Geek Vibes Live Interview w/Robin Lord Taylor

Perustin pyöräilyvää teitä valmistavan ornotin vuonna 2013. Mielestäni parasta Shopify saan se, että voimme harjoittaa liiketoimintaa ilman teknistä osaamista. Voimme hallinoida yrityksen taustajaristeelle mien ja front-endia sekä myydä verkossa, vaivatta. Jos Shopify olisi pyöräilyvaruste, sollisimielestäni itse polkupyörä. Sillä asiat hoidetaan ja meidän liiketoiminta me hoituu Shopify'ss. Aloita ilmainen kokeilu, Shopify piste komsi vustolla. Välkö, til, kiinni, Shopify. [Musiikkia] [Musiikkia] Welcome, welcome, everybody to a very special edition of GeekVives Live-Autumn. We are speaking with 1 of my most anticipated guests of all time. Actually a little nervous to do this interview just because this guy is a brilliant actor. He's one of my favorite shows of all time. I'm talking about Robin Lottwert-Tailer. He plays Oswald Cobelpott aka the Pingwan on a little show you might know called Gotham. We are waiting for Robin to connect with us, but just to give a little rundown. If you're not familiar with Robin's work, he is an extinguished film and television actor. He's also done some directing. He was in a couple episodes of AMC's The Walking Dead, which I hope to talk to him a little bit about today. Of course he was also in a film called Accepted. He was also in Step Up 3D. He's also been in a couple other shows. I've done some roles on a law on order and stuff like that. You probably know him best from his role on Gotham. It's the best role. I've seen him and he absolutely has nailed it as the Pingwan. Hopefully once we get connected, kind of dig a little bit into what his inspiration is behind as far as playing the Pingwan. Also, you know, just a little bit more in depth. Maybe you could talk about the process of how this all came to be. So we are just currently waiting for him to join us. As soon as he does, we will definitely get started with that interview. Hi, Robin. My name is Cain and how are you today? I'm doing good, Kain. How are you? I'm doing good. I just want to thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. What pleasure. Where are you right now? Where are you taking from? Actually, I'm taping from Nashville, but the main people part of the group are in New York, actually. Oh, nice. What about you? Here's a village in Nashville. Come along and say hi. You're actually in Nashville? Yeah, no, not at the moment, but I need to be at Heroes and Villains in Bay. I'm in Nashville. Oh, yeah. I'll definitely be covering that for Geek vibes nation. So I'll definitely come by. Oh, thank you, man. Say no. I appreciate it. I'm doing really good. I'm a little bit nervous because I've been anticipating this interview. I've been trying to get you on for a long time. I know you're extremely busy, but just really honored to be speaking with you today. Oh, man, the other door is mine. Don't be nervous. It's fine. If I want to hire you, it's okay. All right. Well, I'm going to go ahead and give everybody a little bit of a rundown for our audience. Just about who you are, and then we'll get started with the interview. If that's okay. Sounds good to me, man. All right. Appreciate it. Everybody, my name is Kenan. This is a special interview today with Robin Lord Taylor. He's an American film and television actor. He starred in such roles in the film accepted. Step up 3D. He's also played Sam on the Walking Dead. But you know him best for his role as Oswald Cobblepide, aka the pink one on Fox's Gotham. So Robin, thanks again for joining me today. My pleasure, man. Thank you. All right. So look for some folks out there. I just want to just clear out there today. I really have only one line in Step up 3D. So let me just say if you were going to rent it just to watch it, you want to make it see your friend. I want $20 on people. It's alright. There we go. That's right. 20 bucks everybody. That's my line of Step up 3D. All right. There we go. All right. So let's talk a little bit about, you know, what was your inspiration to get into acting? Was there a moment in your life? Or was there a film or was there someone particular that got you inspired to actually become an actor? Oh my goodness. I mean I've been, you know, I love movies and theater. My mom took me to theater. I drew up a book. Let me start. So I drew up in the Midwest to the small town. But thankfully my mom always believed in sharing the art with us. And so she made sure to take us to all the shows. It came to town. It came through the large town about 20 minutes away. And yeah, every single day I just knew that it was something that I just really, really enjoyed. I didn't really know that I could do it, per se until I got into a junior high or high school. And then it was a really, really small high school at the time until, you know, I still didn't know. But when I applied for college, I went to Northwestern University and when you applied, you declared your major. And I didn't know what I wanted to do. I just knew that I loved to be a theater. And so I put down theater and said, "You know, when I get there, I'll just change it if I need to." But then I got there and I realized, I was there with kids who went to, you know, the high school before we got to New York City and like, you know, classes in LA. And these are people who had legitimate theater departments in their high schools. And so I didn't know if I could, you know, compete with people I said. But when I got to Northwestern, I realized, yeah, I could. And I did have something to say. And, you know, people responded to it. And I knew what I was doing. And the first time I really knew that I had a grasp on something, I had a skill. And so, yeah, that's kind of how I'm talking to you right now. Yeah. So, you know, you're in, you know, you've been in, like I said, you've been in accepted. You know, you had the role in a step up 3D. And you were on Walking Dead. I know you were in a couple of episodes. I know your time on that show was short lived, but it's one of my favorite shows next to Gotham. Can you talk about a little bit about your experience working on such a huge show, like The Walking Dead? Oh my gosh. It was amazing. And it also felt like lightning striking. You know, I auditioned. You know, I got the audition. And I put myself on tape. That just stated me right there. But that's what we call it. I put myself on tape for the audition for the part. And, you know, never think you would really happen. And then all of a sudden it did. And, you know, this is The Walking Dead. They don't tell you. I've been actually, they don't tell you. Like I had the scene I auditioned with with the stage scene. I didn't, I wasn't given the script. So, you know, I knew the various minimum of what, what the happening. But in a way that made it even more, I just, like, this role and exciting. You know, it felt like I was going to Atlanta and I was going down to this amazing show that I was a fan of myself, which is always a huge trick. And then, yeah, it was just an incredible experience overall. I never expected it to happen. And then again, like when you show up on that set, I can't say enough about how amazingly kind the actors of The Walking Dead are. My first team, or my first day, was with, I've seen with Melissa and Andrew. And they, again, couldn't have been nicer. Like anyone who steps on is welcome to the number of the family. And you know, what I was there, you know, obviously I was like, oh my God, I never want to be like everyone is so kind. And it just felt really so like you were part of something big, you know. And. But then I thought in my head I was like as I was eating not knowing I would ever come back and this is the full conversation that happened. I was thinking I was like, "Oh, and it's like all I ever want is to be a regular on a show and that. And if I do, I will make sure that our show has that same familial welcoming atmosphere that they're walking that has. And I just like, it's just so amazing that would be actors too. And the community that they set up down there in Atlanta has been a part of it. Even for a few episodes, dream come true. And I can also say that I was the first to die in season five and I will have that on that show probably. I know and it was one of the more gruesome deaths as well. I would have to say, put your girlfriend Anna, you know, she became zombie food. So that didn't turn out too well for her either. No, no, it's just, you know, it's just socks anyway, you know. So you've been a part of two huge franchises, you know, with God thumb, you're part of DC. So when you're at conventions, do you have like a, what's the mixture like a fans? Do you still get a lot of walk in dead fans that come up to you and want autographed pictures? Oh, definitely. Yeah, but there's a lot of people. And it's amazing. Yeah, it makes you huge. I mean, not surprising because everyone in Atlanta is walking dead. Right. So, but it's also like, yeah, there's definitely people who remember and they come through. And the fun thing is, is that, you know, the weight all went down. So I had that that episode in the fourth season and I didn't die at the end. So, you know, who knew what was going to happen? They of course, you tell me, and then in the meantime, I booked scoffing and we shot our first pilot. And then they called me up when we were between, we were in a little summer break then, before we went back to shoot the rest of the first season of golf and they called up and they were like, we want to bring him back. It's like, no line, nothing but it's a great game and you're the first guy to keep him fired. And of course, I was like, yes. But here's the thing is that I will never know. Like, I'll just, I'll never know if they had plans to make to take Sam further. You know what I mean? Like, there was no way they could at that point because obviously there's no way I could do golf and end the walking dead at the same time. So, you know, but, you know, so, so yeah, I always wonder, you know, in my head if if Sam was going to be something, you know, more than what he was. But, you know, such as the fate of some of the people in the walking dead anyway. Definitely. Well, one last question about the walking dead before we move on and talk a little bit about Gotham. If Sam were still alive, would you would you still be loyal to Rick or would you join Negan? I think, I think you would ask, will be loyal to Rick and but mostly to Rick has an extension of Carol. Like, I think, you know, Carol, you know, the fact that she, you know, she, she, she, her, it's got the shoulders, she took care of him. But, you know, I like, you know, in my head, like, there was a connection there that I would have, if I weren't writing the show, I would have done, I would, I would like, explore that connection more. But, yeah. Oh, see my big, right? That's right. All right. So let's get on to Gotham. You play one of the most notorious Batman villains of all time. You bring such a great, unique, you know, characterization to the pink one. I know on the show you don't like being called the pink one. I think you've kind of embraced that more, but you're awesome. I must say that there's been other people that have come before you, but you, you nailed the character 100%. I'm not just saying it because you're a person, people that know me know, I think you're one of the, the standouts of that show. So, so much. Oh, you're welcome. So, I just want to know what is this a role that you audition for or did they call you and say, hey, we want you to come in and, and read for this. And then you actually, okay, I just kind of a two part question. Did you audition for the pink one or did you audition for someone else and you actually became the pink one? Yeah, no, I audition for what then became the penguin. It was interesting because they, like the walking dad, they, um, they didn't give us a script. They didn't give us an actual screen. So, you know, they wrote a fake scene or fake names and they, you know, and it was like it was the unhilded one of our projects. So, you know, they, they didn't want to tell us what it was at all. And it wasn't until I before that I remember that I was giving the heads up what the project actually was. And the fact that it was, I was auditioning to be a come to play the penguin. But it was funny because like, because they hadn't told me that away, I had already worked on the scene and I made all my choices and, you know, committed to what I was going to do in the audition. And when I found out that it was the penguin, I was like, well, I'm not changing it because clearly they didn't want me to know that. They didn't want me to come in with any sort of, uh, within sort of like preconceived notions of what they wanted or like, or if they wanted me to try and do some sort of interagent what had been done before. No, I feel like they wanted that they would set it, but they didn't. So I was like, I'm just going to go in and give you my thing. You know, you know, throw it on the wall and see the text. And yeah, it's stuck. It really stuck. It was amazing. It was also like one of the easiest auditions I've ever had in my entire career. It just felt like, and I know I'm superstitious from all of that. I never said it's good. Like I just should not call my husband. I was like, I feel that way really good. I think he was really good. He was like, okay. And then yeah, next thing you knew I was fine that way to test the show. So it's going quite a lot. So your version of the penguin, you didn't take any mannerisms from any of the other penguins. The live action penguins or anything. This penguin is just, is your version. Is that what you're saying? It's mine. Mine and Bruno, how are Danny, and John, even the rest of our legends. It's all sort of we sort of created it together, all started with them. And yeah, I didn't really, I just knew that, again, I knew that they wanted something that hadn't been done before. I mean, they're like homage to those characters. There are things that I find that, you know, or things that I know about the other actors and what they've done. And extremely familiar with their work as a penguin, but the individual embedded. So, you know, there's like, you know, there's like that sense of like, you know, I don't know that, that sort of like sense of like, you know, that sort of like funnyness about them. There's a sense of humor about the character that I've really been trying to find this in particular. So, you know, all of that is like, you know, that's all there in the character. And it's of course, and homage to them. So, there's amazing answers. It came before that, but yeah, nothing, there's nothing that I miss it from any either of them. Because, again, I don't want to touch the brilliance that they brought to Oswald. Now, and that's actually like awesome to hear that this is like your iteration that you didn't try to become like anybody else. So, that makes your performance even better, in my opinion. Wow, wow. Thanks, Sam. Thank you. Oh, you're very welcome. So, a little bit, you know, you got the character as the penguin. Did you read any story arcs after you got the role or were you a comic fan, comic book fan before you can audition for Gotham? I mean, there's to say that I wasn't a huge comic book fan. I mean, I was familiar, of course, with the comics. And I was more of, I mean, I consume the movies religiously, like, you know, Schumacher and all. I love the Batman film. I'm Batman. And so, that was really my hope. But once I got the role, I reached out to Jeff John. They had it created, had it DC. And, you know, just to say hi, it's amazing to meet him. I mean, he is where all of this begins and ends for us, you know. And so, yeah, I was like, you know, if you have any stories or any specific comic books related to Penguin, I might find that might be useful for me if you could just send me the title. And he was like, no, I'll send them to you. So, he, like, can't pick some comics. And the one in particular that I drew a lot from was with the Penguin Teen and Pregnant kind, which is a brilliant story. And it really does into who this character is psychologically. It's like it's really worth it into it in that comic that really goes to me. So, yeah, that was the main, the main influence. So, yeah, that was the main, the main part that actually influenced from the comic set. That really helped me a lot to do the character to me. In the first couple of seasons, you know, you worked alongside Jada Pinkett Smith's character, Fish Mooney. What was your time working with Jada Pinkett? Did you learn a lot from her? Oh, yes. I went much from Jada and like, she was like, she was an angel sent from above for me that first season. Like, you know, getting on, like, you know, going from zero to a million, like what happened to me with this show in terms of visibility is really scary. And it's, you know, it's being like, being a public person and being like interviewed and being out there is a skill in another self. And there is no one better at it than Judith is there. She is the most poised, the most intelligent. She is like that. Like, you put her in the room and she, you know, she knows she has a very commanding strong sense of self. And you absolutely need that. She's surviving this business and you know, looking at how she's doing now, and there you go. So it's like, they parent me with her to do a lot of the press. I think it's the beginning of the Gotham Rhyme. And I was just so touched that she was there and like, you know, we would be talking to you together. And I just learned, you know, how to approach this business and still keep my own personality and keep, you know, my own self-protecting in a healthy way. And I just think the main of her, she's a really, really amazing person. And then of course, acting wise, like, you know, again, I just feel that it's a professionality. The fact that, you know, she's a superstar. And yet, she shows up and she is not a diva. She, you know, sits the ground running like the rest of us. She knows her mind. She knows her shit. Excuse me. She's amazing. So yeah, I just, yeah, that first year in particular, I learned so much of what it means to be an actor and tell her to do. And to be just a public person, I don't know. It's really, really amazing lesson to learn. And she's, I can't thank her enough for that. Oh, yeah, no doubt. I actually grew to love her character quite a bit. And I was sad to hear, you know, that, you know, she wouldn't be coming back at least for the time being. But, you know, where it's season four, we're almost at the season finale. Your character from season one to season four has developed so much we've seen tidbits of omajas to the penguin from the comic books. Where would you like to see Oswald go on the show? Do you think we might see you kind of develop the umbrella arsenal, you know, with the gun and the knife and stuff like that? Absolutely. I would love that. I mean, you know, at the same time, like I would also like, you know, I want to show it to go on as long as you can. You know, I'm, you know, I'm wary of like introducing too much of us. But yeah, I think that's definitely like the umbrella gadgets I would really like to do. You know, to be honest, the thing I would most love is that I know nothing about it. I don't even know if you have a night sheet. So like, I know nothing is on the where Oswald is going in anything beyond the finale of season four. But personally, the thing that I would really like to introduce is the monical. In stories, you know, it's an injury that he receives in his eyes that is the reason for the monical. And you know, there's something about that. I'm really excited. You know, I'll call you after we have a contact bench. I've never worn one before. So I'd care for him. But I think that's just another, like, you know, the story of Oswald is how here's this person who could have been, you know, a brilliant kind, loving person that had the world treated him better. Like I really do believe that there's a, there's a loving gentle soul underneath all of this down, deep down below. But what Gotham has done to him is beat all of that animal out of him. And essentially turning him into an animal. Like you said before the penguin. And then you know, when it first he was an embracing and outage, he's becoming an animal. And there's something about what's the length. And then to have an injury in his eye, it's almost like this humanity is being like stripped away from him, being like ripped away from him. You know, and I think there's something really cool. And there's something really symbolic and beautiful in that. And also I don't know who would do it. Like who would, who would shout out in the eye? I think that's so exciting. I think such an interesting identity. I could have with any of our characters on our show. So yeah. So hopefully that's something that we can have coming in in the future. Yeah. I mean, they, I mean, there was a scene earlier this season between you and Cameron Monahan's Jerome, where, you know, that injury probably could have taken place. And I'm talking about the very famous one of the best scenes from this season, where you and Cameron have the the showdown in prison. They're an Arkham yard doing the mind scene. So can you take us through the day on set? You know, you and Cameron are doing this fantastic mind scene. I mean, what was that like? Okay. Yeah. So the scene in Arkham, the scene in Jerome, the scene was great. That was all in one day. And it was one of the hardest and the most rewarding days I've ever had in the corner of the shooting after. And in no small part, that's what, that's mostly because of Cameron Monahan and just his general audience. And like when you find chemistry with the solo actor, you know, it's something that you can't force. And I found it with Cameron and just also just a similar, a similar commitment to character and to the work. And so that, you know, that is all just a testament to Cameron and his next talent. And also like, yeah, so that scene is like, you know, it's really, it's all as well as his voice. Like really, I really wanted to play out how, you know, just the rest he is, how, you know, how well he is, how awful and humiliating Arkham the Silent is for him to find himself back there after, you know, after getting himself out of it and becoming human. And then he was confident in, you know, in running everything and finding himself back there for filing for something that he actually didn't do for once. So that, you know, even extra-going. So I wanted to play up that, you know, just like, just how awful it was. And then to bounce that off with Jerome Cameron's energy, who's playing Jerome as King of the Castle. So there's just like, there's so many opposites and so much energy that we could play with. And so, and yeah, and so we did. And, you know, it was really, it was a really intense day and a very emotionally intense day, all of those scenes. And so, you know, I'm not talented enough where I can just sort of turn it on and off. And it's not like I'm method or anything that I might see in a crying all day. But, you know, to be in that emotional state, it's not like I actually sit around and eat twizzlers and talk about, you know, good authors or something with everybody else. No, it's like I sort of had to focus. And Cameron has that similar focus. So we would sort of be like wandering around my job these while everybody else was going about their work day, you know, and just like knowing that we had to get into these crazy characters, mindsets, what I've seen. Yeah, there was one there's one moment where I had to put the clown costume on. And it was a tight shot. So I ducked out of the camera train and put the costume on before I stood back up and said, for the close up, but when I went down to put the costume on, I was still in the middle of the scene. And I knew I was off camera. So I really wanted to input the emotional scene. So as I was talking on Cameron is sitting right there like he was in the scene except he's off camera. And I was just looking at, you know, as well. And I just like, you know, started screaming and it's screaming. So I was screaming, you are a bully, you are nothing, you are an animal. I was just like, I was denting all of that, those feelings that Oswald must have felt when he was a bully child, you know, when he was younger. I just wanted to channel all of that because this was definitely like when we were shooting those scenes and it's just like the bullying scene where it's thrown into torturing Oswald. And I was like, Oswald has been here before. He knows he's, this has happened to him before. You know, and it happened to him when he was a child and he was helpless, you know. And I wanted to really see how it felt. So like when I got my friend, I was just like, it's just like rage and putting on his costume because it was screaming in his own face. And it was really like, I think it just made the scene all the more visceral and emotionally real so that everybody involved. So like, it's just really, really, really crowded. That seems a bad episode. Well, Robin, I appreciate you walking us through that. Like I said, that was one of the best scenes from season four so far. I really enjoyed that. I appreciate you coming on. Yeah, and I appreciate you giving us the time to actually speak with you today. I know, I know we got to wrap things up so I will go ahead and do that right now. All right. Awesome. Thank you so much. I appreciate you all giving us the time today and look forward to, look forward to seeing you in Nashville. Thank you. I got to tell you that. I don't need so much to all of us. Oh, I appreciate it. Can't wait for next season. Hopefully we can get you back on. Sounds good. Anytime, man. I'm here. I'll see you next time. Appreciate it. Thank you. See you in Nashville. All right. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Bye. Thank you. All right. Everybody. That's been Robin Lord Taylor. The penguin from Fox has got them. What a great interview. A lot of insight into his character. That was awesome to hear that he would actually like to adopt the monocle for the penguin. He'd also like to adopt the. the arsenal of the umbrellas. So a lot of cool stuff. Hopefully to come from him in the future on Gotham. But everybody, that's today's special interview. Hope everybody enjoys this interview and will definitely get some more coming down the road. This interview also was brought to you by our new sponsor, MovieTees. You can find them at movieteas.com. That's M-O-V-I-T-E-S. They have some awesome movie inspired t-shirts. And if you use code G-V-N at checkout, you can get 10% off-store wide. So once again, that's MovieTees.com without the E. Everybody, my name is Canaan. Hope everybody has a great day. And just remember that G-V-N is 4G by Geeks. The first time we've been working on the arsenal of the year 2013. It's also very common to see the show that we can see the technical aspects of the industry. We can also see the production of the industry and the front-end industry in the future. If the shop is a bit more expensive, it's a bit more expensive. That's what we're going to do and we're going to be able to get some shopping. See you in the next video. Bye!