0:00 This can be uh something that happened at any point of your life, but who was the first person that you actually intentionally modeled yourself after physically? >> Physically. >> Yeah. Where you like saw this person and you were like, I want to adopt how that looks. >> John Claude Vanam. >> Really? >> When you were a kid, >> did you want to always get people to film your butt? [laughter] >> No. >> You wanted his glutes? >> No. Cuz I loved action movies like crazy Hong Kong cinema, all that stuff. Mhm. >> And uh but most of them were like really skinny dudes. >> Yeah. >> And then so you would see a guy like sidekick a ████ right? And they fly fly through a window. I'm like, man, that full skinny ass legs ain't kicking nobody ████ through a window. [laughter] >> So I'm like that's not real. And then so when I first watched Blood Sport and he was buff and he was like one of the
0:51 first few like buff martial artists, I'm like oh ████ that makes sense. And so I was like, I want to And he looks balanced. >> Yeah. >> Versus like Arnold Schwarzenegger where they're just like they look >> agility is low. >> Yeah. Like like Vanam to me was like the closest I thought in real life to like a Rayu. >> Yes, I agree. >> Like okay, I could see this guy ████ flying across, jumping around. >> Allrounder. >> All around, but still strong enough to like block punches from a big ass ████ Like he just felt like >> like uh wellrounded. And I'm like, that's tight. Cuz I thought Bruce Lee was he was buff, but like a little bit on the smaller and lighter side. >> Did you always know that humans and cartoons were different? >> H >> like one's real life and one's not real
1:41 life. Yeah. >> Okay. [laughter] >> Don't think that was the answer he wanted. >> What was going to happen if he said the other one? [laughter] I thought it was normal for all kids to not know the like >> like they're all real. >> I think what you mean by like a cartoon body is attainable or whether or not that's actually attainable, right? >> Or you just thought it was a real thing in life. >> It was all real. >> Like Tom and Jerry could just run right by. >> Yeah. >> Oh wow. >> Had that imagination until I was like >> Well, of course, like maybe like up until I was like six or seven. >> Oh, okay. So you were actually talking to other kids about cartoons as if it's real. Yeah. >> Dang. >> Like I like you know like the manholes like >> Y >> I would go up and my mom told me that I would spend two hours just yelling >> LE [laughter]
2:34 [screaming] Rapha [laughter] Mr. SPLINTER and I was like damn I was that stupid [laughter] and I was like well I do remember a phase where she never told you nothing. >> I thought it was real like it was real real. >> Oh I think you know what's funny like I guess to me in the middle I thought they were real in my mind >> but I knew they weren't real in real life but I would I would think of them as if like they're ethereally real in some weird way when I was a kid. You know what I mean? I I would think about what Leonardo and Donatello what they might be doing right now in my imagination. >> Damn. >> But I wasn't LIKE LEONARDO. [laughter] >> But did it did they ever like you know how some people till this day they'll be like I want to be like Goku. Like Goku
3:24 is an inspiration. It's a fictional character >> dude. Mine mine was very similar and it was at a very late age that I was trying to be like this guy. It was in my like I was probably 18 or 19. Wow. this uh so this character from a video game on PS2, his name is Seion Barzad. And it's like no one knows this character because his game did not do well. >> Yeah. >> But uh look at this character. This is the cover of this game. It came out in 2000. >> Wow. >> I can see the hair. Yeah, the hair. So this character, I freaking love this character's design >> and I yed like >> his hair looks great. I basically like bit everything I could from his like image. >> Yeah. >> So then like I looked like that. [laughter] >> Oh, wait. >> Like look how freaking close that is. >> Yeah, that's cool.
4:14 >> Wait, that explains so much that I didn't know about you. >> Cut your hair on by yourself at that time? >> Yeah, I cut it myself. >> Cuz I'm like I wouldn't even know what to do to tell a barber to do hair. >> No, I didn't either. It took me It took me a long time to get anything remotely close to that. But like by the time I was doing that and people were like, "Oh, like is that from Kingdom Hearts or like Final Fantasy or something, it was actually this guy who like is so lesser known." >> He does look cool though. >> But I thought he was so cool and I freaking I'm an adult at this point. [laughter] >> But you also said body too or no? >> Yeah, just in general his whole style, his whole like his whole attitude and everything. I was like that's way cool to me. And I didn't really like I I couldn't really find I guess like a visual role model in a lot of other things, but I was like that s███'s tight. >> But yeah, to anyone who knows that deep
5:04 of a cut. >> Wow. >> This guy, man. >> Yeah, I was super into that. Was there anybody that you like physically tried to look like either of you guys? >> I wanted Zach Morris's haircut, so I I would use his and I did kind of get it, but I was at Super Cuts and I was like, I want his haircut. showed Zack Morris to the super cuts people >> cuz I wanted to Yeah. Cuz I wanted to have that style. >> Yeah. >> And I got something close to it. >> Kind of wavy to the back. Yeah. I actually wanted the ancient Chinese haircut cuz my parents thought I was crazy. >> Well, you mean the pigtail? >> The one where it's like half shaved right here. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> With the braid >> like Master Betty. >> Yeah. >> I'm surprised your mom wasn't down with that. >> I know. >> They thought I was crazy. I thought it was so sick cuz one of my favorite Chinese movies, there's this guy, his martial arts style is with this pigtail.
5:55 You guys ever watch that? >> Which one? >> I forgot what it was called. But so he has his goes down to maybe where his tailbone is. >> Uhhuh. >> And so he does all the regular like Hong Kong fight cinema stuff, but then he'll do like a front flip and his braids come out and boom, he'll hit ████ He'll just shatter things. And I'm like, dude, that guy has a built-in weapon. >> That's cool. >> ████ sick. and he'll like spin it around his head and it'll like wrap around his neck and he'll spin the other way and ████ knock someone out. >> Was it also like a love story? >> I think so. You've seen it before, >> dude. I I'm trying so hard to remember the name. Hang >> He's like that character is played many times, but uh was it around like the Opium War? Like there's like Opium Den scenes and stuff like that. >> I don't remember, but there was this really big thing my mom used to watch all the time and it was really good. Is this the kind you're talking about?
6:46 >> Yes, that's that's it. >> It's not the master It's not the Master Betty one. >> No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not that. [laughter] >> That's the kind. Yeah. >> That's fly though, dude. >> You would have had to get a wig for like your hair to grow out that. >> I know. I just I thought that was cool. You got to shave like >> frequently then, huh? [laughter] >> Yeah. Otherwise Otherwise, it'll just have little little hairs popping up in the front. I thought that haircut though meant like you're loyal to the like you're basically like a like a slave or something then. >> No, you're loyal to the government. >> Oh. >> Cuz like you know like China is so big there's it's actually like I don't know how many but like 30 to 50 different types of people. So China is like is like saying uh North America and then in North America you have the Cherokee, the
7:36 Navajo, the Pueblo or whatever. So Chinese, there's Han, there's the whatever. And then when these guys took over, I think there were actually the Manchu and that was the Manchu haircut. So all the other Chinese to show loyalty, you have to adopt the Manchu haircut. >> Was this similar or was that a different thing? Is this >> That's Japanese. >> Oh, did you like this one? >> That's called a chag. >> Chon mag. >> Yeah. >> Wow. You could get it with tuna or salmon [laughter] or sometimes avocado if you're if you're feeling kind of risque, [laughter] but that's extra charge. >> No, this is cool though. I don't think I've ever met anybody in life that had this in the modern day. You're >> not supposed to. >> Oh, no. >> Would you do that? But, you know, like someone who's someone who's like weird or >> That's like if someone were to walk around with one of those white wigs
8:26 [laughter] >> like Captain Crunch. >> No one's No one's doing that. The [laughter] Quaker Quaker Oats >> like Captain Crunch. Captain Crunch >> for style. Yeah. >> But then that would be their real hair, right? >> And then the the thing that I really liked is um you know in Hong Kong cinema >> Uh-huh. >> all the action movies for some reason everyone's always in suits. >> Oh yeah. As a kid, the minute I put a suit on, even if it's for A WEDDING, I'M LIKE, so my my association of suits is is is martial arts. It's not like, oh, I'm like a stock broker. >> This like I'm going to go land a deal. It's like >> that's a freaking mom's worst nightmare. >> And it's all ████ [laughter] up. As soon as I put a suit on, I'm ████ kicking a punch.
9:16 >> Dude, that's so funny that was how it was in your head. Yeah, cuz that's how like cuz like every Hong Kong movie they're in suits and they're fighting. >> Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Because even in I I used to love uh Who Am I? I still love Who Am I and the fight they do in the rooftop. Both those guys had such nice suits and watches and then it's the you see the coat flowing around the tie. >> Dude, that is how it feels. >> And then the ultimate uh boss in like drunken master, you know, the guy that goes like >> uh-huh. Yeah. That guy too. Yeah. >> ████ suits too. But then that that was interesting because they were showing the western influence on the Chinese people. So the suit guys are the bad guys, remember? >> And then that one guy when his hair gets fried, [laughter] >> he looks like a total different guy, >> but his suit's still intact. Yeah, that was a cool look. I never thought about that. Yeah, you didn't you didn't want to have this kind of style where they always wear these s████.
10:07 >> So, um I liked how Bruce Lee rocked it, >> but not that guy. But not that >> how not how Kenwin rocked it. [laughter] >> Yeah, cuz Bruce Lee was subtle. Like, you know, when you fold it, >> it's not white underneath or Yeah. Or like I think the buttons were maybe black, but it just it's like it was more murdered out, you know? It's like black on black. It looked tight. >> But cuz I I always thought like the karate ghee or the taekwondogi looked way higher. >> I figured I would have thought this guy inspired your look. >> What the [laughter] Where's that Starship trooper? Small soldiers. >> Small soldiers. [laughter] >> His head shape looks like yours. >> Did it not bother you guys or did it not affect you at all to not have um cuz I I've been trying to think about my answer and I feel like through high
10:59 school at least is when I cared most about like what body type would look like >> and there wasn't a lot of Asian representation at that time. So like all the hot people were white, right? And so I didn't really ever feel like I I basically thought like I'll never look like that. >> That's why I thought this was you >> are >> stupid. >> You ever seen Bring It On and there's like one Asian hanging out with them? >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah. This the side character. >> Yeah. It's like that's Bonos, dude. She's Asian. >> Yeah. Filipino. Well, you're talking about um you're talking about as a Asian dude in high school. Did I have like body goals or something? Or like what do you mean? Or who was my body inspiration? >> Cuz your body inspiration was not Asian. >> No. >> And that didn't like have any sort of blockage to you where
11:49 >> Well, when we were children, I didn't really see race. I thought we could turn black and white. Like I thought I could turn and morph into different races. >> But like cuz at that time like Carmen Electra was like so hot, right? I'm like I'm so far from Carmen Electra. How could that my goal be that? It's so far in like all the Sports Illustrated like superm models and all that. They're all so different from Asian looking people. And so actually one of the first this is such a random person but Vanessa Manilo when she was on when she was on TRL I actually I remember talking to my college roommate and we were talking about people that we thought were you know like who we look up to or whatever. And when I said Vaness Vanessa, she was like, "What? She just looks like such a regular person." And I for a long time I was like, "Gosh, am I just am I is there
12:39 something wrong with me?" >> Like you're overanalyzing or something. >> But later on I realized I'm like because there's such little there was such little Asian representation at the time. >> Um, and so that was one of the first people that I was really like, "Wow, like I I aspired to be to look like her cuz I feel like that was more >> reasonable." >> Oh god, that's true. Okay. I don't ever e I never even thought of Asian representation. [laughter] >> Not until like college. Yeah. Yeah. We did get a really nice uh advantage because we had Dante Bosco >> for the Filipino boys. Yeah. >> And I think Rufio was so cool >> that it was easy to be like, I'm Rufio, you know, because he's ████ Filipino. Like that's that's pretty spoiled because Chinese guys didn't really have that character in like white movies. You know what I mean?
13:29 >> Yeah. >> But then by by the time I was in high school, I don't think I looked upon media as a way like to model >> Oh, by high school it was just import stuff. Huh. >> Yeah. I think um there were already great examples in real life of hot women with Asian guys. And like when you go to the import scene, like hot import nights, you see the coolest guys >> with, you know, these hot girls and you're just like, or you go to the gym or like you just see fit Asian guys and then you're just like you're more like, oh yeah, that's the mainstream world, but then we have our own world. >> Yeah. Right. Cuz mainstream was whack by the time we were in high school. >> Yeah. We're like, I don't want to be like corporate and manufactured. And then like that was during the time when um Fast and Furious didn't even come out yet, but we it it felt like a like we
14:20 had our own scene that was not like >> Yeah. We had Street Fury DVDs. >> Yeah. We had the racing scene. We had our own fashion, the style, and then like the girls were there's hot girls dating guys and like there you're just in your own space. And maybe that's the difference where like Asian kids that grew up around like white towns too. They they have this gripe about like media and then um but I don't think guys go through body dysmorphia the same way that girls do. >> But you know what's interesting? Like when Fast and Furious came out, I think I'd rather I was like I want to be Vin Diesel than to be the Johnny Tr guy. >> Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. though in real life I have a much better chance of being >> and you live the life closer to Johnny TR life. >> Way closer. But then I'm like I want to be Vin Diesel. [laughter]
15:12 >> I think guys are maybe just more ████ or like we just >> Guys are more ████ for sure. >> Yeah, cuz I'm like I'll never be Vin Diesel. >> But then I did, you're right. I didn't realize that for Asian girls, especially ones as Filipino as you, there's not enough representation. >> Vanessa's [laughter] half Filipino, too. Oh, I can look like that. [laughter] >> But in the Asian scene though, the the Filipino girls or the ABG girls were like the top. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Two.
// end of tape