The Brad Weisman Show

A Local Actor Lands Paulie In “I Play Rocky”

Brad Weisman

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What if a steakhouse hello changed your life? That’s the spark behind Scot Teller’s leap from local pizza legend to playing Paulie in the upcoming movie “I Play Rocky,” the new Peter Farrelly–directed film about Stallone’s relentless fight to star in his own script. We get into the improbable path: standing in on sets for camera and lighting, reconnecting with Griffin Dunne on a Lancaster shoot, and waking up to a text that led to Farrelly’s call. The audition wasn’t a layup—Scott had to earn it—but the resemblance to Burt Young, the work ethic, and the steady mindset made the difference.

We talk about the deeper engine behind this break: years earlier, Scott lost almost everything after bad investments and trusted partnerships went wrong. As a single dad in a spiral, he reached for a simple mantra—“What would Rocky do?”—and used it to reframe his days, guard his circle, and filter out noise. That shift in focus unlocked the kind of presence that crews love and directors trust. If you’re chasing a creative pivot or a late-blooming dream, you’ll hear concrete lessons on reputation, showing up for small opportunities, and the quiet power of staying ready.

There’s plenty of film love too. Scot shares why the casting for Rocky, Adrian, and Mickey feels uncannily right, what makes Paulie such a demanding role to inhabit, and how production is rolling across New Jersey and Philadelphia toward a 2026 release. It’s a full-circle story: a fan who credits Rocky with saving his life now honoring Burt Young’s legacy on screen. If resilience, serendipity, and behind-the-scenes filmmaking light you up, this one’s for you.

If you enjoyed the conversation, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves Rocky, and leave a quick review to help more people find us.

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Welcome to The Brad Weisman Show, where we dive into the world of real estate, real life, and everything in between with your host, Brad Weisman! 🎙️ Join us for candid conversations, laughter, and a fresh take on the real world. Get ready to explore the ups and downs of life with a side of humor. From property to personality, we've got it all covered. Tune in, laugh along, and let's get real! 🏡🌟 #TheBradWeismanShow #RealEstateRealLife 

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Opening Banter And Guest Reveal

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And here we go.

SPEAKER_03

From real estate. The market as a whole, which then sometimes will affect the technicality. Right. The real life. We all learn in this. If you think about it, Wayne Dyer might not attract everybody. And everything in between.

SPEAKER_02

Mission was really to help people just to reach their full potential.

SPEAKER_00

The Brad Wiseman show. And now your host, Brad Wiseman.

SPEAKER_03

All right. We're back. Thursday, 7 p.m. every darn week. Do you get do you get sick of me, Hugo?

Rocky Fandom And Pauli Casting News

SPEAKER_02

No, no, no. How could I, Brad? I've told you this before. I think you probably do. We have fun. We have fun in the in the sh in the show prior to the show, after the show. So true.

SPEAKER_03

So true.

SPEAKER_02

So it's a good time.

SPEAKER_03

It's a great time.

SPEAKER_02

Who do we have today?

SPEAKER_03

Who do we have today? I mean, I'll tell you what, it was really interesting. I was uh surfing around on Instagram, and uh there was actually a Channel 69 thing came up, and it was about this guy. Uh it talked about this about Rocky, you know, the the movie Rocky, which which I did find out today, you've never seen Rocky.

SPEAKER_02

I never just Rambo.

SPEAKER_03

Which is unbelievable. Yeah, you've seen Rambo. Yeah, that's that's a different part of Rocky. I mean, that's the one there's a lot more blood. Uh, but yeah, so I I saw this guy locally that is getting a movie part in like a Rocky-esque type movie. It just blew my mind. I'm like, oh my God, he's local. Let's bring him into the studio. So we have uh Scott Teller here, and then it turns out I know him. I've known this guy, well, know who you are for many years because of the pizza business that you that you had.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_03

Um unbelievable. So welcome to the to the studio.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's great to be here. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. So what do you think about him not seeing Rocky? Is that crazy or what?

SPEAKER_01

Uh he's the guy.

SPEAKER_03

He's the only one. He's the one. He's the one, yes.

SPEAKER_02

You finally found him, yes, yes. I will now though, because now I'm intrigued. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

They're they are classic American movies. Classic. Classic, absolute classic. There's a lot, there's a lot to learn in those movies. There's a lot of uh messages, there's a lot of a lot of different things in there. And and to think that um Sylvester Stallone almost didn't make the movie.

SPEAKER_01

It's it's an amazing story, and honestly, I've probably watched a movie over a thousand times, and that's not an exaggeration. Wow. When I read the script, I was blown away because there was even more that I thought I knew everything about the the Rocky movies. No, there's so much behind the scenes. There's so much that I didn't know how this all that this movie was made. And and I was I read the script in one night, so did my son.

SPEAKER_03

So let's let's let's tell them, let's tell people now in the beginning, and then we'll back it up. But you are gonna be playing the part of Paulie. Bert Young. Bert Young, who is an amazing actor, amazing, amazing actor, died a couple years ago, I think at 83 years old, something like that. A legend, and he was in most, I think, most of the Rocky movies, right?

SPEAKER_01

He was in all of them.

SPEAKER_03

He was in all of them. There you go. So you are gonna be playing the part of Bert Young.

SPEAKER_01

It's uh unbelievable. I couldn't write a better script than that. Like I if somebody would have told me a couple years ago, yeah, I would have laughed. I would have laughed at in their face.

SPEAKER_03

And and how was it because though you look like him? Yes. Because I mean that was the start of it. I I even printed this out so you know people can see this. That the one with the hat on is Bert Young. The one without the hat is is Scott here. And what's really funny, when I saw you, when I saw on the um on Instagram, you were doing, I guess, the one of the trial things or for getting the part. And you have the audition, you have the hat and everything.

The Griffin Dunne Encounter In Nashville

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

It that really was crazy because it it it looked a lot like Bert Young.

SPEAKER_01

That's what that that audition um tape is what got me in a serious recommendation for that part.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, so now let's so how did you even find out about this part? Like how does it get to this point where you're where you're gonna be filming, or you are filming?

SPEAKER_01

So I was part of a movie uh that was being filmed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Okay. It was probably a I mean nearby. Yeah, close by. And uh great cast, uh Griffin Dunn, legendary Griffin Dunn. Amazing was the lead actor, Jennifer Beals was in it. Yeah. And I actually was asked by the casting director if I would want to stand in for this project. I had nothing going on at the time, and I said, sure, why not? Yeah, you know, the the more experience, let's do it. Yeah, definitely. So I want to take you back, I think it was like three years ago. Yeah. Okay. My wife and I were in a steakhouse in Nashville, Tennessee. Okay, and that was a time where that TV show, This Is Us, yeah, was popular.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, great show. Great show. Great show.

SPEAKER_01

And my wife was a huge fan of that show, and I sat down and watched it with her. Uncle Nikki was played by Griffin Dunn. I didn't realize that. Yeah, yeah. Did not realize that. Yeah, huh? He's a legend. Yeah, yeah. He's been in a lot of movies. So we yes, Scorsese's uh after hours. Yep. So I'm sitting there in a steakhouse and in walks in a guy that looked just like Griffin Dunn. I said to my wife, Uncle Nikki just walked walked in. No way. And I was joking, right? Right. And she looked, turned around and looked. She goes, That does look like him, but it's not him. So I went on uh his Instagram, yeah, and he just made a post saying, No way, oh no way. And I said, That's him.

SPEAKER_03

Isn't that crazy?

SPEAKER_01

He was that's cool, yeah. He was by himself, and um, you know, I told my wife when we were wrapping things up, we were with two uh two other couples, yeah. Um, and I said, I'm just gonna go introduce myself. My my wife laughed at me. She said, Don't you dare do that.

SPEAKER_03

You know, this sounds like my wife and I. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01

Don't you dare. You know what? I gotta say this. My wife is always right.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Well, that's wrong. We're recording this, so that's good. So we can play this for her.

SPEAKER_01

So uh paid the bill. I got up and I walked over in his direction. I introduced myself, and he was the nicest gentleman. Oh, wow. Yeah, we sat there and we we talked. He wanted to know a little bit about me and my acting career, and we took pictures and he met, he loved my wife.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, that's wild.

SPEAKER_01

Um, and then we went on our way. Yeah. So then now, fast forward to the summer, uh, we were filming a movie in Lancaster, and I had no idea who I was standing in for until the day before I was told I'll be standing in for Griffin Dun. Now, what do you mean standing in for? Like I'm not sure I know what that means. It's like it like a uh like a double. Okay. So we're there through all yes. We go through all the um all the scenes and so they can get the camera right, the lighting right, but they don't want to use the the lead act. Gotcha. So they would use a standard. Yeah, I gotcha.

SPEAKER_03

It gets the lighting, it gets everything set up. You you do your your uh your plotting of everything. This what's it called? Blocking. In theater, it's called blocking. I don't know if it's actually called that, yeah. Absolutely. So you get the blocking done, and then that way they can see how it looks, and then all you do is you put the the real guy in, and then everything works out.

From Stand-In To Serious Recommendation

SPEAKER_01

Nobody cares about who to stand. Yeah, yeah, right. Exactly. So Griffin, um, I noticed he kept looking over at me, and I I could just tell he was trying to figure out where he knew me from. Yeah. So he finally came up to me. Oh, that's crazy. Yeah. Where did I I know you from somewhere? And I said, Nashville, Tennessee Steakhouse. And he knew right away. That's messed up. Yeah. He said, first thing he said was, Where's your wife? You gotta watch it. Oh no, he's a great guy. No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Yeah, he loves my wife. And um, that's cool. So that started everything, and and we reconnected, and we filmed this movie. It's called Joy Will Prevail. Um, we filmed this movie in 19 days. So we were working long days. Yeah. I as soon as I got back to the hotel, I was out. Yeah. I woke up one morning and to a text message from Griffin Dunn, and I never asked him for anything. Yeah, you know, that's cool. Um, and I woke up with a text message from Griffin Dunn saying, Hey, I just reached out to a good friend of mine, Pete Farrelly, yeah, from the Feller Farrelly Brothers. Yep. And um I told him that you're perfect for his next project. Wow. So I was blown away. You know, in this industry, yeah, that's that means something. Yeah, that's just somebody.

SPEAKER_03

Especially when somebody like that is is is pushing you to do this part or something. Holy crap.

SPEAKER_01

So I snapshot the text, I sent it to my wife. She said, What's the project? I said, I had no idea. And then the next day we're on set, and uh Griffin came up to me and I said, Yeah, what is the project? And he said, Well, I think it's a Rocky movie. And I said, What? No way.

SPEAKER_03

And you're like the big like I wrote this down. You're well like probably the biggest Rocky fan I know. I mean, you're like you eat, sleep, well, you actually did eat rocky, because you had Rocky pizza places.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. Yeah. So I thought I was the biggest Rocky fan, but no. Um, in the past couple weeks since I got this role. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You're there's there's yeah, some pretty big fans.

SPEAKER_01

There's some huge fans, yeah. That's great. Yeah, and I love that.

SPEAKER_03

So that so then so you found out it was Rocky, and then you did you find out then what the part was?

SPEAKER_01

No, because he didn't really have a lot of info. He he said uh, you know, uh somebody will be in touch with you, and then uh couple weeks my phone rings. I noticed it was a um California number. Yeah, so I answered it, and it's Pete Farrell Ferrari. Get the heck out of here. That's m exactly what my reaction was. Holy crap, man. I mean, he's a legendary director, you know. He did uh Dumb and Dumber Kingpin, something about Mary. Oh, something about Mary's classic.

SPEAKER_03

Classic. His humor stuff's great.

The Call From Peter Farrelly

SPEAKER_01

And he was funny on the phone, and um, and I still had no idea what you know what what my role or what opportunity I had. Yeah. And he said, uh, you know, can you send me a couple pictures? And I sent him a couple pictures, and he called me right back and he said, Yeah, he goes, uh, you're you do look like Bert Young.

SPEAKER_03

Your eyes do. It's your eyes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And and uh and he goes, but how tall are you? So I mean, you guys know I'm not very tall. Neither am I.

SPEAKER_03

Right. I think you're we're in the short man club. That's I might be the tallest in the short man club here.

SPEAKER_01

That's actually how I got into acting. My height actually worked out for me for once. There you go. Yeah, because Stallone's not we're almost the same height. He's not that tall.

SPEAKER_03

No, yeah, no, he's not.

SPEAKER_01

And that's how I got into acting. But um so he asked me how tall I was, and and that's when I was just like, Oh, here we go. Yep, yeah. And I said, I'm like five seven. Yeah. He goes, Oh, you're perfect. I said, I'm five seven, but I can wear lifts. Yeah, right. Absolutely. You know, and he laughed at me, he goes, You're perfect. That's he goes, but you still have to read for the part, like nothing is earn it, and you're gonna be up against a lot of competition. Yeah, and I said, you know, I just the having the opportunity and getting a phone call from a legendary director, yeah, and having a legendary actor like go out on the limb for you, that was it for me. Yeah, that was I was happy with that.

SPEAKER_03

It's so cool, yeah. It's unbelievable. But and then uh so then you read, I saw I saw part of what you read uh with the turkey or whatever, something that that part there, something to do with a turkey or bird or something like that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, that's the uh the scene where he um is trying to set up his sister on a date with Rocky. And uh she says, you know, I can't go there's a I got a turkey in the oven. Oh, right. You want the bird? You want the bird? Go in the alley and eat the bird. Yeah, that's it. That's the line, yes.

SPEAKER_03

So um, yeah. So when did you get the call or the text that said you got the part?

SPEAKER_01

So after auditions, after auditions, after auditions, you know, I at first I I was just enjoying the process.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

As it kept going on and I kept moving on, I started thinking to myself, I got a shot here. Yeah, you know, so I started taking it even more serious.

SPEAKER_04

Right.

SPEAKER_01

So I went all out, and yeah, when I was told um that I got the part, I uh had to walk out of the room, yeah, and I just I broke down. Oh wow. Yeah, I cried because you know, in this industry, less than one percent, just like in professional sports, less than one percent make yeah, you know, and you dream of something like this happening, but more than likely it's not gonna happen. But when it happened, I yeah, it just everything just hit me.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Well I think there are a lot. And I think too, yeah, and and I've heard some of the stuff when you were on the fight story uh too, which came out, it's that documentary type thing.

SPEAKER_01

It was on Amazon Prime, yeah.

Auditions And Landing The Role

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, it was good. I watched, I watched your part of it, and and it was really good. But you you definitely have um uh a past of of you know, but things were not always as good. Um, I know you you talked about your daughter, uh one of your kids being on a pile of clothes. I lost everything. Yeah, so so what what so how did you go from you had things were good or or okay? And then what made you lose everything?

SPEAKER_01

So some some bad investments. Um I had uh um some bad things happen through people um that I trusted and ended up losing everything because you know, I always wanted to help people, yeah, and people take advantage of that. So that's what happened. I gotcha.

SPEAKER_03

And well, and I think but I always look at things that after that then. You look at it and go, okay, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for those tough times. Yeah, and also the breaking down that you did when you found out that's that like, oh thank God.

SPEAKER_01

You got it. I did something right. Yeah, everything right, everything came together. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And my wife, you know, before I met my wife, I was all over the place. Yeah, you know, I was just my circle was crazy. Um, I let everybody in it. And isn't that funny? Yeah, so she's the one that taught me like keep her circle small with positive people. You got that right. And when I started doing that, it's amazing. It's right, it's amazing. And you know, good things happen to good people. Yeah, you know. Um, I always consider myself a good people, I always try to do the right thing. Yeah, it's not always easy. I was a single dad with full custody. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

That's tough. It's tough. Single mom or single dad. Single mom say single dad. My wife and I, single parents, we say this all the time, and is that any single parent, I don't know how they do it. I don't know how you did it. Because we look at what we have with our two kids, we have a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old. We look at what what we do and and how we have to split the chores. And you know, you have several, you have three kids, four kids, whatever. And you know, you split the chores. Well, there's nobody split the tour chores with. No, you know what I mean? It's like you we a lot of times, many times, one's gone to field hockey, the other one's gone to something else, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it you're only one person. And I I had pizza restaurants, um and that's a that's a over full-time job. That's an over full-time job. And my my son was very active in sports in the Wilson community. Yeah, cool. That's what we are. That's what we are. Yeah, of course, yeah. And um, you know, it was just hard. I was like burning the candle from both ends. And then when things happened and I started losing everything, you know, that that's it multiplies. It multiplies. And what what year around what year was that? Um that was at what, I maybe 2012 stuff. Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah, it's a while ago. Yeah. It's a while ago. Yeah.

Hitting Bottom And Finding Rocky

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And you said in and you said what was interesting in that fight song too. And I a fight story, not fight song. That's funny. Fight song is that is a song, though. Uh fight story too. It was and it's on Amazon, right? Yeah. Uh you can purchase that prime. And uh it's really good because what's interesting in there is is how the movie Rocky was really instrumental in you coming out of that dark place. Saved my life. Yeah, you you you were on the verge from what it seemed like on that interview, you were on the verge of maybe not being here.

SPEAKER_01

You know what, Brad? I I I didn't even talk to my parents um for about six months. Right. And that's unlike me. Like that's how dark I was.

SPEAKER_03

Is it also a guilty feeling, maybe? Um like almost like because I think sometimes when you're not proud of yourself, you're worried about your parents not being proud of you. And I think all we want to do as children is make our parents proud.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. Guilty, I think, yeah. Um you know, you go in a depression and and I just felt like I let everybody down. But more importantly, I felt like I was hurting my kids. You know, and until I realized when I look at it. My God, you were everything for the kids. So I'm everything, yeah. Like you were it, you're it. I mean you're felt like I was letting them down, like they would do better without me. And that's crazy to even think. But that's what happens, you know. You you get in this depression and you start feeling that way. Yeah, and and in that in my story, I wore a bracelet that I made myself. Okay. Um, and it doesn't look like the bracelet that you saw in the night story. That was um made afterwards, but the bracelet was handwritten. Oh, wow. And it's just what does it say? What would Rocky do?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, would Rocky do. That's cool. What would Rocky do?

SPEAKER_01

Is that that because Rocky was my inspiration throughout my whole life. Amazing. It is amazing, and that's why getting this role. It's like perfect, dude. It's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03

It actually does, it's like this whole full circle thing. It's like, you know, what everything you went through, you know, and you know, we're near Philadelphia, so it means a lot even to us in Reading here. I mean, that's a that's a Philadelphia um movie. And what's interesting too, I was just looking, I was just watching some. It's probably why I was uh doing some digging on you and research and stuff to try and figure out who you are. And there was a part where Sylvester Stallone said they were looking at doing it in New York City.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And they decided he decided that that Philly was the right place because of the people.

SPEAKER_01

It was it's a tough.

SPEAKER_03

They're tough people, they're tough city, they're tough people. Yeah, and he decided that that that character had to come from Philadelphia. Yeah. To me, that was you know, you don't even know about that thought process. When you go to watch the movie, you think, oh, yeah, of course, Philadelphia. Yeah, whatever. So I thought that was kind of cool too. I'm sure you I'm sure you heard that that interview or whatever he did like that.

SPEAKER_01

I heard it um straight from him.

SPEAKER_03

Um yeah, you probably that's right. Because I saw you meet like all these people too. Like he like just pops up and there's a picture with him with the Kelsey, with with uh uh Jason Kelsey. I met him actually also. Great guy, uh really nice guy. We just did like a picture with him when he was down in Ocean City, or no, in Seattle City. Yeah, and he's with you with his wife, and and and you you're with like all these people. I'm like, what the heck? This guy's all over the place.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. I I'm blessed. Uh I I don't know how it happens. It just just happened. It just happens. Yeah. And and that goes back to what I said earlier: good things happen to good people. You're exactly right. You know, it's the energy, it's the energy, it's the vibe. Um yeah, it it works for me now.

Mindset, Circles, And Positivity

SPEAKER_03

You're you're you're a magnet now, am I? Yeah, that's what it is. No, that's what happens. Is is um and it it's all about the if you ever listen to Ed Milette, the reticular activating system of the brain. So there's a part in your brain that when you give off positive vibes, people in the room that are giving off positive vibes also will be attracted to you. Okay. They don't know why. No, I'm not talking attracted in the physical way. I'm saying they're gonna be attracted to you. Yeah, he's like, what do I do? Yeah, yeah. No, but they're attracted to you. And and it's and what happens too is our senses, it's like a sixth sense, is that our senses pick up on it. It is the weirdest thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um it really is, but but you know, you gotta be careful though. And uh, and like I said, you gotta keep your circle small circle small, you got that right with positive people because if you know.

SPEAKER_03

Need to arrest it. Absolutely. And the more you do stuff like you're doing, you know, what you know, being in the public's eye and stuff like that, people don't want to see you succeed. They want to see a lot of those people. Yes, there is. Yes. No, they just don't. You know, and they just don't. But you have to know that, and that's okay.

SPEAKER_01

You know, you know what's funny? I was having this conversation with someone else. Um, some people look at social media as such a bad thing. Yeah. You could you if it's used right, you could really use it in a positive way. You could filter out those easy. Absolutely. It's all about what your brain picks up.

SPEAKER_03

Once again, it has a lot to do with that. If I go into Facebook in a bad mood, you know what I'm gonna see? Negativity. Right. If I go into Facebook looking for the the right the right the right things, it's gonna be a positive experience.

SPEAKER_01

But that's everything, right?

SPEAKER_03

You can walk in a room and here's here's this is the best example of that kind of uh brain power, what we have in that reticular activating system. If you in and and you'll know exactly what I mean when I tell you that I tell you this. When you bought your black vet, did you all of a sudden see more black vets? Yes. You know why? Because before they were always there, yeah, but now your brain, your brain when sees them everywhere, and when it sees them, it makes you focus on it and you go, Oh, look, it's just like mine.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You they were always there, they were always there. It's just that all of a sudden they show up because your brain wants it to show up.

SPEAKER_01

You're 100% right. Isn't that crazy? It is crazy, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

It's good stuff, man. Has nothing to do with Rocky, but but that's right, it's a good conversation. So, okay, so what was the first experience you had in doing the movie thing? Like you you didn't all of a sudden start doing getting into some of these movies or getting that thing happening. Was it just that Nashville meeting? Were you doing some little parts here and therefore?

SPEAKER_01

Getting all these little parts, um, just grinding, and accepted everything that came my way. Right. You know, I never I was in the restaurant business. Right. I had pizza shops. Yeah, I know. I was never an actor. I never even once thought I'd be an actor. And um, I just it was like a bucket list thing. Yeah, a trick called a bucket list, being a Rocky movie, you know, as an extra. And then uh while I was on set, I was pulled off and presented uh an opportunity to be featured in the movie and talk about a million to one shot. And which one was this now? That was Creed Zoo. And you did my first movie.

SPEAKER_03

You were just there as an extra.

First Break On Creed II

SPEAKER_01

I was just there as an extra. In Philly? Uh yeah, outside of Philly.

SPEAKER_03

And you so you went there and all of a sudden they're like, we want you to do a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, exactly. And and that's that's rare that that happens like that. But um, they wanted me right next to Stallone because they didn't want anybody over top. That's where my height is.

SPEAKER_02

See, that's what I mean. See? That means handy. Short guys are all right.

SPEAKER_01

Hey, being in the right place at the right time. And how he's like, what, five'e, five, nine? He's not that tall. He's not. Yeah, it's not that tall. He's not, but um, I mean, incredible person.

SPEAKER_03

Human, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03

Great human. Yeah, just you can tell that by any time he's in an interview. It there's no bullshit. No, he's just a very authentic human.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. And and it's hard. I can't imagine being in his shoes because when I'm around him, I see how everybody just wants something. You know what I mean? It's just I mean, I can't imagine that.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I think that's why he is the way he is with the public. Not that it's bad or anything, but going back to like keeping your circle small.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Well, and the and the further you go up that that whole acting and and anytime in your public's eye, you have to keep it small.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Because as soon as you go beyond and and even anything in life, there's I've been listening to stuff about that actually, too, is that a lot of times people say, Oh, I got I got this big, I have all these friends, and this is how I network and I do all this stuff. Well, there's there's nothing wrong with having layers, too. There's nothing. It doesn't have to be one per that there's people in the circle, right? And then everybody else is outside the circle.

SPEAKER_01

No, there could be layers. Yeah, but but when you're in the public's eye, like people are always you live in a fishbowl, so people are watching every mood. Everything. So if you wake up in a bad mood, you better change it fast, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, because yeah, you'll it'll get written up, you'll they'll write about it.

SPEAKER_01

And I I'm gonna be honest here, I'm one of those people where I love when people come up to me. Yeah, I love it. Yeah, it's cool, it's a blessing. Sure, it is, you know? Yeah, um, as long as they're nice and not rude and say dumb stuff, which does happen too. Sure. You know what I mean? And I love it. Yeah, it's cool. I welcome it because I like to read people also.

SPEAKER_03

Well, here's the thing I always look at too with the actors that get all pissed off about this stuff. Is you know what you're in that business. If it wasn't for us, who is watching this stuff, buying the tickets for this stuff, you wouldn't have a career. You wouldn't. Yeah, an empty theater is really not fun. Right. If you're in acting, an empty theater is not fun. It's not. This is not. So it may, you know, it's it's part of the part of the thing. Obviously, like you said, as long as they're cool about it, whatever. So are you filming now? Did you film already? Like, what's the the the path?

SPEAKER_01

We started filming on uh the 15th, and we're going into uh like mid-December. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And that's down in Philly also, or no?

SPEAKER_01

Right now we're in uh New Jersey. New Jersey, cool. Um and then we're eventually we'll be moving to Philadelphia and finishing it there.

Filming Plans For “I Play Rocky”

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, and it's and it's about his it's about Pauli's life, it's about him in the in the movie, kind of, right?

SPEAKER_01

So it's it's his it's the movie is called Yeah, the movie's called I Play Rocky, yeah. So it's about when Stallone wrote the script of Rocky, how he sold his dog. Yeah, you hear those stories how he sold his dog and how he wrote the script, but nobody wanted him to play the part. Yep. And he kept turning it down, the offers down because he said I'm gonna do that.

SPEAKER_03

And he was giving he was given some good offers from what I had heard.

SPEAKER_01

He was at that time, he was broke, yeah, and the amount of money at that time was he would never have to work again.

SPEAKER_03

Crazy, right?

SPEAKER_01

Right, and he turned that offer down because he said I play Rocky, and that's why that's why it's called that.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I play Rocky, yeah, and he stuck to it. He stuck to it.

SPEAKER_01

He stuck to it, and wow, that that's an amazing story itself. Yeah, when I read this, the script is amazing. Yeah, yeah. It it's it was written by Peter Gamble, um, and it's directed by Peter Fairley.

SPEAKER_03

Is Sylvester in it?

SPEAKER_01

So he's not in the movie, no cameos or anything like that. No, no, that's cool.

SPEAKER_03

Well, it's not really, it's it's about so somebody plays him. Somebody plays him in the movie, obviously.

SPEAKER_01

The kid is unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03

Really?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, he's unbelievable. His name's Anthony. Um, they they the casting is I think it's perfect. They almost nailed it perfect. Wow. The the girl that plays Adrian looks just like her. You're kidding me. Yeah. Um Burgess Meredith, Mickey, I mean.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, Burgess Meredith was great. Yeah, great. It's a great actor.

SPEAKER_01

Great casting all around.

SPEAKER_03

Um Although I still see him as the penguin. I don't know why. Wasn't Burgess Meredith? He was the penguin in the old the original Bat movies. Was he really the Batman show, I think, not the movies. I think I didn't know that. He was the original. I'm pretty sure. I'll have to look that up then. Yeah. If I'm not sure, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

SPEAKER_01

But that's really you know what? Everybody's got a show.

SPEAKER_03

This is not a fact-based show, just so you know. We don't ever check anything. We don't do fact-checking on the show, okay? You can say whatever you want. We believe you. All right. So I'm trying to think, is there anything else you wanted to talk about? You had you had said on here too. It says here that you TV show co-hosted. Did you do some kind of a show at some point?

Casting Praise And Character Challenges

SPEAKER_01

So I did a show with uh my good friends Irving Fryer and Hollis Thomas. Yes. Um vetted, they're still doing it. I saw that doing well. Um, but I had to take a step back because of being busy. Being busy. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And you might get other stuff from this too. That's the other thing. It's in the works. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Are you serious? Yeah, it's in the works. Well, then you'll have to come back again then, too. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, look at these nice wood walls. You want to come back here, right?

SPEAKER_01

You know, I I I got my eye on a red cup over here. That's yours, by the way. The red cups over here. That's funny. It'll look good in that black vest.

SPEAKER_03

I'm excited. Yes, it will. I'd love red and black. Um, now that's exciting, man. It's really cool. And I'm glad you came in here because um it's it's just funny how the guy I saw on a wall every time I was feeding my face with pizza at mama's years ago. Yeah, which all you were always with football players or whatever. And and I'm looking, so when I saw the picture of you, I'm thinking, I know this guy. Yeah. And then you walk in. As soon as you walked in today, you know. Then I knew. I'm like, that's the guy. That's the guy from the pizza.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I remember you coming in. Oh, I used to. I still do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I still do. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's those guys are doing well over there.

SPEAKER_03

I'll tell you what, they they have a good product. They really do. And and as far as I know, they're doing very well. That's um every time I go in there, is it Brent or whatever you said? Yeah. Yeah. I see. He's super nice, very friendly. Yeah. Yeah. So that's cool. Anything else? Yeah, you should. You should anything else you want to talk about about um the movie coming up. Do you have any time frame of when it will be out? I'm sure it's gonna be a year or two from the yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, they they haven't um announced the release date. That won't come for a little while yet. You because they gotta after we're done filming, it's all the editing. They do the editing process, and that that takes a little while. So I can't. I know it will be out in 2026, though. Really? Yeah. That's exciting, man. Yeah. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_03

Well, you have to keep I can't wait either. You have to stay in touch.

SPEAKER_01

It'd be nice to have a uh little red little premiere right here in um. Why not?

SPEAKER_03

That'd be awesome.

SPEAKER_01

But he's asking me.

SPEAKER_03

So if you need if you need help putting it together, let me know. We can we can help out. Absolutely. All right. Well, that's awesome. We have we have a lot of social media ways, and and we have a lot of things we can do to get people there. Yeah, that's fun. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, very cool, man. All right. Well, we're gonna end the show. Okay. Do you want to do any kind of rocky thing or do you want to do a part? Give us the or do one of your poly things that you say.

SPEAKER_02

Give us a line.

SPEAKER_03

I don't sweat you.

SPEAKER_01

Is that that's that's one of his famous lines.

SPEAKER_02

I don't sweat you.

SPEAKER_01

I don't sweat you. It's a great part, man. It's you know, I will say this about Bert Young. Um, somebody set up a uh um a meeting that I have with his some of his family. Oh no, that's awesome. I just found out recently, and I'm excited about that.

SPEAKER_03

Dude, that's cool. That might get emotional.

Wrap-Up And Future Plans

SPEAKER_01

But the the character, Paulie, is very it's not an easy character because Pauly was, you know, he was drunk. Yeah, he's wrong. He was funny, he was a whiner, he was always angry, yeah, you know. So it's kind of I gotta diverse part. It is you got your work cut out, it really is. Yes.

SPEAKER_03

You can do it. I know you can. I know you can do it. I love it. All right, man. That's awesome. Thanks for coming in today. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03

All right, man, that was fun. We have got to go see that movie when it comes out. I'm super excited about it. Uh, it's called I Play Rocky. We got Scott Teller here. He's gonna be in the movie playing the Bert Young part, which is super cool. And I'm sure we'll have him back again once uh he's in the next movie or once the movie comes out. I think it'd be a lot of fun. All right, that's about it. Thanks for watching the show every Thursday at 7 p.m. We'll see you next week.

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