way.

Speaker3: Right.

Sharon Cline: You’ll miss a connection.

Rodney Roldan: And it’s sometimes like, hats off to you because it’s like to me, and I know the voice of the actor is like, voice is everything. But, like, voiceover seems a lot harder at times because.

Speaker3: Really?

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. Because, um, you know, like with voice, you have to. There’s a saying, I think it’s voice you paint for, the voice is for the eyes, and then visual is for the ears. And we use that in broadcasting.

Speaker3: Right.

Rodney Roldan: So it’s and especially when you’re saying like when doing narration for radio, radio shows, they’ll say, you know, you got to paint and that. So you’ve really got to paint the picture for them. So every, you know, every as you know, of course, every inflection in your voice, it paints. It’s like a different stroke. It’s true on the visual.

Speaker3: Well that’s very interesting. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: I didn’t actually think about it that way. I hadn’t heard that. But it is true. Definitely true, because there are days where I’m, for some reason, can tap into emotions in a different way, and there are days where I feel like I’m just kind of, I don’t know, phoning it in, but I’m not as, as, um, dynamic in my emotions. But the days that I am very dynamic, I’ll go back and listen to the auditions that I’ve done and see where I am in the in the process of whether I’ve gotten to the second level of auditions, you.

Speaker3: Know, like I call that kind.

Sharon Cline: Of thing. And I’m like, do I like this or not? Because there are days where I’m like, that was a terrible audition. Well, I’m also hard on myself. But at the same time, there are times where I’m like, oh my God, I was so good at that one. It was just a good day.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: You know, I just understood what they wanted and I was able to kind of bring it. And it’s very satisfying to have those moments. But to be in that level, because I’m just sitting in oftentimes, you know, my workout clothes or whatever in my booth. No one knows what I look like, but like to bring that A-game every time with not just your voice, but being as an actor. It’s a different, completely different level of what you’re doing, I think. So I don’t know if it’s harder, it’s just different.

Rodney Roldan: It is different, but it’s just because they’re all like, so what I’ve done, you know, some voiceover as well, and then stage and then TV film and they all and and that’s you see that with commercial too. Oh big time.

Speaker3: That’s a whole other, that’s a whole other thing too.

Sharon Cline: But it’s wonderful to know that you really are sort of a well-rounded and balanced person in a lot of ways, not just in the acting world, because you do have lots of different, um, avenues that you’ve been able to explore, but but also balancing yourself out with the military side of you and the discipline side of you, um, and caring about the craft itself, which I don’t know. I hadn’t heard someone talk about it like that before, where it’s not it’s not about you and getting ahead. It’s more about just honoring the the human side of being an actor and connecting with people and communicating and and contributing to the art itself. Not just like Rodney.

Speaker3: Yeah. The Rodney. It’s like because like.

Rodney Roldan: The sound of the. Was that saying that a tree falls?

Speaker3: Oh, yeah. No one’s there.

Rodney Roldan: But you got to acting. You have to have a partner. I mean, or maybe not. Or I could just do it myself.

Speaker3: You could do.

Sharon Cline: The monologue, but it’s not the same.

Speaker3: Yeah, but you’re.

Rodney Roldan: Still seeing somebody.

Speaker3: You’re right. You’re talking.

Sharon Cline: To someone?

Speaker3: Yeah. Right. So.

Rodney Roldan: But there’s acting is. And then, you know. And so you need a viewer. Does acting take place if there’s no viewer?

Speaker3: Did that for me right now. Like I’ve had a long week. That’s a hard question to ask me on.

Sharon Cline: A.

Speaker3: Friday. It’s like it’s.

Rodney Roldan: Like if you would say if the picture didn’t.

Speaker3: Exist, it’s like, no.

Rodney Roldan: But I mean, if there’s if you’re at an empty theater like.

Speaker3: Oh, I had amazing performance, you.

Rodney Roldan: Know.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: Did you connect to someone and did they leave with an experience? And then they translate that experience and then it’s like a chain reaction, you know?

Sharon Cline: Where do you see yourself in five years? What is your five year goal? What would you what’s the big dream?

Rodney Roldan: Well, I’ll say. So five years from now, um. Let me see. So I’ll be okay. So I’ll be done. Hopefully done with my PhD in two years.

Speaker3: And are you.

Sharon Cline: Doctor so-and-so then?

Speaker3: Yes. Okay.

Rodney Roldan: But I want to do something interesting with that. So, like my thesis, I wanted to turn it into a documentary.

Speaker3: Oh, wow.

Rodney Roldan: So that’s because, like, I was like, I want to I’ll do the thesis, but then I want to translate it into a documentary, and I think it’ll be better if, um, you know, it’s it’s nice to have the doctor by my name, but it was like someone who’s in the field.

Speaker3: Yes.

Rodney Roldan: And then, and ironically enough, I want to do it in media. So I haven’t decided what probably the fall of media, but.

Speaker3: Oh, geez. Maybe by then. Let’s hope.

Sharon Cline: That’s not.

Speaker3: The case. No it’s not.

Rodney Roldan: But, um. No, but something along, you know, because the PhD is in communication, so it has to be related to one of the theories. Um, so that’s what I want to do with that. And then by then, I’ll also be retired from the military. Um, so.

Speaker3: You’ll be able to.

Sharon Cline: Be an actor full time.

Rodney Roldan: Exactly. You know.

Speaker3: Sorry.

Sharon Cline: Did I. Did I take, like, did I take that notion out of your head as I was just.

Speaker3: Kind of like, wait, I’m imagining you because you had said.

Sharon Cline: You do both. And so wouldn’t it be amazing if you didn’t have to talk like you’re leaving for. Where are you going? And, um, on Sunday.

Speaker3: We.

Rodney Roldan: Were like the South East Asia.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: You’re going to Southeast Asia. Like. And imagine that you don’t have to do that toggling back and forth.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah, exactly. And that’s the thing. So all the stuff, um, happening now, it’s um, I would say it’s kind of like when you’re building a building and then you have the structure on the out, what do you call it? The I’m trying to think of the right term, the metal.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: The frame that.

Speaker3: Kind of the framework.

Rodney Roldan: So that’s what happens. And I think, um, everything happens for a reason. Right. So for me, um, one finishing the service, but it also because you gotta be realistic, it also has a financial, you know, you know, retirement pay. So that also creates a financial base so that it does. Because a lot of times as performers, I’m sure there’s a lot of people that I know personally that just act to make money. Not they don’t act to make money. They act and they need to make money in order to supplement their, their passion. So for me, um, you know, having retirement, at least that creates a financial stability where I don’t have to I can work on any project and not think, okay, I have to take this job because it pays this much because I have this coming up. And then with the, you know, my PhD, it also gives me ability to to stay grounded with, um, anything related with communication and, you know, kind of with the filmmaking side of it too, as well. Um, and. Yeah, and that’s what I think. So I think, you know, people look, they say, oh, you’re busy with all these things. It’s not stress you out. It’s like there are times that it is stressful, but I like doing all three, you know what I mean? I find myself in all three, so it’s easy to cope with it. But then it’s not forever. You know.

Speaker3: There’s a, there’s a plan.

Rodney Roldan: Um, and, and as long as that plan is important to you because a lot of people want to tell you how to. Maybe you should do this when you do this. Like I got.

Speaker3: It. Trust me, I got it. It’s working. I won’t give.

Sharon Cline: You.

Speaker3: Any of it. No, no, no. I mean, advice is welcome, but I’m saying.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah, but.

Speaker3: I’m saying it’s.

Rodney Roldan: Because people don’t see it. And I remember it was like when I have some friends I know, like for 20 years, and they see me now and they’re like, that’s what you were talking about. That’s how I told you. Trust I got a plan. Like it’s not, but I and I but it’s those are like lessons learned because I’ve seen stuff that happens to certain people. And I’m like, how can I prevent that? And that’s the best you can do. You know, we don’t know what the future looks like, but you kind of you don’t know what the future looks like. But you know what each brick looks like? That you lay on the road, that you’re, you know, traveling on and and that. And that’s also like where you have to pay attention to because it’s like a lot of people want to know what’s your goal. That. And it’s like, but the focus isn’t the goal because you have to live. You know what I mean? What are you going to do just like ten years from now? I want to do this. But then are you paying attention to those ten years?

Speaker3: Are you living in the moment?

Rodney Roldan: Being present. You said something earlier about being present, right? So like that. That’s what art is. Is the more compelling an art is, how present the performer is, especially when you’re doing TV film voiceovers like how present you are. And, um, but we have to be present every day in our lives because realistically, tomorrow isn’t promised, right? So like, you have to live your life to the fullest today. What does that look like to you? And that’s what’s that road look like to you every day, you know. And that for me, is I like doing these things. There’s a purpose behind it. One part of my mind is this end result looks like this. But the other part is focus on the now and how you’re living it. And, you know, sometimes it’s hard to balance. Like this is one of them times where it’s like, but then I know a few weeks from now it’s going to be easy.

Sharon Cline: So if anyone wanted to get in touch with you about the different projects that you have and would like to know more about you, where can they find you?

Rodney Roldan: Um, but I’m on all the social media platforms.

Sharon Cline: Rodney. Well wait, well.

Speaker3: You did it with, like, a rolling. You did it with Jordan. I’m trying to do. You can say roll down, but rolled in. Yeah, but it’s so sorry. No. It’s done.

Sharon Cline: I want to say it with.

Speaker3: Like, the accent. No, but I’m.

Rodney Roldan: On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, you know, and then reach out with any of those. So.

Sharon Cline: Well, I’ve had so much fun talking to you. It’s very inspiring to me in many ways, but one of them is just knowing that with the success that you have, you don’t even have to be as nice as you are, you know, or caring about other actors as much either because I always think that the more successful people are, the more they’re just kind of like, you know, my time is so precious. I’ll just give it to you some. But you actually really do still care. And that’s a testament to your character. But also knowing that you are really investing in not just you yourself, but the future of what this art form is. And years from now, your grandkids will be watching different things that you make, and.

Speaker3: You.

Sharon Cline: Care about that too. But also. And they’ll learn something about you too. It’s not just, oh, this is going to make me a lot of money, but actually, no, this is a reflection of what I was interested in at the time.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Rodney Roldan: And it’s, um.

Speaker3: Yeah, it’s really special.

Rodney Roldan: Yeah. And it’s, it’s one of the things some people say, like, that’s a weakness or you shouldn’t care too much about because your time. I know your time is precious, things like that. But I think I just go with what feels good in the heart for me, you know? And, um, if I know someone needs something, it’s like conscious.

Speaker3: I know conscious is a real thing.

Rodney Roldan: Like, it’s like I think somebody will message me like, can you help me audition? And I see it, and I’m watching something, and I’m like, you know, dang well, you could help this person out right now. Like you really doing anything. And I was like, let me call him. And then I’ll tell him. I was like, hey, I was watching something. But I felt bad and like, just, you know, sometimes you need a rest, you know? But, um, at the same time, I think, um, you may not know the degree in which someone needs something, so it’s important. Like, it might seem not much of a big deal to you, but it’s a big deal to them in the same way. Things I was taught was a big deal to me, and maybe it wasn’t for that person. So we all pass each other, you know, things. Um, I do hear, like, you know, you can’t care too much because it could you could, like, let people in too much. And I was like, I hear you. But in the grand scheme of things, this is this is what makes us human, you know? Um, and so I decided to stick to that side of it, you know, I know that it has its ups and downs, but to me, that’s just important for me, you know?

Sharon Cline: Well, I would love for you to come back some time because they’re obviously you’re you’ve got lots of projects that you’re working on and who knows what the future will bring. But what a pleasure it’s been to kind of hear about your story and what makes you tick, and how you have been able to succeed. In a way, I think a lot of people would love to be able to say in the acting world, and this is a huge community for it right here in the Atlanta area. So maybe, maybe someone that’s listening will have that kind of inspiration to be like, oh, you know what’s really interesting to me, when it comes down to it, they don’t have to compromise who they are in order to succeed. Right. And there’s there’s a lot to be said for that, I think, especially when it’s this, this kind of world would love to mold you into something that they think that they could make money off of. But, you know, for you to be able to stay true to yourself and, and still succeed is, is it’s really exciting to see. And it gives me encouragement to, to to stay on my course.

Speaker3: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Thank you.

Speaker3: No, thank you for having me. And of course, it’s.

Rodney Roldan: Been a pleasure talking to you. Other times you kind of lose the microphone.

Speaker3: Oh, I know right. We’re just having a conversation exactly the way I tell people. Just come in, give me fun, I promise, I think.

Sharon Cline: Well, thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.