Episode 7 - Celestine Rae and Jeremy Batiste

In this episode Ali, Lauren, and Tosca chat with Celestine Rae and Jeremy Batiste, stars of 'A Brother's Honor.' They discuss the experience of working on the film, the importance of representation, and bonding with fellow cast members. The team also shares stories about fan interactions, traveling to London for the premiere, and diving into Brenda Jackson’s novels. Join to hear insights from the set, fun anecdotes, and the cast’s thoughts on the significance of their roles.

Chapters

• 0:10 Team Introductions and Updates
• 1:20 Upcoming Premiere and Special Plans
• 2:28 Passionflix Wine Brand Announcement
• 4:33 Behind the Scenes: Gabriel's Inferno
• 6:08 Soundtrack Creation Process
• 10:15 Special Guests: Celestine Rae and Jeremy Batiste
• 11:24 Life During Quarantine
• 22:22 Acting Origins and Career Stories
• 38:40 Memorable Moments on Set
• 39:29 Funny Love Scene Anecdote
• 40:32 Reflecting on the Filming Experience
• 43:36 Working with Brenda Jackson
• 48:51 Diving into Character Roles
• 51:23 Building Brotherly Bonds
• 54:48 Interacting with Passionflix Fans
• 1:05:56 Representation in Film
• 1:13:32 Favorite Scenes and Lightning Round

Transcript

Lauren: [00:00:00] All right, the recording has started. Hello, ladies. 

Tosca: Hi, Lauren. 

Lauren: Hi, All. Hello. How you guys doing? Good, good. How are you doing? Well, not too bad. Um, and for those of you who are just joining us this week, I'm Lauren. I'm the Director of Development here at Passionflix. 

Ali: I'm Ali. I'm the Director of Marketing and PR.

Tosca: And I'm Tosca, and I'm the founder and CEO of Passionflix

Lauren: Very exciting. And Tosca, I can see you got a haircut.

Tosca: I did! I did. 

A friend of mine came over and, uh, Uh, I wish we could say we got drunk and I cut my hair, but no. Very bizarre to be all masked up and gloved during a situation like that, but it was good.

Looks very chic. I like it. Thank you. I'm back to being Tosca. You know that they, um, uh, the shutdown happened the day before, um, I was going to have my hair cut. I hate that. I had this crazy long hair. [00:01:00] I was like, no! 

Ali: I had mine dyed lighter right before we went into quarantine, and then I dyed it red since we've been in quarantine, so.

Yeah, I love your hair. It looks great. 

Tosca: Thank you. 

Lauren: So yeah, any updates about this past week and what we've accomplished? 

Ali: Well, we're 11 days away from the premiere of Gabriel's Inferno Part 1. Woo! Yeah. 

Tosca: I hope everybody's excited. 

Ali: I know everyone's been asking if we're going to do something special, and the answer is Yes.

And you will find out very, very soon. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. 

Tosca: Oh, good. And then I'll find out. 

Ali: Yeah, you'll find out at the same time. 

Tosca: Good. 

That sounds great.

Ali: I'll just let you know what you need to do. 

Tosca: Beautiful. Can I put on a fancy dress, though? 

Ali: Absolutely. 

Tosca: Awesome. That's all that matters, really. I'm going to have my daughter do my makeup. 

Ali: Oh, [00:02:00] and it's 25 cents, right? Can she do my hair and makeup? 

Tosca: She's 25 cents to do hair and makeup. Yeah. 

Lauren: Look, that's so budget friendly. I love that. 

Tosca: It's so budget friendly! I might be, like, purple on one side and pink on the other. But, you know, it's cool. 

Ali: I think that's nice.

Lauren: You know what? It's all the rage right now. Quarantine hair is a real thing. It'll be crappy. Yes, it is. To be any color under the rainbow.

Tosca: Yeah, and then um another awesome thing. Um yesterday We had or not yesterday last week. We had um a wine tasting because Passionflix is going to be Creating our own blends of wine for our own wine brand.

That's so exciting. I know we're gonna have Ultimately, we'll have five different Um, wines because there are five numbers on the barometer of naughtiness. Ooh. Um, and so, uh, we'll, we'll, uh, release one of them, I think, one or maybe two before the end of this year, which is very exciting. 

Ali: That's awesome.Cannot [00:03:00] wait. Oh, I love that. 

Lauren: Yeah. Wine is happening. That's what we need. Exactly. We'll have themed wine for our Wine Wednesdays, because people who don't know, sometimes on Wednesdays we Stop working around three or four in the afternoon, turn on a Passion Flix movie, and watch with some wine. Yes, you got it.

Pretty fun, yeah. What have you been doing, Lauren? I've, well, this past week, uh, and I'm just gonna brag because I've never read this much, but I read six books in like four days. I read two books one day, two books another day, and then two more books over two days. Awesome. A couple by Kristin Proby because I was just like I can't make a decision about her series which ones we want So I have to read this whole series.

So I read the whole Boudreaux series in like four days and I messaged the author She was like, oh my god That's impressive And then I read the rest of Avery Flynn's Hardigan series because I'd read Butterface recently and then I read Tomboy [00:04:00] and Muffin Top, both the real ones. Fun books. So yeah, pretty busy week reading wise every day I would wake up, go on the computer, answer some like info emails and stuff like that.

And then I'd be like, do I have anything to do or can I like reach? I should read. And so best job ever. I love, it's been really nice. I'm really Tosca. I'm in the perfect job for me because. I love reading, and if it's a book that grabs me, I can read it really fast. 

Tosca: Yes, I'm very lucky to have you. 

Lauren: Um, so that's, that's basically what I did this week.

I'm also prepping to get Gabriel's Inferno up on all of our platforms, you know, for when The time comes so people can watch across our website, and our apps, and Amazon, and 

Comcast, and all that fun stuff. 

Tosca: Yeah, people don't know, it's actually quite a bit of work that goes into, so besides us making the movie, when the movie's actually finished, um, the final product is sent to us.

And, um, and then Lauren, and Ali at [00:05:00] this point has made, has made sure that all the artwork is done correctly for all the different platforms that PassionFix is on. And then Lauren literally links the, the title to all of these platforms and updates all of the metadata, which is the synopsis, the actors, the, my name, everybody's, everybody that works on the film, she updates all of that information on all the different platforms.

And it, um, and it, you know, just have to make sure that it's all there. So thank you. both. Yeah. Yeah. 

Lauren: It's very cool. It's almost like I've got all this power.

On our backdoor system, you, you literally have to upload all of the, the, the minutiae data of like the summary and the director cast, whatever. And you know, Uh, the photo images and stuff like that, but then you also get to publish it. So you're the one who sets up where it releases and it's, you know, it's just exciting.

It is exciting. And never in any other --

Tosca: Not as exciting as editing part three, which is what I'm doing now. 

Lauren: Ooh, I love that. Um, I actually [00:06:00] have a couple of quick questions. Yeah. From um, I deleted them, but I remember them from a couple of fans. Uh, one person asked what, what, what, what process goes into making the soundtrack for the movie.

Um, and another person asked what time we usually release the movies. Um, worldwide. So I thought we could answer those. 

Tosca: Well, with regards to the soundtrack, it's, it comes down to all the songs that we use in a movie. So if we use, um, I think you have to use five, five songs and less. You can only create an EP, um, and not a full soundtrack.

So, but most of our movies have, have a few more songs in them. Not all of them, Brothers Honor didn't actually have that much, but, um, but we had, uh, But in Gabriel's Inferno, because it is three parts, we'll actually have quite a few songs. Um, so we'll be able to have a soundtrack. So what goes into that is us firstly finding the song or recording a song, and then we have to make sure that we now, uh, get all the [00:07:00] soundtrack rights prior to them even going into the movie, which is, um, something that we didn't do earlier on.

But we do do now. And, uh, and so that's what ultimately allows us to get it. And then when we get the actual song, you have to get a very specific recording in order for it to be uploaded to the, um, the various musical distribution places. Music distribution places. Music is hard, by the way. It's a pain in the ass, I've got to tell you.

But, um, they should really change the way they do things. Um, but yeah, so we upload it to those systems, and then when that's been approved by a number of different, um, you know, iTunes and Apple Music and all those things, then it actually releases. Um, it can take a few weeks, but we're hoping to release a soundtrack for Gabriel's Inferno in June.

Very exciting. Exciting. That's awesome. And then, um, I might have a surprise song on there. 

Lauren: I love that. Um, and for our release, I think for people who don't know, we try to release [00:08:00] at midnight Honolulu time. So it goes live at some time zone where people are awake or not. Same day. So that's so if you're in LA, it'll be 3am.

And if you're on the east coast, it'll be 6am. And then vice versa for Everywhere else. 

Ali: Cool. And it may be a little different for Gabriel's Inferno. 

Tosca: Oh boy. Wait a minute. Oh my goodness. What? 

Lauren: You know what? I'm done with you. 

Ali: Just kidding. I love teasing. 

Tosca: It's so maybe different, but we're not going to tell you.

Ali: We'll tell you. We'll tell you. 

Tosca: Well, um, Now we, now we were all desperate to know what you're gonna say this afternoon, or tomorrow. 

Lauren: Oh, Ali...

Um, so, it was really awesome that we had Olivia on last week, cause she's, she's awesome. And I love her, and that was really fun. Very long conversation. It was almost as long as our first one about Gabriel's Inferno.

Tosca: Yeah. Um, great. I really look forward to working with her and [00:09:00] it's so, um, crazy to think that we would have completed filming both Fueled and Crashed by now. If things...

Lauren: Just dig that knife in deeper, T. 

Tosca: Like, you know, it's taken us so long to get back to this point and that literally, as we're about to do it, the world shuts down and you're like, man.

When's that gonna happen? 

Ali: Yeah, we actually got questions too on, um, on Facebook about when we can film Rapture. And it's, you know, it's the same thing. We're just, we're stuck right now until the world reopens. 

Tosca: Exactly. I don't know when we'll be able to go to Italy. So it's, we're all on standby. Everyone's ready. It's just a matter of when we're able to go to Italy, really. 

Lauren: Yeah. In the meantime, we'll release Gabriel's Inferno parts one, two, and three, and we'll keep doing these. 

Tosca: And, and just so everyone knows, just to be, to clarify on Gabriel's Inferno one, two, and three, It is the first book that we've divided into three because it's five and a half hours long.

It's not all three books. It's the first book and [00:10:00] it's five and a half hours long and it's taking us a very long time to complete it. So that's why we're releasing it in three parts. 

Lauren: Love it.No, people are, people are gonna die. Because it includes everything. I don't think it leaves anything out, which is going to be great.

Um, so we have the lovely Celestine Ray and Jeremy Batiste joining us today from A Brother's Honor, uh, which is very exciting, and I can see they're both patiently waiting in the waiting room, so I'm going to invite them now. Okay, perfect. All right, Celestine, Jeremy. Oh, she's coming. Hello! Hey, 

Jeremy: Hey

Lauren: Hey. Jeremy, sit down here. 

Jeremy: Sorry. 

Hey. Hi. Yeah, my camera's here, but I have a big monitor here. So I'm gonna have to look up [00:11:00] there, kind of. It's weird. 

Tosca: Well, if you look up there, we're gonna look at your chin. 

Jeremy: Okay, well, I, you know, I gotta, that's why I gotta either move this camera, or do something here.Hi. 

Celestine: Hi. Hi. I'm just, 

Jeremy: I'll figure it out as we go. 

Lauren: It's okay. 

Jeremy: Okay, hi. 

Lauren: Hi. It's good to see you guys. Thanks for joining us today. Yes. I'm so happy to see you all. 

Celestine: How are you doing? 

Lauren: We're good. We're, you know, just trucking along. Hanging in. Working from home. 

Tosca: Yeah. you're on the East Coast, right? 

Celestine: Yes. I'm in New York.

Tosca: How's it going up there? That's pretty different than L. A. 

Celestine: Oh, yeah. New New The New York experience of all of this is totally different from L. A. Like, I mean, you guys are like Well, I'm in Long Island, so I also have a different experience. Like, I went for a run earlier today, and that was good, but like, New Yorkers who are stacked on top of each other, they're struggling.

Like, I've been speaking to my sister, and she's just like, I cannot wait to get out of [00:12:00] here. Yeah. 

Tosca: Yeah, because we have like And also, didn't you guys just recently have a snowfall? 

Celestine: In certain areas of New York, yeah, we didn't get it out here, but in certain areas, yeah. 

Tosca: It's really cool. For us, it's like, I'm wearing summer dresses and flip flops, and I'm like, when can I go outside?

Lauren: Yeah, it's totally different today. Totally different. 

Tosca: Yeah, but everyone you know is, uh, safe and healthy, and 

Celestine: Yeah, everyone I know is safe and healthy. I do know a few people who had, uh, coronavirus. I know a few people who have lost some people from it. So it's really, it's really real over here in a, in a scary way.

And I'm just, like, counting my blessings every day because all of my close family and friends are okay. So I'm really grateful for that. Oh, that's good. Yeah, and I've been drinking my vitamin C uh, powder every day. Like, I'm like so afraid of all of my friends are having like drinking parties and I'm like, I'm getting my immune [00:13:00] system together.

I can't, I can't chance. 

Lauren: Oh yeah, I, I refused to drink for the beginning of this, like lockdown for the first month I think I didn't drink and we were eating like clementines every day. We were like any kind of vitamin C, all the vitamins. Yeah. Yeah. 

Tosca: That's the opposite of me and Ali, by the way. No, listen to me.

How soon can we have a glass of wine? How soon? Is it okay? Yeah. 

Lauren: I was kidding me through. I went to the grocery store to grab, you know, like some essentials, like everybody was doing and the two people in front of me in line were getting like 24 bottles of wine. I was like, okay, cool. They're stocking up on their essentials.

Celestine: Absolutely. I feel like when New York didn't close down the liquor stores, they were like, nope, that's essential. And I was like, for many people, it really is. 

Ali: I don't know what I would do. 

Celestine: Yeah. 

Lauren: Incredible. Um, well, cool. Thank you, Jeremy. Oh, yeah. Jeremy, how are you doing? All right. Let me see our wine. 

Jeremy: What's that? I, [00:14:00] I, I don't really drink that much. So, um, no, I mean, you know, just kind of just, you know, the same as everybody else. I mean, I've lost a few people to the virus. Um, my aunt just passed on the weekend. Um, but aside from that, you know, I mean, it's, you know, doing as much as I can to, you know, flatten the curve.

Um, you know, it's just, it's one of those things, you know, so it's just, uh, just. Kind of grin and bear it and just keep moving forward. Yeah 

Lauren: I'm so sorry about that. Yeah, I'm so sorry Jeremy. 

Jeremy: It's okay. 

Ali: Yeah. 

Tosca: On that note, we'll move on to...

Lauren: Well, one of my first questions was, uh, did you have any projects that you had to put on hold for quarantine and then what have you been doing to kind of stay creative and stay sane since 

Jeremy: Ladies first.

Celestine: Um, I was supposed to do a live performance at the Billie Holiday Theater out here. It's something that I'm a part of [00:15:00] every year for the last like four or five years, I think. And it's, um, it's like monologue series, all monologues written by women. And, um, I love doing it and we had to shut it down, but we did do it on Facebook Live.

So that was my first experience doing like a live performance. And it was the rehearsal process of that was It was so interesting. People's internets were going in and out and people's To turn their sound on and I was like, I don't know What the show is gonna be but we're gonna do it and it was actually pretty amazing So that was I was grateful that we still were able to do it But other than that, no because I was I was just auditioning for pilot season so much So everything just kind of came to a halt, but there were no projects that were In the, like, queue, except for that one that had to just totally, yeah.

Ali: Celestine, is that something we can still see? The monologue that you did? I think so. I'll check, I'll check on 

Celestine: the website. Yeah, I think, I think they might still have it up. Yeah. Well, share the link with us and we can get [00:16:00] you online with it. 

Jeremy: Um, yeah, for, for me, um, there's not, there wasn't really much in the pipeline.

I did going out for a lot of pilots. Um, aside from that, you know, I also work in, in music. So I do like audio tech work and other things like that. So, uh, mostly just kind of been working on that. So we did have a lot of projects down the pipeline with that. But, uh, I mean, you know, as soon as like social gatherings and stuff got canceled, it was like, Oh, it went right out the window.

So, um, Yeah, it's, you know, again, one of those things. So, um, I'm looking forward to, you know, when things kind of, I don't know if things will get back to complete normalcy, but you know, I'm looking forward to being able to get together with bands and stuff and, and get back to recording and things like that.

Celestine: Yeah, it was so funny because I was watching some of Jeremy's, um, his Insta stories of him making his music and I wrote him. I was like, you're so in your element right now. You are so unbothered [00:17:00] by being able to stay home. 

Jeremy: I, I'm really not bothered by it. I mean, this was my normal life before anyway. So it's like literally quarantine is like, Oh, that's what you call this.

Lauren: I was emailing you about this, Jeremy, and you didn't respond for a couple days, and then you came back, and you were like, Oh, I'm sorry, I was camping really quick. 

Jeremy: Yeah, I was literally in San Luis Obispo, like, in the middle of nowhere, camping. I was like, laying in a hammock for like, Two days. 

Lauren: Oh, that sounds nice.

Jeremy: Really nice. It was nice. It was nice. 

Lauren: My, uh, my roommate's parents have a pool at their house in the valley. They just recently bought a house in Palm Springs, and that's where they've been this whole time. Um, so the, the valley house with the pool has been abandoned. So the past couple weekends, my roommates and I have gone over and 

Jeremy: Nice.

Lauren: Swam in the pool. And it's been a very nice break because you're in the backyard, you're secluded, you don't see that people are wearing masks, and you're just relaxing. And it was very nice. Oh, that sounds great. [00:18:00] Yeah. Yeah, I recommend it if you have the possibility, go somewhere quiet and it's, yeah, it's nice.

Jeremy: Yeah, I agree. I mean, you know, this, this time is, you know, no better time to kind of like, you know, reset your vibration. I think, you know, connecting with nature or whatever you can do to try to just unplug is kind of essential as well. 

Tosca: Yeah, I don't know about I'm talking. We've been pulling like basically 12 13 hour days at passionflix General so to me I was saying this before i'm like I was supposed to have filmed three more movies by now and then moving Up to doing the sequels with with the brothers on and all those sorts of things and you're like I don't know how I would have done three more movies by now. Basically, just 

Lauren: We don't either, T. 

Tosca: Yeah. And doing all the stuff that we're doing now. I was like, wow, I would have figured it out somehow. 

Jeremy: Well, yeah, that's that's just what you do. 

Celestine: Yeah, you guys are amazing. I don't know how you get so much done. I'm just like I'm always fascinated every time I'm like [00:19:00] scrolling through Instagram.

I'm like, oh, they shot something else and now Tosca's here and she's It's amazing 

Jeremy: Seriously impressive. Yeah 

Tosca: Uh, yeah, you should see we have this giant list of all the movies that are that's right next to me um, uh, and we uh, and we're just looking at how we're going to do them and when we're going to do them and How many I can do this year?

Um, right. Cause we were going to do eight this year. 

Jeremy: Eight? 

Tosca: Yeah. 

Jeremy: Wow. 

Tosca: Yeah. Now that's not happening. 

Lauren: See, Tosca, you were too ambitious. The world fucked up. 

Jeremy: That just means when things 

Tosca: like you need to stop, 

Jeremy: that just means when things were zoomed, you'd have 16 to do. 

Tosca: Mm-hmm . . Yeah, exactly. 

Ali: She'll, she'll do it too.

Jeremy: Yeah, that's what, that's what I'm saying. Yeah. 

Lauren: Let's, I read six books this week, so I've, I've been pretty productive . 

Jeremy: Oh, [00:20:00] that's awesome. 

Celestine: That's amazing. I've been reading again too. And I'm like, I forgot that I love to read. I used to, I was listening to so many books on audio book. 

Lauren: Yeah. 

Celestine: Because in New York, well, as all of us know, our lives are so fast.

So it's like, Oh, I don't have time to sit and open a book and read it. So I'm like putting my headphones in and I'm still getting it. But now I'm like, there's something nice about opening an actual book and reading it and Getting cozy and you know having that experience of your letting your imagination just only focus on that and not be like Okay, the subway and this audition and that audition like it's weird like I I was resisting the slowdown at first and now i'm just Enjoying it.

That's nice. Yeah. A little reset time. 

Tosca: Yeah. Reading is, reading is, uh, so great. And I don't, I don't do it enough. I do a lot of audibles as well. Um, and, uh, and then just last night with the kids, I was like, you know, why don't we just sit and read? Yeah. Just [00:21:00] read. 

Celestine: They have any favorite books. 

Tosca: Uh, my kids are a little too young still. I mean, they, they like things like Dr. Seuss and things like that. 

Celestine: They're not Harry Potter fans?

Tosca: Sorry? 

Celestine: Harry Potter fans? Not yet? 

Tosca: I'm desperate to get them to become Harry Potter fans. 

Lauren: He's been reading it to them. That's what my parents did. 

Tosca: I'm not scared to them. 

Lauren: It scared them? 

Tosca: Scared, yeah, it's, there's seven, so it's just a little too scary, you know, parents died, and the evil witch's wizard is coming after you, that sort of thing, and it's like

Lauren: I was young when the first movie came out, and I definitely got scared of the flashback where Voldemort goes and kills his parents.

Jeremy: I was like, right, it's the Dwarves! I thought that'd be scary for a child. 

Celestine: Yeah. But all of our movies were scary, like I think about the Lion King and like Mufasa gets killed by Scar and like the [00:22:00] mother's dead in like the first like 15 minutes of the movie.

It's just like, what are these kids movies that they were in stories that they were coming out with, but that's. That's another conversation. Cinderella? My goodness. Cinderella is horrible. 

Jeremy: What? Yeah, that's intense. 

Lauren: Anyway. Well, I thought we could dive into some of the questions. And my first question is, uh, How did you guys first get into acting?

Because I know that a couple of our fans are curious about that. 

Jeremy: Ladies first. 

Celestine: I'm just going to assume that I'm going to encourage you. Um, well, I started off as a dancer. So I started dancing when I was four years old and I did ballet and modern, eventually modern and tap and jazz dance. So performing and being on stage was like always part of my childhood.

And I also went to a performing arts. middle school. So we put on plays and we were, I was doing like Bye Bye Birdie and Little Abner [00:23:00] and Oliver. And so I was in a lot of shows and stuff. And that was like the thing that I always did. And I used to write scripts and get all the kids in my neighborhood to be in my plays.

Like a bossy, like, kid who would, like, knock on their door and be like, Hera has to come out for rehearsal now, like, let's go. So, eventually when I got, I was in a dance company when I was in high school and when I went to college, I started out majoring in dance. And my, one of my really close dance teachers said to me, he said, you really need to think about acting because when you dance, you do more than just move your body.

You're performing. You're telling a story. You really need to think about it. And my roommate in college, my freshman year of college was also a filmmaker. So she would also always grab me and be like, be my subject, be in this, do that. Like, she was just always using me for her class projects. And eventually I was like, okay, I really need to take this seriously.

And then I moved to New York and I [00:24:00] went to a Meisner conservatory program and studied and started. hitting the ground running right after that. 

Lauren: That's awesome. 

Celestine: That's my origin story. Yeah.

Jeremy: Um, for me, um, I stumbled into acting in, in high school. I was actually an athlete and my original agenda was I was going to play sports. I got injured and, uh, just kind of spiraled into a whole different direction. Um, and I ended up in this, uh, you know, in Texas. Theater is competitive. So, um, I went to a UIL one act play competition, which we nearly won state for doing fences and from there I was seen by a bunch of schools and um I also did this monologue in front of a panel in front of a bunch of colleges and this one school It was a Meisner conservatory as well uh In new york city school for film and television.

They offered me like a partial scholarship to go so I decided Sure, why [00:25:00] not? You know, I'll go there for two years, and if it doesn't work out, then I'll go back to playing football. My original goal was to study psychology and journalism, but I ended up in, in acting. But I kind of approach acting now with this, this approach through psychology, which is, makes it very interesting for me.

Um, but yeah, that was like kind of my road, my road into acting was, was really, um, if I had not like gone a different direction from sports, you know, I'd probably be. You know, in Houston, Texas doing, you know, being a therapist or something. So. 

Lauren: That's incredible. 

Jeremy: Yeah. 

Lauren: That also doesn't surprise me, because when we were in, uh, London, rare London, you and I had a couple of very, like, deep conversations at different, like, lunch and dinners.

I'm just like, damn, Jeremy, digs. 

Jeremy: Yeah. You know, it's an infinite well that my mind, I can definitely go into some, I love rabbit holes. So, you know, don't, don't start looking at me, like, yeah, yeah. 

Lauren: [00:26:00] Oh, it's awesome. Um, and then I also thought we could talk about, uh, how you first found out about How you first found out about the roles of Shana and Jason and what your reaction was to getting the roles.

Celestine: I guess I'm going first. Um, First, apparently. I was at home and I got a call from my agent and he was like, hey, I'm working on this project. He said it, that's how he said it. He said, I'm working on this project. They like you. I want you to read this script. And it's from this company called Passion Flix.

Tosca Musk owns the company. And he said, yes, Musk as in Elon Musk, Tosca Musk. Yes. So read the script. And I was like, okay. I read the script and he's like, yeah, they want you for the lead role. And I read the script and I was like, okay, yes, I want to do it. I'm interested. And, um, we talked a little bit about it.

We talked a little bit about, you know, how, because it was, it seemed like it was happening really fast. And the, you know, he, [00:27:00] he was like, we need to know, we need to know if you want to do it. And I was like, okay. Give me a second. Um, but I, I fell in love with Shana kind of immediately after I read it. So I was like doing this weird thing of like, should I do it?

And I'm like, of course I should, I should absolutely do this. Absolutely. So I hit him back up and I said, yeah, it's a yes for me. And within like, I think within a week I was in Florida shooting it, but I remember thinking, Before I went, I, because I didn't know anybody really associated with the project.

And I remember saying like, like I took, sometimes I take like a moment to kind of just like check in with myself. And I said, you know, I really want this to be a moment where I meet a lot of really amazing people. I remember saying that to myself before I left to go to Florida. And that is exactly what happened.

Like I can't. Express my gratitude for this, for the experience of playing Shayna and being in A Brother's Honor, and meeting all of you, and Jeremy, and everybody in the cast, and Lane, and Miss, and Miss Brenda. [00:28:00] It's been amazing, so that's the long answer to your question. 

Lauren: No, that was so great. Great answer.

Tosca: You know, and you were wondering how, you know, how we do so much so quickly. It's, it's really, um, the, okay, great. We are gonna make a movie, and it's gonna be in, we're gonna make it in three weeks. Let's go. Let's go. That's fine. The best people. Like, who's available? And we, we try and, um, we have to try and make films so quickly, which is why a lot of the times actors are like, what do you mean we're filming in two weeks?

I just, we just, 

Celestine: yeah. 

But it's crazy because what you do is you create this energy. And I don't know if you're, you're probably not even aware of it, but everybody just gets automatically on board. Because they're like, look, we have to make this movie in this amount of time. And it just creates this kind of collective force of like, we're going to make sure this gets done.

And I, that's what I felt from you, from everybody that it was just this team. It was teamwork from the beginning. We were like, we're, we're making a movie. Let's go. 

Tosca: [00:29:00] Yeah, we're very much a teamwork company, and we love it, we love it when everyone comes together and just makes it happen. It doesn't, it doesn't help when just one person wants to make it happen, then it's like, nothing happens.

Everybody has to be on board, like, okay guys, we can do this, let's go, let's go, let's go! Yeah, 

Jeremy: yeah. 

Tosca: What about you, Jeremy? 

Jeremy: Um, for me, um, so, kind of similar, I got a phone call from my representatives, um, And they were like, there's something coming down the pipeline. Um, we want you to take a look at it, you know, give us your honest feedback.

We don't want to put you in anything that you're not comfortable with. Um, and, uh, so I was like, okay, cool. And, uh, I started reading the script. And I was like, immediately, like, this is pretty awesome, actually. It was like, you know, and, and so I got back to my reps and I was like, I mean, I would, I would love to audition for this.

And they were like, Well it's an offer. And I was like, wait what? 

And I was like, oh, uh, then [00:30:00] yes, I want it. So, uh, yeah, it kind of came, came like, it was like just a great gift that, that kind of came, you know, uh, seemingly from nowhere, but I'm sure, you know, obviously you guys did your homework and, uh, I, I am more than grateful that I was your choice.

But yeah, that was, that's how I came to understand the world of Brenda Jackson. And I was like, this is a, this is, this is a thing. Um, and I was like, this would be so awesome to be a part of, you know, uh, you know, no matter what comes of it. So for me, um, I was, I was over the moon because I was, you know, at this time where I was like going out for a lot of pilots and, uh, you know, a lot of, you know, co stars and guest stars.

And when I would land those, it's awesome. But to play a lead in a film was like, you know, that's part part of the reason why I, you know, started this journey in the first place. So I was more than more than ecstatic. And, you know, it proved to [00:31:00] be a great experience. 

Lauren: That's awesome. 

Jeremy: Yeah, 

Lauren: I love it. And can you guys talk about uh, the first time you two met and what your first impressions of each other were?

Celestine: So the first time I met Jeremy, we had, we actually didn't do a table read, which I can't believe we, we just hit the ground running the way we did, but we didn't do a table read, but we did do a cast. Meeting with Yeah, the director and, um, our script su supervisor was there and so we all sat around and we, we got to kind of chat and Jeremy was the last person to kind of come in the room and he walked in the room and he was super gracious to everyone and he avoided me and he said hi to

Rob, hi to Michael. So Dalton, Caden. Then he went around and he said hi to Lane and our script supervisor, and then he came over to me and he said, my lady, it's nice to meet you. And I was like, oh, he the gentleman, he's really sweet. That was my first impression. I was like, oh, he's nice. He's a really nice guy.

Oh my God. Avoided me. [00:32:00] At first he was just like completely just like. And he, he invited me our first day on set together too. I had to like stalk him and be like, Hi, can we line together?

Tosca: Really, Jeremy? 

Jeremy: Yeah, well, you know, it's like, I don't want to ever create a space, especially on set, with, you know, with, with an actress, especially one that you're going to be doing very intimate scenes with. Um, I don't want them to, I don't want to, Make I don't want to jeopardize that relationship. So for me, it's like let's just be very professional.

I'll let It hurts them to me, if anything. Otherwise, I'll stay in my lane. For me, I think that that's very important, especially, you know, as, you know, a lead, a lead actor in the film. You also kind of have to, you know, ensure that the morale of everybody on set is kind of on high. You know, so I [00:33:00] just did not want, I didn't want to send the wrong message or the wrong kind of energy.

Not that I'm that type of person, but I don't know, I didn't know who she was at that time. But regardless, I mean, I thought, I was like, you know, what a wonderful presence, you know, like right off the, right off the get. Everybody's energy, I must say, was, was really interesting. It was, I always say this, but like, it felt more like a, like this.

I don't know, like a spiritual kind of a energy, like it was just, it was like this divine thing and everybody's like, we just clicked immediately. Uh, but yeah, like, you know, I, I certainly loved her presence, her energy. She's, you know, obviously very elegant and very graceful. Um, but again, you know, um, I, I just, I wanted to ensure that she felt safe.

That was the main. The main ingredient of everything behind my motives on set was that she was, [00:34:00] she was safe. 

Celestine: It worked. I mean, it worked because then I, it put me in the position of power and I was, I was like, I gotta go find this guy. Like, all right. You know, I had that moment, but then, but then I was like, oh, this is good.

And so, so much of us working together was based off of that safety. And then, and then it was like, and that's the kind of. I like to feel safe in my relationships, and I like to feel safe with whoever I'm working with, and I felt, from the beginning, I felt very, very safe. And then it was like when you feel safe with someone, then it's like, well, all bets are off.

We're just going, we're doing it. And then I felt totally free to be like, we're gonna, we're, listen, we're doing it. Okay, go, love scene, let's do it, you know. But we, but we had already established that trust and I had already felt his energy was that he was going to be, be making sure that he was taking care of me.

And he did. 

Tosca: Beautiful. That's really beautiful. That's a great story. Thanks so much for sharing that. That's so important for us, [00:35:00] especially because of the type of content, um, you know, that, that PassionFix makes, which is a little bit more on the connection and communication and, and to. Meaning, so it's a little bit, little bit more adult, I guess.

Yeah. Um, and also we're taking romance novels and turning them into movies and series. And we want to make sure that this, this um, pushes the idea of communication, connection, respect for everyone, consent, all these sorts of things are really important to us. So I love hearing that that was how it was on set.

And I only got to spend a few days with you on set, not, not too, too much, but some very warm days there. 

Celestine: Yeah. My hair was like wanting to frizz every time I walked outside. I was like, all right, like The hairstyles Nancy was like on my hair putting stuff in my hair It just kept wanting to get bigger and bigger and bigger and I was like, I don't want there.

Jeremy: It was straight up hot and humid 

Celestine: Yeah, it was so hot. It was so hot, but it was a nice time location. 

Jeremy: So, you know Well from Texas, so it's similar. So I was kind of like [00:36:00] hey, this is my element Yeah, 

Lauren: love that and Jeremy you've actually realized later that you knew Celestine from something Before? 

Jeremy: Uh, yeah.

Lauren: Do you mind sharing that story for people who weren't at the premiere? 

Jeremy: So, you know, I'm like, I'm a big music guy, so I grew up watching tons of music videos, you know, and just like, anyway, regardless, you know, there's a 50 Cent music video that used to come on all the time, and there's this woman in it, Celestina Bray, and I was like, Oh, man, she's quite gorgeous.

Like, you know, that's not really what I thought, but. I was very attracted, all right, at this time. And, uh, yeah. So it turned out that, you know, fast forward to meeting her on a brother's honor, and then it clicked. And she was like, she said, she was like, yeah, I was in a music video. I was like, what, what? Oh, that was you.

Yeah. So that was, uh, that was, [00:37:00] that was like one of those weird things. I was like, did I manifest this or no, it's just one of those things. I don't know, but yeah, I was like obsessed with that music video specifically because.

Celestine: I got instantly shy when I realized that he knew who I was like, we're just talking about like love scenes. If we've done love scenes before and I was like, well, I haven't, I've done stuff in my lingerie. And I was like, yeah. And I did this like 50 cent music video. It was really like flipping the way I said it.

I wasn't like one time, like I didn't think it was just like, yeah, 

Jeremy: my mind went to that moment that I was like, That girl. Like, literally. 

Lauren: You quoted the video back to her and she's just like, damn. 

Celestine: He wanted to put it on. I was like, no, no, no, no.

Jeremy: I was like, that was you. 

Lauren: And we talked about it. We had first heard about it when we were in London.

We were having dinner one night and that's where it came up. And we were all just like, [00:38:00] what? A 50 cent video? That's so cool. 

Jeremy: Yeah, same for me. My mind was literally blown the moment she said it. I was like, oh my god. I used to like Literally wait for that music video to come on just to see her.

Ali: Crazy the way the world works.

Jeremy: Yeah, absolutely. At this point, I have no more questions for the universe. I just, now it's just like, surrender all to the wind. You just never know. 

Lauren: That's where Jeremy was like, this was meant to be. 

Jeremy: Yeah, literally. Lived out a whole thing. I had a whole relationship with her. 

Lauren: No, full circle. It's great. 

Jeremy: Yeah.

Lauren: Um, do you guys, do you have the most memorable, like, part of the experience of filming The Brothers Honor that you can share? What you take away most from it? 

Celestine: Ooh, I guess, um, the most memorable, there were so many memorable moments. It's really hard for me to pick just one. [00:39:00] Also because Jeremy was so funny.

Like, He made me laugh in between almost every take. I mean, we, when we were working together, we were really, really working together and we were serious. And when we weren't shooting, like on the weekends, we would get together and we would work online. So that is really memorable to me because we both had this like dedication to the work and also we learned so much about each other.

It's, it's weird to me to think that we were only Working on this movie for three weeks. It felt like longer and when I left I was like heartbroken I was like, oh my god Like I can't believe I just worked with someone and got so close to them and now i'm leaving that was bizarre for me But I think one of the funniest memories that I have is after we shot the last The last time we shot a love scene.

So it was actually our second love scene, but it was the last one we shot. And we were, we were in the midst of faking love, and Lane goes, okay, we [00:40:00] got it, cut. And we both looked at each other, because we hadn't like, Finished. In our minds. 

And so we both had this moment where we looked at each other and we were confused, like we were frustrated.

Jeremy: We were sexually frustrated without the actual real sexual frustration, it was interesting. 

Celestine: And he just looked up at me and he goes, Well, it's been great simulating with you. That was the closing of our final. 

Jeremy: Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, that actually, to be honest with you, I have to share that. that moment that's probably one of the most memorable moments from the 

whole shoot because i was kind of like we are making a love that this is like that's what we're doing right and then i just looked up and said well it's 

nice simulating with you it was yeah the whole the entire set burst into like absolutely everybody was hysterics I mean, that's just how I [00:41:00] felt.I was like, whoa, all right. 

Tosca: Well, you pulled them off beautifully. You pulled off those sections. 

Lauren: Absolutely. They were really great. 

Jeremy: Oh, I, you know, I'd like I'm absolutely pleased with the way things turned out. Absolutely. It's just funny when you're in the process, you have no idea how it's going to turn out, you know?

Uh, you just, you know, just do your best, forget the rest. Um, but the entire experience was memorable to be honest with you. The entire three weeks was, you know, uh, um, It was, it was intense, but it was also, you know, beautiful, the relationships that was created, the trust that we created, um, you know, I, like, I can't think of any other times in my life where you, you create these bonds so quickly and then there's such a level of trust, you know, um, and I'll always hold that dear to me that, you know, this is one of the first films that I got to do and that was the experience.

Um, so yeah, it was, it was, uh, the whole thing. 

Ali: Yeah. Jeremy, you were so great in the movie and I remember before we went [00:42:00] to London together, I was really excited to meet you, but I just thought you were going to be this Super serious guy, because you did it so well in the movie, and then you're so different than what I thought.

In a great way, you're so much fun, it just, but it makes me realize how well you did in the movie, because You're so different. 

Jeremy: I appreciate that. 

Tosca: Really wonderful. I was, I was, I was very, I was ecstatic with the movie and, and, uh, yeah, very happy. Especially because I didn't direct it, so I wasn't there.

Normally when I'm there and I have a different, and I'd met you separately, but, um, I normally, and I wrote it. Which is great, but I'm like, so I know what's gonna happen. It's a perfect part. I was seeing it kind of from afar, and I flew in for a few days, but then I'm like, um, you know, but then when you actually get to see the movie, I'm like, man, that's amazing.

I love it. You guys are perfect for the roles, and um, you were, you know, you [00:43:00] were from the very, very second that you were pitched to us, and, and so I'm just so thrilled that you accepted them, and then you excelled in the role, so it's amazing. 

Jeremy: Yeah, 

you know, and it's a reciprocal feeling, you know, I'm glad that you trusted us with, with, you know, your, your baby, essentially, um, and, uh, you know, I, I, I'm forever honored to be, you know, uh, in that position and, uh, you know, moving forward, you know, um, I'm just excited to see where things go.

Tosca: Yeah. Well, speaking of, it's, it was really, uh, Brenda Jackson's baby. Yes. Very honored to have that opportunity. But so if you don't mind me asking, what was it like to work with Miss Brenda Jackson?

Jeremy: I was going to say ladies first, but since I got the floor, I'm going to go ahead and take it. Um, um, I mean, she is. She is such a presence, for one. I love everything about her. Um, I'm also into science and stuff, and she's [00:44:00] an Aquarius, and so it was very, she was very Aquarian. Um, just beautiful water like energy, uh, you know, just, you, just, for her it's like, You know, I don't know, it's, it, what can I say, it's like, she exudes this power without really like, enforcing anything, it's just when you, when she's there, you know that she's there.

And, and the energy of, you know, what she wrote and, you know, how she wanted to see things through. Like, you know, it. It, it takes a, I'm not going to say it doesn't take much to please her, but like, I guess we were all fortunate in the way things were assembled that it was just, there was a synergy there that she was loving what we were doing.

I, I did have days where I was like, I really hope that I don't disappoint her in my performances, like, uh, but you know, I, after a while, I just realized that, you know, she just completely trusted [00:45:00] us. You know, with, with what we were doing and, uh, you know, that I was super grateful for, you know, especially, you know, this being like one of her biggest novels.

So, um, yeah, I, you know, working with her was, you know, it was beautiful. 

Celestine: She was like family. 

Jeremy: Yeah, yeah, literally, 

Celestine: she was like family. The first day I saw her walk on set and I did a little done a little research before. So I knew a little bit about her but I hadn't read any of her books prior to the experience but I knew what she looked like because I researched her so when I saw her walk in.

She just kind of went over got some breakfast and sat by herself and I like went over and sat next to her and I was like, Hi, I'm so grateful to be, you know, be in your, you know, in your movie. And she gave me this big, warm hug. And it felt like a family member. It felt like, Oh, I've known you all my life.

It was like a family reunion. And and then she was just so supportive of [00:46:00] like us throughout the entire process. And do you remember Jeremy after we did the bathtub scene came out? And she was like, that's the best love scene I've ever seen. 

Lauren: Awesome 

Celestine: for both of you. It was weird because she had this matriarchal presence, like a mother presence.

Very matriarchal. Very matriarchal. And you were also like doing these love scenes and coming out and being like, what did we do? 

Jeremy: Yeah, yeah. 

And she was like, you did it. I was like, all right. 

Tosca: It was really funny, I met Brenda Jackson before I had read the Granger Brothers and I'd met her at RT and I was super excited to meet her and then I was, then we started reading her books and, and as I'm reading Granger Brothers I'm like, this is really good.

Oh my God, I'm just picturing Brenda. And, and I, she is, she is like this motherly figure and you're like, you wrote these words. 

Jeremy: Yeah, yes, yes, exactly. 

Tosca: And then I was rewriting [00:47:00] the script and really like analyzing all the words and all the dialogue and all the actions. And you're like, wow, Brenda. 

Jeremy: Yeah, she went there.

Celestine: She went there. 

Jeremy: Yeah. 

Celestine: Before we did our first love scene, Lane pulled me into a room and she goes, I know you're listening to the book on, on, on, uh, I was listening to the audio book. She goes, I know you're listening to it. Have you, have you listened to the full book? Love scene the first love scene and I was like, oh, I don't think I got there and she's like, okay, let's listen to it together sat down and she started playing it and I'm like Like our mouths just kept like dropping and like Nathan's blushing and I'm blushing and she was like, can you believe Brenda wrote this?

Tosca: I loved having Brenda, Brenda's Such an amazing help. I love it when the authors are on set. It makes such a big difference to us. You know, we love to have as much input from the authors as possible because it [00:48:00] is ultimately their vision that we're bringing to life. And so having Brenda on set and she was like paying attention to every, every line in this script and really making sure that every little thing was, was hit.

It was like, well, this is great. It's like having another creative person. producer on set. This is, she's so invested in everything. It was like, if there was anything that she didn't like or she, or somebody wanted to change, I think she just should immediately, you know, mention it to me or somebody would never like, Oh, okay.

Well, whatever Brenda wants, that's what we'll do. 

Jeremy: Yeah. That's, that's absolutely nice to get immediate feedback. 

Lauren: Yeah. 

Celestine: Yeah. 

Lauren: Yeah. Yeah. She was awesome. She definitely, uh, Right before the release gave me quite a few calls being like, okay, now how does this person sign up for sign up? And I was like, I love that you're spreading the word, Brenda.It's really wonderful. Oh, yeah. She's just such a sweet lady. 

Jeremy: She's very hands on. Oh, yeah. Yeah. 

Lauren: Great. And, um, so to dive a little deeper into the roles you guys played, you played Shana, who was a pretty. Badass lady [00:49:00] and I was wondering if you could talk more about what it was like getting into that character and uh, how you related to her 

Celestine: I loved shana from the moment.

I read the script and and just kind of started to think about Sinking into the role. I mean it was kind of like shana's like everything like I want to be you know, she was just super badass. She was so smart, unapologetically smart. She like walked into the Granger's office and was like, listen, this is how you need to fix your company.

She was very clear. Um, and I love that she was also, she was also sexually free in a way. I mean, she wasn't ashamed of her sexuality. She was holding back from Jace because she didn't want. To have issues with her professional relationship, 

Lauren: right? 

Celestine: And she was also hurt and you end up finding that out, too So she's navigating that but she also is very unapologetic One of my favorite moments is when she calls out Jason she goes look, you [00:50:00] know She goes we need to talk.

It's about your libido and my hormones when you just put this all out on the table when I read that I was I was like, yes, because I, how many times have I wanted to actually say that to a guy and be like, okay, let's just, let's just, let's just talk about this right now. And the fact that she was so unapologetic and able to do it, but she was also extremely graceful and In my mind she was she was so full of love.

She loved her sister. She loved her father She had this great familial relationship as well that was feeding her And so that was very special to me. It was really special for me to play a character that had family members and who was navigating their family in addition to their professional life. Um, and I, yeah, I just thought she was, she was super sexy.

So for me, it was just kind of like allowing myself to be as unapologetic as possible about all the things, the things that I admire in in most women, the women here, it's like this unapologetic willingness to [00:51:00] like be the most powerful version of yourself. And so that's what I was thinking about when I was Headed to Zip.

Tosca: I love that. Yeah, we love that. That's awesome. And 

I'm just thinking of the woman, Hello, hello, having a daughter in the background. I know. I know. Um, I'm trying not to laugh, and I just see her all, keep, keep talking, I'm gonna just, you know. 

Lauren: Um, and Jeremy, you had to have a very close bond with the guys playing your brothers, and you could talk a little bit about how you got into that process.

Jeremy: Um, well, you know, it was pretty easy from the get to be honest with you, like, when we first flew in, um, the day that we, we got to our hotel, um, and we all met up, like, we, like, We did our table read and then Rob was like, Oh, I'm going to go to the lobby bar. You know, if you guys want to come and just grab some food or whatever.

Um, and [00:52:00] literally from that moment, I could tell like, like there was this. Like, brotherly, like, energy already, just, you know, like, I don't know what it was, you know, uh, maybe it's because we're, you know, three black dudes in Florida making a movie, I don't know what it was, but it was definitely very comfortable from the get, and, uh, and, so immediately, I felt this air of trust, and especially with Rob, who, you know, he, he works as a, as a regular, you know, pretty professionally all the time, and he did not have an air about him that was like, you know, I'm too good, you know, You know, for you, I don't have the time, which that, that really ushered in a really, you know, awesome respect for one another that we're really here for what this is what, you know, what this project represents, you know, we're here for what this is not for who we are as individuals.

And that that immediately, you know, rings very well with me because I treat acting like a service [00:53:00] to people. And that's why I do it. And so I immediately felt that they had the same energy. So that immediately created this brotherly like bond. And from there it was just easy to create on set. 

Lauren: Yeah. That's awesome.

Tosca: I love it. You really do come across as brothers, like a family from the very beginning of it. And just how you guys sort of like almost ad lib together and just throw out your lines. You're like, it was, it was just beautifully done. It was like really a great, um, a chemistry between the three of you. 

Jeremy: And we still, we still talk like brothers.

We have a chain, a text chain going. So once in a while, like they'll, they'll, they'll check in and it's like the same brotherly banter from set. It's hilarious. I'm, I'm, I'm amazed by it. It's like, literally it's like you guys did this movie. So your brothers for life. 

Tosca: Yeah. I love it. 

Jeremy: Yeah. It's very interesting.

And I'm an only child. So for me, it's like, I don't know anything about what it's like to have [00:54:00] brothers or sisters. I've only always stimulated in my mind what that feels like, but I mean, aside from maybe playing sports and stuff, it's kind of like that camaraderie, but I think there's a little bit deeper of a layer than just camaraderie with a brotherly like relationship.

And I think on that set was the first time I actually was like, I can see how, how, you know. I'm kind of getting a glimpse of what it feels like to have brothers. I mean, we were so comfortable with one another. We'd go in each other's hotel rooms, like, unannounced. You know, it was very, like, like brothers.

Um, so, yeah, I was, like, very grateful for that as well. 

Lauren: I love that. Yeah, you guys came across very well. No one would have guessed that you hadn't had brothers or siblings before that, because you just played it off. It was awesome. And what was it like working with kind of the passion flex world that we create and meeting you have to meet some founding members on set.

And then also some more founding members that were London. Can you guys talk about what it was like, kind [00:55:00] of seeing the world of the fans. 

Celestine: Your fans are so amazing. They are well the my first experience with the fans was after You guys announced that I was playing Shana on Instagram. My Instagram page blew up and I got all these like direct messages from fans and they were like, like I hadn't done anything, you know, and they were cheering me on and they were like, you're going to be the best Shana.

And I was like, amazed and humbled. And then also terrified because I was like, okay, I have to live up to this expectation because they're, they're ready. And I, I, I didn't, I didn't realize that. So many people had been so invested in this story before we filmed it. So then meeting the fans and seeing it that was also like you guys have created this I mean, we did a film that was kind of based in a family atmosphere, but you guys have created this family atmosphere also.

So then, the fans are also a part of that, and they're an extension of it. [00:56:00] And really, without them, where would any of us be? So, meeting the fans and them, you know, kind of Talking to us about our characters and about our scenes like they were, they already knew the story. So that was so fascinating. It wasn't going to be this new project that came out.

They were like, Oh, how was it to film this scene? And I'm like, Oh, right. They know, they know this story and they know this character. And in London, that blew my mind because Sometimes our, our world, we can be in our own little bubbles and when you kind of step outside of your world and like meet people who are all over the, from all over the place, because not everybody was from London.

They were from all over who flew in for that event and they knew about Shana Bradford and they knew about Jace and the Grangers and they knew about Brenda Jackson and they were so excited to take pictures with us. And then we also got to. experience it with Jordan and David, who are amazing, like we love them so much.

And they had the same experience that we had in terms of just like this bond. So [00:57:00] that was, that was a lot of fun. And to see them interacting with their fans who love Dirty Sexy Saint. And it was just like, I was, I was overwhelmed and so grateful that I got to experience that part of it. 

Jeremy: Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, you know, there's this extension of, of being an actor, of wanting to, you know, have some kind of feedback on how you're doing or, you know, or, or where your place is in all of this, especially in a universe that has been created in, in a book before.

And with passion clicks, it's like you almost getting this instant gratification from the fan base. Like, they're instantly, like, like, egging you on, like, it's like straight support from the beginning, so I felt very comfortable immediately as, like, you know, being, being Jakes for this fan base. Um, uh, but the added bonus was having people on set, and then, like, you finish a scene and they look at you and they're like, you know, and you're like, [00:58:00] Wow.

Cool. You know, cause I've been on many sets and that is not the case. You're left to wait for weeks and weeks, sometimes months before you hear anything or even see the performance. So, um, that was really nice. Um, I, I love the passion for this universe in that sense. And the other side of it is I got to experience something as, as a, I guess a newcomer actor in this realm of sort of like this, this take on like how I see actors go to Comic Con and things like that.

Like I, like I basically got to do that. I got to meet the fans. You know, be in their element, um, and, and really get to get a sense of how it's being appreciated directly. And that's all you really want if you're truly acting in service to others, is that it's making some kind of an impact to, you know, you know, pull somebody out of their, out of their world for a little bit and bring some joy and happiness to them.

[00:59:00] I love to see the smiling faces of the fans and everybody involved. It's just. You know, I, I, I've got nothing that I can say that that rubbed me the wrong way. I loved every aspect of it. I mean, it's truly passionate. 

Tosca: Yeah, I personally, I mean, I love it when the fans come and I, I've such a, I love our fans so much that they're supportive and we wouldn't be here without them.

But I, you know, when I'm directing a movie or when, when we cast somebody or whatever it may be and, and having their immediate response coming back to us going, it's just like how I pictured it. This is great. Oh, this person's going to be so wonderful. And they really interact and they give you that immediate feedback.

It's. It's like doing a play almost when you, and then you get this immediate feedback. You're like, Oh, they clapped. That was good. 

Jeremy: Yes, exactly. Very reminiscent to theater. Yeah. 

Tosca: Yeah. So, yeah. So to all, all of my, our fans out there, thank you so much. Thank you so much for watching. 

Lauren: Um, and, [01:00:00] and one last little thing about Rare London is that, uh, that was the first time we'd brought aside from book Bonanza where David and Jordan and Olivia joined us.

Um, that was the first. Like, book event that we brought Cas to, which was crazy, but it was great because a lot of people came by and said hi and took pictures with you guys. And I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about what it was like going to London and if you explored and just what, what that was like.

Celestine: Jeremy, you explored way more than me. I would, I would go fast. I was so sad to have to go so fast. 

Jeremy: Should I take this one? I should. Um, so for me, since I was a child. I've been obsessed with London. It had been my dream to go to London. So this was a dream within a dream realized. So, um, I made the most of it.

I extended my trip. I stayed out there. I, like, I connected with friends that I've connected with in past experiences [01:01:00] and, you know, stayed with them and just kind of navigated my way out there. It was, it was absolutely, uh, amazing. Um, You know, that experience at Rare, again, that was like one of 

those things where it's like, you know, this is like the Comic Con of romance novels, this is the thing.

Um, every, every aspect of my trip to London was just I don't know. It was incredible. I mean, like, it's just like no experience. I, you know, like, I don't know that growing up in America and then you go over there and there's just a just just a total different air. 

Tosca: I love London. 

Jeremy: Oh my god, it was just, yeah, you know, just You know, like, out there, I'm just, just a guy.

Nobody, nobody really is paying attention to who I am or that cares, you know, and I really, I really dug that. That, you know, it was just, it was just beautiful to just get in the subways and go, you know, uh, ride around the town. You [01:02:00] know and and especially like meeting meeting the fans as well. Also, the fans were very accommodating Don't get me out like they were they were like, hey, you know If you want to if you want to meet up like there's going to be this party and uh, I did not engage Like I was just like, okay, so that's available to me The other thing was uh, you know a buddy of mine that I used to work at at like we we worked like minimum wage jobs together Uh, it was also at the, at, at, uh, you know, um, Rare, which was Amazing.He was in the booth right next to us. 

Ali: Oh my god. Zachary Webber? 

Jeremy: Yes. 

Lauren: Yes. Zachary Webber. 

Ali: He's a big narrator. 

Lauren: I met him at Love in Vegas again, and I remember taking a selfie with him and sending it to you, Jeremy. Oh, great. Yeah, 

Jeremy: yeah, yeah, that was insane. Like, we literally worked like at SoulCycle, like, like almost like 10 years ago or something like that.

And then like, we're in London and I'm [01:03:00] like, 

Oh, Zach, what's up? Didn't we talk about this? We talked about this. We said one day when we finally got on the other end, it was like, it literally happened. And it was like, Oh my God. So he was like, inviting me to go to his house. I mean, 

I've had no other experience like my trip to London.

I, I, I can't wait to go back. I mean, it was, it was, I had a ball. 

Celestine: Lauren also took Jeremy and I around, like, the night after. It was, it was so crazy because I still have videos on my phone that I recorded of Jeremy exploring London being so silly. And every time we got on the train, um, he, cause he, he was just talking a lot.

So every time we got on the train, he'd be like, America? American? Because they were hearing his accent. So we were like making friends, but Lauren took us around. We saw, like, the Eye of London. I remember we took pictures of that. And then, where else? 

Lauren: We went all the way. We walked to [01:04:00] Buckingham Palace. We did walk to Buckingham Palace.

And I flagged a black cab back to the tube station. So you guys could ride in one of the London cabbies. 

Jeremy: I remember Buckingham Palace being so small. 

Lauren: It was. 

Jeremy: I was like, that's That's it? 

Lauren: I think it looks smaller than you expect it to, for sure, when you see it in person. But yeah, it was like 9 or 10 at night.

Everybody else took like an Uber back to the hotel, and we decided to take trains, and we did a little sightseeing along the way, and it was fun. 

Yeah. 

Tosca: It is a palace in the middle of a large city. 

Lauren: It is. Yes. Yeah. I know, I feel like the Windsor Estate is a little bit bigger. That's out to my height.

Tosca: Significant. Significant. 

Lauren: Yeah. I love it. Oh yeah. That was super fun getting to know you guys more and uh, experiencing that city again with you. That was really cool. 

Jeremy: Um, so glad it was with you guys. 

Tosca: Now we're just gonna have to find a new city or country to take you to to go and film something else.

Jeremy: Don't get me excited. I'll be there. 

Lauren: Jeremy and I shared an hour [01:05:00] and a half. 

Jeremy: Wait, what was that? 

Lauren: Jeremy and I were on the same flight from L. A. to London, and then we shared, I want to say it was an hour and a half long ride from the Gatwick airport. 

Jeremy: Yeah. 

Lauren: Yeah. 

Jeremy: That was awesome. 

Yeah. We had a hilarious cab driver.

Lauren: We did. He was great. Uh. And then we were on the wrong side of the road. We were passing all this countryside and Jeremy's just like, yo, we're here. And I'm like, are you not tired? And then he was like,

Jeremy: I was tired. Like every moment was, was just magic for me. I loved it. That's awesome. 

Lauren: Um, and we have some questions from founding members.

So I thought I'd ask a couple of those real quick. Um, one, well, this is a just regular fan, uh, who. We had a post on our main page, and we had a couple fans post there as well. Uh, and I'm gonna butcher her name, but I think it's Chia, or Chae? Um, and she says, As a woman of color, representation is very important to me.

How does representation affect your project choices, and did this weigh [01:06:00] in on choosing this project? 

Celestine: Oh, 

yeah. So, definitely, um, being a woman of color, and Knowing how important representation is, that's always a factor when I am considering a role and when I'm considering how the role is, how the character is being represented.

So what made me really excited about Shaina and Um a brother's honor was the fact that I felt like she was a layered complex character that she was Not just a full woman because that's another thing like with women characters we're always kind of fighting to like have a full sense of self and um to be layered and to be Interesting and to not just play this one dimension And so as a woman of color there is also that part of it too compounded by stereotypes So I was so glad that there were No stereotypes involved in the creation of Shana [01:07:00] Bradford, that she was, to me, a walking, talking, breathing human being who was layered and complicated and interesting and unapologetic and all of those things.

And I think as a, as, as a person of color, as an actor of color, I think it's really important that we See people of color fall in love on screen. I think that's so important that needs to be a part of the narrative because black people do fall in love and people of color do fall in love like It's sad that you have to say that but I think sometimes we forget that images are so important so without that image and that representation we can Dehumanize people and forget that that's a part of their existence.

And so to see to see Other I mean Tosca, when I came to see um, Dirty Sexy Saint, there was a group of women that were there, a group of fans, and one woman pulled me to the side and she said to me, she said, Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm so grateful that when you portrayed Shayna Bradford, that you wore your hair in its [01:08:00] natural curly pattern.

Because I'm so afraid to wear my hair curly because I feel like I can't wear it like that because it's not appropriate. And like, the fact that that's still part of the conversation, but that that she recognized that and that's just that reminder of like, Representation and how important it is for people to see themselves.

So yeah, it's very important. And I'm super grateful that that passion flicks is, is diversifying. And that is seeking out stories that represent people of all different backgrounds. That, that means. 

Tosca: Yeah, we certainly are. And, uh, you know, we haven't done as much as we would like to do. Obviously, we don't, we can't make as many films as I'd like to make.

I am trying. We're only two years old, but, uh, 

But, um, you know, so, you know, any recommendations, please send them over. Obviously we have. We love working with Brenda Jackson, and we will continue making those movies, but the more, the more representation we can have, we have a full belief, um, people see, people do, which is why [01:09:00] it's about communication and connection.

We want people to really be able to, to have those moments on, uh, on screen. Um, and love is love. 

Jeremy: Yeah, yeah, literally. 

Tosca: Love is love. And we want to make sure that everybody understands that love is love, and that's what we're going to show. 

Jeremy: That's amazing. Thank you. 

Lauren: Thank you. Great. Um, do you, do you, do you want to talk about a little bit about that Jeremy or do you feel like 

Jeremy: yes, you know, um, yes, absolutely.

For me, I am definitely on the same page. I mentioned earlier that my, my original dream was to study psychology and and journalism and I was going to conjoin the two in some sort of profession, or, you know, I wanted to help heal the world in some sort of sense. And I believe that narrative and using mass communication like film and television can really, [01:10:00] really change the, the, the way things are seen and the way, and the way people perceive realities for other, other people.

And the first thing that I noticed when I read the script was That this is outside of the normal stereotypes that you normally see. If anything, there's a lot of dignity, a lot of honor, a lot of pride. And that was the greatest thing that I loved about Jace, was this is a character who literally had wholesome value, right?

I mean, you know, from the get, he's honoring his grandfather's death wish. You don't see that a lot. in a lot of, you know, black cinema. And I wanted to really, you know, be a part of that. That, that was, that, that's one of the main things I said even before I had even seen the script was, the psychology is in the narrative in film.

If, if, if I can meet the right people or create the right projects, we can really change the way, you know, we're viewed, especially in this country. [01:11:00] Um, and I think it's important. And, and so that was. absolutely in alignment with my core values of even why I even started to do this. And so that's why this, this project was, you know, falling under the umbrella of passion.

I would, I felt immediately in love with it and was passionate about the character because. Of that. Um, this is, this is really important. And, and, uh, you know, especially, you know, in these times, you know, um, and, you know, all I can say is I am eternally grateful for you guys creating this platform and then wanting to create this project with Brenda Jackson, because, again, it does need to be a You know, shown that other aspects of, you know, the existence, not just Blacks, but just people of color in general, you know, there's dignity, there's pride, there's also shame, there's also guilt.

There's so many dimensions of what it is to just be alive, and we want to show that, period. [01:12:00] Um, and, uh, yeah, so absolutely in alignment with my values. I, I loved every, every aspect of it. It was very important. 

Lauren: That's awesome. Ah. I love hearing that. Um, cause yeah, the romance novel industry itself is very lacking in diversity.

There have been quite a few studies done on it, especially by the Ripped Bodice Bookstore, which is a romance only bookstore. They've released it every, every year since 2017. Uh, uh, uh, Basically pie chart of like the percentage of diverse authors. Um, Slowly getting bigger, but it needs to be more of a of a thing 

Jeremy: What i'll add to that is how many times have you seen a romance film with people of color that have created the author?

that wanted to Write romance novels, you see. The more that that gets out, the more that that will inspire people to do such things. 

Lauren: Yeah. 

Jeremy: More that people see that there's a Brenda Jackson in the world, the more that that's going to inspire people to do that. So it's important. [01:13:00] This, this platform is very powerful.

Film, I mean, there's almost nothing more powerful than getting a film made and just getting it out to the world. 

Tosca: Right. 

Jeremy: Because what it can do, it's beyond us what it will do, but it will definitely plant seeds. That's for sure. And I think that that's, that's, that's what's, that's what we're doing here.

It's important. We're planting seeds. 

Lauren: For sure. 

Yeah, I love it. Oh, great answer. And I'm looking at more of the founding member questions and we actually already answered a bunch of these. Um, but one of them, one person wanted to ask a little bit more specifically, what was a like a favorite moment or scene you guys shared together?

And I don't know if it's different than that.

Jeremy: We have that common ground that that was probably one of the most memorable moments for sure. 

Celestine: Most memorable, but my favorite scene I think was the scene In the cabin, on the couch, the fireplace scene where we're talking, where Jace and [01:14:00] Shayna are talking. It's one of the first times you actually see them sharing their stories with each other.

Because up until that point, they're kind of like navigating their attraction for each other. And navigating the world of Granger Aeronautics. Um, and so that's the first time that you see them, just the two of them, and it was just the two of us on set that day. And so we were able to just kind of like, just zone in on that conversation and what is underneath that conversation.

What are they not saying? What do they want to say? 

Jeremy: Oh yeah, the one in front of the fireplace. 

Celestine: Yes, the one in front of the fireplace. That was one of my favorites. 

Jeremy: That, that was certainly, uh, yeah. 

Lauren: That's awesome. I love it. 

Jeremy: That was a great day, I'll say, yeah. 

Lauren: And have you guys, have you guys read, uh, any more Brenda Jackson books?

I know you were listening to the Audible sellers team, but Jeremy, did you read any of the Brothers Ida books? 

Jeremy: I dove into, um, the, the, I already forgot the, uh, Brother's Vow. [01:15:00] 

Uh, Lover's Vow. Yeah, I dove into that a little bit, but I have not, like, I started the Audible on it, but I have not completed it. I just got bombarded with a lot of other stuff.

Not that I'm not interested. I'm obviously going to get through it. Um, no, I am because I, I absolutely love Brenda and I love what she's creating. Also, she's already, the reason why I didn't go fully into it is because she's already tipped me off on what happened. So I'm kind of are like, I already know what's happening, but I'm, you know, Like, I'll get to it.

I'm going to finish it. Um, but, uh, 

Tosca: A man's promise, right? A man's promise. 

Jeremy: There's a man's promise, but there's another one. 

Tosca: A lover's vow. 

Jeremy: A lover's vow. 

Tosca: Yeah, 

Jeremy: that's the one that I started to get into. 

Celestine: I listened to this too. I'm sorry. Go ahead, Jeremy. 

Jeremy: What's that? 

Celestine: No, I was saying, I, when I came back from Florida, because I, I have a hard time saying goodbye to people and characters.

So then I was knowing that we were going to shoot the next two, then I like got on the, I like listened to the next [01:16:00] two because I needed to know, I needed to know what the rest of her story was. Right. I couldn't let her go. So I've, I've gone ahead. 

Lauren: I love that. Um, and now I thought we could do a fun lightning round that Allie will lead us through.

We're mixing around and changing with each new, 

Ali: uh, podcast, which is fun. Um, and apologies again, if Daisy pops in, I have a wonderful two and a half year old that I'm here with. 

Jeremy: That precious moment. 

Ali: Yeah. 

And now she thinks she wants pizza. Um, but anyways, um, I thought for this. I will say a word to you, and I want you to say the first word that comes to mind, right?

So there'll be 10 words for each of you. Who wants to go first? 

Jeremy: I'll go. 

Ali: Okay, so just the first word that comes to mind. Okay, ready? 

Jeremy: Sure. 

Ali: Jace. 

Jeremy: I'm sorry, what? 

Ali: Jace. 

Jeremy: Uh, honorable. 

Ali: Celestine. 

Jeremy: [01:17:00] Wonderful. 

Ali: Passion. 

Jeremy: Adore. 

Ali: Work. 

Jeremy: Um. Why am I stumped on work? Uh, discipline. 

Ali: Love. 

Jeremy: Oh, uh,

fantastic? 

Ali: Winter. 

Jeremy: Uh, ooh, I wanted to say exuberant, but it doesn't make sense in my mind. Uh, winter, um, cozy. 

Ali: Just a few more. Tinder. 

Jeremy: The app? 

Ali: Yeah, the app. 

Jeremy: The app? Like literally the app? Yeah. No, uh, the app. 

Ali: That's a good answer. That's a good answer. [01:18:00] What about vacation? 

Jeremy: Oh, uh, vacation, um, you know, immerse me in it, whatever. Something like that, you know? 

Ali: Two more. Family. 

Jeremy: Oh, uh, um, Why can I not think of English words? There's something right for you on the spot. 

Lauren: Are you regretting to go first now? 

Jeremy: No, not at all. I'm just, I'm surprising myself. Like, okay, a family. Like, I would do anything for family with a unit. Um, I just can't think of a word that's good for that.

Lauren: Um, Are you skipping family? 

Jeremy: I'm not skipping, I'm not skipping family. Um, Oh man, what is a word that's good for family? 

Tosca: What's the first word you think of? What's the first word you think of? What's the first?

Jeremy: It doesn't have to be family. Unit? 

Tosca: Yeah. That's great. 

Ali: Yeah. Your last. [01:19:00] And your last one is home. 

Jeremy: Oh.Heart. 

Ali: That's great. 

Okay. You ready, Celestine? 

Celestine: Yes, I'm ready. 

Ali: Okay. I think I'm, yeah, this one's a little bit, maybe easier. Maybe not. Okay. First word. Shayna. 

Celestine: Badass. 

Ali: Okay. Jeremy. 

Celestine: Sweetheart. 

Ali: Romance. 

Celestine: Passion. 

Ali: Work. 

Celestine: Hustle. 

Ali: Passion. Work. 

Passion flicks. 

Celestine: Family. 

Ali: Summer.

Celestine: Oh, freedom. Freedom. Freedom. 

Tosca: You made me cry. 

Ali: City. 

Celestine: Sorry, city. Busy. 

Ali: [01:20:00] Adventure. 

Celestine: Adventure, um, living. 

Ali: Family.

Jeremy: See? 

Celestine: There's a lot to say about family. Foundations. 

Ali: And your last one is paradise. 

Celestine: Oh, God. Um, anywhere by the water, I water. 

Jeremy: Oh, nice. 

Ali: Some fun little exercise. First, Jeremy. 

Jeremy: Certainly keep you on your toes. I like that. 

Lauren: No, I know. That really crying now. Good job. Celestine 

Celestine: first word that came to my mind. 

Lauren: That lovely wholesome note.

Um, I think that wrap about wraps us up. Um, do you guys have any last thoughts to share before we say goodbye? 

Jeremy: Thank you. 

Lauren: I love it all. 

Jeremy: Yeah. Much. I love you much. [01:21:00] 

Tosca: I look forward to working together again. 

Jeremy: Absolutely. I can't wait to see you all in person again. And you know, I know. Spread the, spread the love.

Continue, continue to grow. 

Celestine: Thank you. Love you guys. All right. Bye bye Jeremy. Bye. So good to see you. Bye guys. Bye 

Lauren: Oh, I love them so much. 

Ali: I know. Like those guys I know. They're so awesome. 

Tosca: They're so nice. . 

I'm like, when can we start filming? I know. I know. So, there's such freedom. Or if we like going to Florida to film, or if that's where we're gonna go, we kind of have to because it's a granger home, but who knows.

Lauren: Right, yeah. 

That was a really great home that you guys found. It's crazy. Yeah. It was good chatting with you guys again and having more fun guests on with us. Yeah, it's so good to chat! If you guys have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the video below or on [01:22:00] one of our social media pages and we'll try to answer them in the next post.

Thanks. Have a great day. 

Tosca: Bye. Bye guys. 

Ali: Bye.