Season 10, Episode Twelve February 2, 2025

SPEAKER_03 0:03

This is the Listening Tube.

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Hello. Thank you for putting your ear to the listening tube. I'm your host, Bob Woodley. On this episode, we'll hear about Boy Scouts and United Artists. Plus, I'll have a chat with actor Matt Drago.

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But first, not the headlines.

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As I've recently reiterated, I created the listening tube because I found the legacy media to have gone way off course. To be more specific, there was a fork in the road, and the network news took the left fork. If you think anything's changed because of the new administration, the networks have one thing to say. Fork you. As has been demonstrated by the difference in the press coverage of the recent pardons by both President Biden and then President Trump. The former pardoned all of his family members, many of them with only 20 minutes left as president. As well as anybody else he thought might need it in the future. Preemptive pardons, with the exception of his son Hunter. In addition to his family members, he also issued preemptive pardons to political critics of Donald Trump like Liz Cheney and General George Milley, as well as anyone he thought might become a subject of a Trump administration investigation. With the exception of Hunter. All done in the waning days of his tenure as president. Donald Trump pardoned nearly all of the defendants in the storming of the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, as well as the founder of the Silk Road Dark website, who was serving a life sentence for the activity he enabled there. In all, Biden pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 2,500 people in the last weeks of his presidency. While Trump did the same for about a thousand fewer people in the first week of his presidency. There's other minutiae I could delve into, but this isn't a story about the current and former presidents. It's about the coverage we got from the media. The Media Research Center analyzed both morning and evening news programs on the major networks for the first two and a half days of the Trump administration until the morning of January 22nd. So what did they learn when it came to coverage of presidential pardons? Well, let's just say it's not exactly balanced. Actually, I'm going to go ahead and describe it as more like a 200-pound sixth grader sitting on one end of the teeter-totter while his third grade sister is sitting on the other end. More specifically, the networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC over the five-day part studied, spent 46 minutes and 32 seconds talking about Donald Trump's pardons of January 6th defendants, or as the President calls them, hostages, while they spent a whopping 3 minutes and 32 seconds talking about the preemptive pardons Biden issued on the same day as the Trump pardons. That's a disparity of 46 to 3. If that were a score of a sporting event, it would be considered a blowout. The study also broke it down by network show. For example, the story says ABC's Good Morning America, coupled with World News Tonight, spent 15 and a half minutes talking about Trump's pardons, while Biden's got 34 seconds of attention. As for CBS, their shows, CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News, used slightly more than 16.5 minutes on Trump's pardons, with only four seconds over a minute on the Biden preemptive pardons. While both actions were criticized by friend and foe alike, Trump said he would do it, and he did it, knowing that he'd have to answer for it as his term was only beginning. He didn't hide his intentions. On the contrary, Joe said he wouldn't do it, and he did. As he was walking out the door. But what got the most coverage as it was happening was the one we already knew was going to happen, and nobody was surprised when it did. Whether or not you agree with Trump's pardons is irrelevant. Same with Biden's. But the news is supposed to tell us what happened in case we need to know something, not tell us what happened after we already knew it was going to happen. Sure, the news could do both, but they didn't. Even after his term was up and he didn't have to answer to anybody, the legacy media still tried to downplay, if not hide, his last insult to our country. Instead, they chose to bring more attention to something that didn't need any more attention than it already got from the guy who made it a story in the first place. I know, it's only been a week. Maybe the media will learn that they're not serving the American people when they behave the way they have for the past eight years. In the meantime, the media will keep reminding us that President Trump hasn't yet brought down the price of eggs.

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Let's go back through the listening tube for this week in history.

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This week in 1910, a Chicago publisher named William D. Boyce filed the paperwork to incorporate the Boy Scouts of America. He became aware of the organization while lost in the London fog, when a boy with a lantern offered to help him find his way. When the American publisher tried to tip the young man for his assistance, the boy refused, saying, No, sir, I am a scout. Scouts do not accept tips for courtesies or good turns. Bill Boyce began recruiting boys in America who wanted to learn patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, according to the Chronicle of the 20th century. In America today, the Boy Scouts are called Scouting America, and girls can join too, much to the dismay of Girl Scouts, who accuse the Boy Scouts of poaching the Girl Scout ranks. I enjoyed my time as a Boy Scout. I once got a canoe with a slow leak, and about 45 minutes in, the six or seven inches of water inside my canoe forced it to tip me out when I made a turn. There I was, treading water in the river, while fellow scouts in their canoes came to my aid. As much as I tried to get back into my canoe, I couldn't hoist myself back in without the other side of the canoe springing upward. Finally, another canoeist held down the other side so I could climb back in. But just before that happened, as I was treading water, my foot hit the bottom. Never mind! I can stand! Even though my boots were filled with water, I once broke a finger at Boy Scout Camp, but didn't tell anybody because I thought they'd send me home. The middle finger on my right hand is still crooked today. Ask me to show it to you sometime. This week in 1919, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffiths launched United Artists. That was the year my maternal grandmother was born, so I don't remember it myself. Yet all of those names still ring a bell. It began as a venture, premised on allowing actors to control their own financial and artistic interests rather than being dependent upon commercial studios. Commercial studios have pretty much ruled Hollywood since the early days of cinema, and for the most part, still do. But the tide is turning in media of all types. It wasn't long ago that I couldn't create a program on my own and distribute it worldwide, but the Listening To podcast has been heard in more than 50 countries. As such, independent creators are filling the Internet with content that was unavailable just a short time ago. And independent filmmakers now have more avenues than ever before to promote and expose their work to larger audiences.

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More on that in

Matt Drago interview

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a moment.com.

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My guest this week plays a part in an independent film in theaters now called Somewhere in Montana. This film is not only captivating in its cinematography, but also has a story to tell. I spoke with Matt Drago, who plays the part of a movie director in the movie Somewhere in Montana. I do want to make sure I have your the pronunciation of your name correct. It's Matt Drago. Drago, yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

I'm you may not get that question a lot, seeing as a lot of people probably know exactly who you are, but um No, no, it it happens a lot because it's Drago Dro Drago for Rocky Four. So no, I get it. Okay. Well, I just uh my wife wanted me to ask you that just so I didn't make myself look like a fool the whole time.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

So I was more than happy to take her advice. So, Matt, tell me about your new film somewhere in Montana.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Absolutely. It's a story of the time, Bob. And and first of all, thank you so much for having me on your show today. Um, it's a way to get this film out there. Uh, this is a little story that could. It's a story of the times. I play a West Coast director. His name's Fabian Ferdugo. Um, and uh it basically takes place where I'm coming into a rancher's world because I need this location for my last scene of my film. And that's where I meet uh my friend Graham McTavish. Uh, and and John Alexander is the role that he plays. And it's his ranch. And so basically we're put in this compromising position where even though we're two uniquely different people from two different worlds, we need each other uh because his ranch is uh basically on life support financially, and he needs the money from the film in order to carry it on. And so, you know, Laney, played by my friend Kaylee Macchio, who plays his daughter in the film, is trying to be the peacemaker, saying, give these people a chance, right? Because a lot of people in Montana, like they, they, they want, they don't want things to be affecting their world, right? And so essentially it becomes a story of the times where two different people that don't get each other, our energies are drastically different. Politically, socially, we align completely differently. So it's a way for audiences to see how two people from two uniquely different worlds can come together within this country and find some mutual respect, which I find is the highest form of love. And Brandon Smith, the writer of the and director of the film, does an extraordinary way of really making the conversations within the film authentic. Graham and I have a 10-page scene that's just the two of us. And we took a lot of time really just diving into how to make this a conversation between two guys, just like we're having right now. And so it really becomes this like conversation piece. And, you know, as an actor, honestly, I've always dreamed of um films like this in my career that are conversation starters that, you know, really start to force people to be a little introspective. And I think it's a really, really great conversation starter for where we're at right now in the times that we're in in this country.

SPEAKER_02 12:41

Yeah, certainly uh social reconciliation is is in order, I think, for for a lot of people from a lot of different walks of life. Now, you've directed for TV, but do you have any experience as a movie director?

SPEAKER_01 12:58

I have not directed for TV. Um, I don't know where you saw that one. Uh, maybe in the future, maybe you just put it out there, so hand to God, that would be great. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Um so then we have established you have no experience as a director.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Not as a uh an actual director, just a director as an actor in a movie. A movie within a movie.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

How did you prepare for this role?

SPEAKER_01 13:20

That's a great question. So uh I basically showed up on set early, about a week early, and I just shadowed Brandon. I uh, you know, it was a very unique experience within this film. And uh we really delight div developed the and collaborated the character together because a lot of John Alexander and Fabian Ferdugo, the two main characters of the film, he kind of wrote himself into because he lives in Poulson, Montana, but he's also a director. And so I felt like the best way that I could, you know, kind of understand how he runs a set and how a set is run is to show up to set a little bit early. So I actually took a little voyage and I actually stopped in in Vegas, I stopped in Zion, I kind of, you know, hiked and really started to find the tempo of the character. And then when I showed up to set, it was go time. I really just kind of got to hang out with AJ Young, our incredibly talented uh cinematographer, Brandon Smith, and just kind of figure out how he ran his set. And it was just a really, really special time for me to be able to engage with him and to be able to understand how I could best serve the character in his film.

SPEAKER_02 14:27

Now, when you read the original script, was your role pretty a pretty accurate reflection of what a director does or goes through during a shoot?

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Yeah, I would say so. I mean, I I think that I that's a tough question. Tell me to say that question one more time.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Was the script written in a way that reflects the actual experiences of a director?

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Yeah, I would actually say it is. I mean, I think it's very true to form in that it is basically somebody that is fighting within a lot of different elements. You know, there are a lot of elements to what makes a film click and what makes it happen, right? And I think that when you realize that you are in film specifically, you understand how much you need other people because it's a real master of craft, uh a real collaboration between the people that can hang the lights the way that you can't and and get the sound just right, the way that you can't, and can get that rolling shot just the way that you can't. And so I think the way that I composed the character of Fabian is that he is a team player, but he is somebody that runs the ship. And so he's passionate about that. He wants to make sure that everybody's on the same page, that everybody's doing their job. I think he sees his film crew as his family. And so I think within that, I wanted to showcase that, yeah, people that, you know, are fighting for their dreams can be um, you know, sometimes overly passionate, overly emotional. We all are within our own dreams, right? But film is his dream. And so he relies on the people that are part of that dream with him. He protects his actors, he's very keen on making sure that everybody is collectively together and he will protect that entity um, you know, to the end. So I think that was one thing that I really wanted to showcase with him. Because again, um, one thing that this theme, the theme of the film really dives into is legacy. And, you know, John's legacy is what I would call a more uh simplistic one in nature, not better or worse, but he has a ranch that's been in his family, true American legacy, and he built it from the ground up. And so I think a lot of, you know, this film is the two different worlds understanding and honoring what legacy means to one another. And I think that's a really, really big part of um what I wanted to do as a character in Fabian is to just show the broadness of what a film legacy looks like and all of the moving parts, because a lot of times you are fighting with investors. You are trying to, you know, beckon actors that maybe aren't within budget. You are running against the clock a lot of times, and that leads to a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety. You know, my character has a worry stone, which is his Irish penny that his grandfather gave to him, and he rubs it and rolls it all the time. But it's those kinds of elements to the character that make him very 360, very real. And uh, when we have these conversations, you know, in the film, they are grounded even though he is uh a very passionate character.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

Now, in the film, you're the director making another film. So what is that film about? And does it play a role in the friction between you and the owner of the ranch played by uh Graham McTavish?

SPEAKER_01 17:55

That is you're asking all the great questions today. Um yes, it does. It does. It uh it really does play an incredible role because the film in and of itself is composed about um acceptance and female empowerment and um, you know, kind of uh uh just uh basically to showcase like that we need to evolve past the patriarchy in this country. Also that, you know, we need to embrace like all types of sexuality, right? It's what makes our our country great is uh is trying to work for acceptance and and in sexuality. Um, you know, the two lead characters uh are female and they are in a romantic love story together, uh basically resisting a uh violent and demonic um patriarchal character, right? So it does um in a way have a resistance in terms of the themes towards what uh John Alexander would normally, you know, go consume as a moviegoer. Uh and so I think that innately becomes also a conflict on top of everything else. But what I try to show uh John in the character of Fabian is, you know, just my love for the craft. And even if the themes aren't necessarily in line with how he views the world, uh we can start to dive into this really common theme of the film, uh, Somewhere in Montana, which is that you don't have to agree on everything. That, you know, one of the things that makes this country great is our ability to agree, to disagree, but also be kind to one another. And I think that, you know, one thing that I learned just being on the actual set of Somewhere in Montana is once you get to know people, even if they don't politically, religiously, so social, socially uh align with your uh values, it's very hard to hate them. And we all get to this place right now in our society where uh on social media uh we see one thing, we regurgitate what we're fed, right? And sometimes we don't even know the facts of what is being said, right? And we take that as the word. And that's what becomes dangerous. So I think Brandon Smith does an incredible job of articulating that issue and bringing it to the forefront because once Fabian and John are in space and we start to see each other and we start to honor each other with the with the legacies that we're seeing, whether he's seeing me direct a uh a big scene in the film, or whether I'm seeing him open up about his ranch and and what it means to him, we start to align a little bit more in the fact that we start to see a path forward in our relationship.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

In other words, we also have things in common, although we may have differences.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

It's a great picture that uh I actually have on my Instagram. And it's a very um, you know, slice of life uh picture that that really always resonates to me about when I fully realize just the power of this film. And it's a very simple picture. Uh it's right in front of the cattle ranch, and it's uh it's it's four of us. It's uh Graham uh playing the Montana Rancher and David, the real life cattle rancher, and Brandon, the director, and me. And it's just the four of us just standing there. Um, you know, and it was a moment where I realized because I had talked to David, the uh the actual owner of the cattle ranch, who believe it or not, wasn't so keen on whether he wanted a film production actually on uh so very meta, right? He wasn't sure sure because it becomes a part of their story too. And that's something that you need to honor and understand. And you know, I uh again, I I I I asked him a very simple question, but he knew exactly what I meant, David, the actual cattle ranch owner. And um, because again, I I I I eat meat, I I go out for a steak dinner, and and and you know I I I I do, I honor what they do. And I looked at David because I know he cares about his ranch, he cares about his cattle. And I looked at him and I said, David, how do you do this? And his simple response, and it was the first time I ever saw him get a little watery in the eyes, because again, Montana ranchers is very inward, right? It's like very short, you know, concise, you know, conversations with people on the ranch. But in that moment, he got very emotional and he looked up at the sun and he just said, Oh, it's still hard. And that was at the moment where I really understood like we need each other. Like, regardless of our differences, there is more that can bring us together than could ever divide us if we start seeing people as fully 360 people and stop what we're doing in society, where we distance ourselves from severing ourselves from the real relationships that exist on this earth, but two people in space, and we start to allow technology and media and social media to essentially get us to think how it like how how we're actually really not thinking. It gets us away from ourselves. So, yeah, in a nutshell, it really showed showed me just the the power dynamic of of this film and and and um what it can do. Now, how much of this film was actually made in Montana? All of it. All of it was shot in Paulson, Montana, which is a quaint little town uh overlooking the Flathead Lake, the beautiful mountains of Montana. I gotta tell you, Bob, not a not a more beautiful place in the world to shoot a film. I mean, Brandon jokes all the time. Uh, you know, all I had to do was point the camera at the hillside and, you know, get that sun setting over the mountains. And, you know, I always say, like, you know, shooting in a place like Montana, your your creative juices are just already going because, again, you are in the midst of God's wallpaper, and it's a and it's a it's an extraordinary place to be. And what was incredible about it is how much the cast and crew really bonded through Montana. We would go on hikes together, we would go to the lodge together, shout out to the shoe, we would go to Betty's Diner together, um, you know, and and get our breakfast together. We really couldn't get enough enough of each other. And and within that, we opened up to each other. We'd, you know, be by the fire pits having these really long conversations. It's almost like the film like really it interpreted a lot of the conversations that we were having off-screen and that energy that we had off-screen as a dynamic ensemble cast really channeled back on screen for the final product of the film. And it just made it the most extraordinary artistic experience that I've ever had in my life.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

It certainly sounds like an ideal situation. Now, how do the actual citizens of Montana compare to the characters in the film?

SPEAKER_01 24:59

Dead on. I mean, really, um, actually a lot of the characters were based off of real characters that were in the town. Um, you know, the the bartender, like she is literally a real bartender, which is another picture I have behind the scenes, where we actually met the real person that is like playing the bartender. So it really does speak to Brandon, you know, really leaning into writing what he knows. And I think that's what all good writers do. But within that, and I think this is what made it extraordinary as an experience, is he was allowing everybody to bring themselves to the character and whatever that meant to them. Um, I'll give you an example of my friend Andrew Roa, who plays Bob. He pulled from a lot of his Native American roots, and there's a really powerful scene uh that's a ceremony within the film. And he started singing this Native American song. And it just all of us got so emotional because of what it meant. Because, you know, there's a uh, you know, big, you know, giving away ceremony, and it's something that Native Americans do where they grieve. They grieve very hard for a year, and then they start to relinquish that by giving some of those items away of the person so that they can live on through everybody and that they can start to move on with the rest of their journey in the real in in life. And so, you know, it's elements like that. You know, I'll open up about one for me. I lost my stepfather, and he was, you know, just a rock for me in my life. You know, I have uh a biological dad, but my stepfather was equally my dad as well. And um, losing him was very hard for me. And I channeled a lot of that energy within my own character or within Fabian, where maybe he has a lack of a father figure because there is a little bit of that dynamic between John and Fabian. And so I channeled that, the loss of a father. And within that scene that I was just talking about, the ceremony, I'm actually wearing a tree of life pendant. Well, that tree of life pendant actually has Chaz's ashes in it. So I carried him with me. And it's it's it's that type of camaraderie, it's that kind of space that Brandon gave us to really tell a great story, but to also do the things that we needed as actors to really be on point and to make sure that we were really emotionally engaged at all times. It made it really so special.

SPEAKER_02 27:19

Well, I I certainly sympathize with you. Uh my stepfather played a major role in my upbringing as well. And both he and my my biological father have since passed away. But it it seems like the women in this film uh are the ones who uh who have the the cooler heads uh and are the characters that maintain the order between you and the rancher. Is is that an accurate observation?

SPEAKER_01 27:51

Very accurate. And I mean, personally, I think that um, you know, I'd like to see more women leadership in this world because of that. I mean, they bring life into this world, and I think it's harder to take life out of it when you have females uh that that are willing to check you, right? And uh, you know, really they are, they are very level-headed. I'll speak to Michelle Hurd. Um, Michelle Hurd plays my producer, but producers in the real world to directors are um it becomes like a brother-sister relationship. They are the people that can tell you something and you listen. And she's the one that finds this really extraordinary ranch in this really extraordinary setting because she aligns with what I want to do in the scene. And so, you know, I think between her and Lainey, it becomes like the backbone of the meeting of these two alpha males because Brandon wrote this as a story of two alpha males, even though they're vastly different in their energies, um, you know, and their sexual orientations and their political values and possibly their religious and societal values, they still are alphas. And what's unique about this character, too, um, the two of them, is that they're both antagonists and protagonists of their own story, which is a very interesting dynamic if you think about it, because most people see a film and they see the good guy and the bad guy. Well, we're both get good and bad to each other. And we almost become like that working, you know, uh cog towards the end, that, you know, machine of can we find a way forward? Can we do that? And, you know, Kat and Laney within the story played by Michelle Hurd, my friend Michelle Hurd. I don't have enough great things to say about her. She's just uh an incredible lover of actors, and and Kaylee Macchio, who plays Laney, are the guide rails to take us to that destination. Well, thank God for women then, huh? Amen. Amen. Very astute question. I love that, Bob.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Now, you did mention that uh earlier that this film is about legacy. Is is that the whole message of the film, or or is does it tell us something else as well?

SPEAKER_01 30:01

I think what Brandon really wanted to do is he wanted it to be a talk piece. He wanted to show that that we as a as a country do need to lean in on, I think, honoring each other's legacy. I mean, that is a huge part of the American dream, right? And it doesn't really matter whether you're a filmmaker, uh, a rancher, a mom, a dad, you own a local business. Everybody's legacy is um part of what makes America really special, right? And so I think that legacy is a big part of it, but it's also seeing each other again. And I think what Brandon wanted to do is he wanted to put these two characters that frankly would just never be in the same room together in this impossible situation that they had to work themselves out of, you know, and I think that is, you know, so keen on what I think people need to see right now. Because I think if you can see it, I think this is what good art does. I think if you can see it, then you can talk about it, then you can feel it, and then you can maybe adopt it within your own life. And I think that's really what he wanted to do here. So it really speaks to just the power of um, like I said, what I've always wanted as an actor um is to tell a couple good stories that matter. And I and I say that wholeheartedly. I mean, most actors I know, it's the same thing. A lot of people see acting as forward-facing, they see the film industry as forward-facing, they see, you know, award shows and red carpets and stuff like that. Yeah, I mean, everybody needs to celebrate. But when when people really get down to the nitty-gritty, people that get into film really, really do it for the storytelling. They do it because they want to leave a couple things behind that we we feel make an impact. And and and not only now, films live on forever. And and I think this is definitely a story of the current times that we're in. So I think it's a really wonderful time to, you know, really take this film in and and and see it and give it a chance. But it's something that can really resonate, I believe, for for future years to come if people can really adopt the message of this film.

SPEAKER_02 32:09

Well, somewhere in Montana is uh currently in theaters, you must have moved on to another project by now. What are you working on?

SPEAKER_01 32:21

Uh, a lot of the film and TV industry has been um, you know, it's been it's been stagnant for a while. We've had multiple strikes. We are uh currently uh in a wildfire crisis, one of the worst crises in LA history. And and so a lot of my my day-to-day is, you know, putting myself on tape, uh, seeing how things are going to pick up past all of these uh just real hardships in our industry. Uh also a lot of industry is is is leaving LA and we're trying to be LA strong and keep the film industry alive here. But, you know, I have agents in in different states for that reason because again, you know, I I I booked a film in Montana, right? It changed my life. So film will go where it needs to go. Artists will go where they need, where, where they can to tell their stories, right? And a lot of times that comes to a financial realm. So for me, I think the role of Fabian Fordugo made such a keen impact on my life that it has actually adopted me to lean in on not just being an actor, but being a true collaborator. And so um my wife and I actually have our own production company, Dragon Hunter Productions. Her last name is Hunter. Uh, my name obviously Drago. So Drago and Hunter Productions made Dragon Hunter Productions. Um, we are we are trying to uh bring films like for like Fabian did to little pockets of this country that feel like they don't have a voice. It's something that really resonated with me uh playing the role of Fabian. And sometimes, you know, you you let that character in. I will say Fabian is the first role that I've truly fallen in love with. And I think he impacted me on in such a big way and what a fighter he was that I want to fight to do this because I feel like a lot of the dissonance that we're feeling within our country is because people don't feel heard. And so I think in telling these stories, uh, we want to bring a Christmas movie to our little uh humble town of Front Royal, Virginia, where we're both from. And uh that is a big step that we're looking forward to hopefully doing in the next year or so.

SPEAKER_02 34:27

Well, I don't doubt your desire to chase your dream because as you you've gone from Virginia to New York to LA to Montana and probably a few places in between as well that I that I don't know about. But I I did want to ask you specifically about Los Angeles because of the fires going on there. How might those fires affect the future of filmmaking in that area?

SPEAKER_01 34:51

Yeah, it's hard to tell, Bob. I mean, you know, the the it's hard to rub the crystal ball at this point because it's so fresh, right? And we are just, you know, getting past all of these strikes between the director, then the writer, then the actor. We're also up against AI, which is a completely um other unknown or um semi-known at this point. And we have to resist it, right? Because again, what I always say is that human stories matter. And I never thought I'd have to say it like that, but it really is true. Humans only uniquely can tell human stories. If we give up art to a machine, we will give up so much in our society. And so I feel like for the film industry at large right now, we really need to um embrace independent films. And that's why I ask people to give indie films a chance. And that's why I'm so grateful to be on your show today, because it gives us a platform to tell our story and to get it out there to people that way they will want to seek it. Give us a chance, turn us on, you know, try to put the phone down or the tablet down for an hour and a half and really just lean in on a film that's really important. But back to your question, I mean, we really do hope that LA, um, you know, this is what I say about LA all the time because I love LA. And and I think LA gets a bad rep, but LA is a is a town full of dreamers and dreamers are fighters, you know, don't get that wrong. Like there are a lot of strong people in LA, and and uh, and and I really do resonate with a lot of uh dreamers. They're my people, right? And and a lot of dreamers will sacrifice for their dreams to the nth degree. And and so my hope is that we'll pull together, we'll build LA back up, and um, and we'll keep telling stories here like just like we have for uh generations and generations in the past.

SPEAKER_02 36:42

Well, I agree with you there, Matt, because I was one of those people who who went to LA to chase a dream. I ended up sleeping in the streets for a while, actually. But uh, you know, hey, that's just part of the the experience of life, you know. Uh uh things eventually worked out. And uh, but you're right, there are kind all kinds of dreamers in that area, and I guess there are if there are enough who uh aren't afraid to get their hands dirty as well, they can they can rebuild it. Do you expect it to get any easier now that you can call yourself a movie star?

SPEAKER_01 37:18

Well, first of all, I'm far from a movie star. Um, I'm just trying to be a working actor, and and that's always been the dream, to be perfectly honest, Bob. I mean, uh I know people that you know are are getting to that realm. And and yes, I mean, there there's some perks that come with it, but it can also have its challenges as well. I think for me, um, I want to get up every day and just be able to say, I get to do what I love, but to, you know, uh not dissuade your com your your question, could it help? I I hope so. I I really do, because regardless of anything, you have to be able to use what you have to get the next project going, right? And if um, you know, somewhere in Montana helps me do that, then that's great because then it gets another story to my little town that I'm from. And maybe it pulls another couple good actors into the project, and maybe it pulls a great cinematographer or a great director into the project. So it's all good because um, you know, we have to take where we're at in our lives and and and bet on ourselves sometimes and um fight for what we believe we we we can do within our life. And, you know, if if it's like me going back to my four-year-old self the first time I got on stage and saying, wow, I really feel the power in being able to tell a great story. And I just want to do this my whole life because I think it makes an impact to tell stories. If somewhere in Montana is a big stepping stone to help do that, then um I'll be grateful for uh for just the journey continuing in any way that it can. If it's close to you, um I post all the theaters that it's in on my social media at Matt Drago, M-A-T-T-D-R-A-G-O. From there, you have my link tree. It's got my website for my um acting, which is mattrago.com. It's got my production website, dragonhunterproductions.com, on the link tree. It's also got my IMDB if you want to check out my past and future projects going on. And then also um I'm a person. So I share, you know, actual um, you know, personal stuff as well on my stories and and on my uh social media as well, because I want to show that, like, yeah, I mean, I'm a real person. I'm flawed just like everybody else, but I definitely, you know, urge people to to join in in the journey and and and join in on the uh ability to take in really, really good stories that matter.

SPEAKER_02 39:43

The film is called Somewhere in Montana, and it's in theaters now. Many thanks to Matt Drago for sharing his insight about the film and inspiring us to reach out to our fellow man and follow our dreams wherever they may take you.

SPEAKER_04 40:01

I might be moving to Montana.

SPEAKER_02 40:06

Just a raise media. The listening tube is written and produced by yours truly, copyright 2025. Thank you for putting your ear to the listening tube. Support the show or text me from the homepage. I'm your host, Bob Woodley, for the infinitum.