ACTOR DAVID CHOKACHI

My guest today, David Chokachy, not only is a super talented actor, but one of the nicest, kindest people I've ever met in my life. David's first career role was as lifeguard Cody Madison in the worldwide phenomenon Baywatch, which earned him a huge fan base and the distinction of being voted one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful.
David can currently be seen in the future film Black Panthers of WW2. He has also recently been in the future film as long as I'm famous, directed by Bruce Reisman.
And in the horror feature film The Bone Box, he's also working on a bunch of new projects. He is an avid animal rescuer supporter, which is something we both do and we are really passionate about.
And this was a really fun, amazing conversation. David was kind enough to drive all the way from Malibu in a rainy day to my studios in West Hollywood.
And I hope you guys enjoy. If you are listening to the audio episode, make sure you go watch the episode on YouTube, Cat on the Loose Show, because David is definitely super handsome, super good looking, but most importantly, super, super, super nice.
Are you thinking about planning an amazing vacation or weekend getaway and don't know where to start? Do you want the options of amazing hotels or short-term vacation homes in a dreamy destination? Or maybe you need a fabulous venue for a really special occasion, such as a wedding or family reunion? All you need to do is reach out to Privé LA, top luxury concierge services company in the world. Privé LA has a lifestyle management team passionate and skilled in arranging business or leisure trips anywhere around the globe, private yachts, all kinds of transportations, special experiences, sporting events, and much more.
Take a look at their website, www.priveela.com. Tell them what you need and all your dreams will become reality on Instagram.
Same name, Privé LA.

Luxury Concierge Services at your disposal worldwide.

Are you an entrepreneur, business owner or major expert in your field?

Guess what?

Your knowledge is worth money and you can monetize it.

Maybe you already even have a course out there in one of these video uploading platforms and you're super frustrated because you don't know how to grow your brand. Let me tell you about Lightspeed VT, the only high technology, multi-million dollar interactive training system in the world.
And this is why Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and some of the most successful people on the planet, such as Grant Cardone, Cardone University, Tony Robbins, Damon John, are using it and making millions of dollars there. with Lightspeed, you will be able to monetize your knowledge and your online courses millions

of times faster and take your business to the next level by reaching a massive audience quickly,

generating hundreds of thousands in monthly revenue and scaling super quickly. You want to see a demo? You want to get a free consultation? DM me, I'll hook you up or send a message, text WhatsApp to 310-692-0578 and start the year monetizing your content big time on LightspeedVT.
David, welcome to Cat on the Loose. Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me. I know.
Listen, it's such an honor because I think I speak for millions of people out there. As one of them, I was a huge fan of Baywatch.
You were a big part of my life. I love it.
And we get requests, as I was telling before we started, from all over the world to have you guys on the show, if you believe that. I mean, that's really cool.
And I'm honored. And thank you, people, for requesting.
It's cool. The show is still really popular.
It's weird. I think during COVID, people started watching it again and kind of binging it.
And then a younger generation started watching it. Because the company that owns it now, Fremantle, they track it and they've just seen internationally.
The viewership of the original show that I was a part of is around the world is spiking. So it's cool.
So we have to talk about Baywatch first and foremost. I think, I'm not sure, but it was the number one in terms of viewership.
It had billions and billions of views. I don't think there was ever a show that was more watched than Baywatch.
Yeah, no. At the time, it was the number one watched show in the world.
It was because I have this statistic. It was like 1.1 billion people a week, and there were only 5.6 billion people on the planet.
It's crazy. Yeah.
And you're on the show for many years. Yeah, I was on from 95 to 99.
Yeah, that's a long time. I came in, like, the show hadn't peaked in terms of popularity yet.
It was, you know, still climbing. So I got in at a really good time and was able to ride, like, the increase for a couple years.
Yeah. So can you tell us how was it for you? Like, you know, you get a call, you get cast in the biggest show in the world.

Tell us a little bit about the experience.

When I get the call or, well,

you know, it's obviously, it's an arduous,

the cool thing was when I walked into the casting office,

like, I was at the small theatrical agency at the time

and they were like, oh, we got you this audition for Baywatch to replace this guy who's leaving. It's the main young lead, blah, blah, blah.
I was like, awesome. I worked on it with my coach.
And when I walked into the casting office to read for the first time for the two women, Fern and Susie, I forget their last names, they looked so beaten down they'd seen i think like a thousand

guys already from like east coast west coast and they were like heads down like they come and i walk in and they kind of look up and they're like oh my god they go holy shit you're the guy they're like you're the guy the writer's been looking for please tell us you can act blah blah I'm like, gulp, you know, like, oh, my God, don't fuck this up.

And, you know, like, oh my God, don't fuck this up. And then, you know, five more auditions and a swim test, which I did and I got it.
But it was, it was the hard part was when I got the call, they're like, yeah, you got the show. I'm like, yeah.
And they're like, but by the way, they, they, it's, they're guaranteeing you six episodes out of 22 with the option of doing all 22 if they like you or the option to basically like drop you and leave you like so I was like oh so you're kind of like on this probationary so it puts a little added pressure but I was I was like made for this show you were I grew up on the ocean on the east coast i was already a certified scuba diver oh really yeah i was on a swim team you had the body you had the looks they put you on uh on the opening credits yeah getting out of the pool right like and your body's like yeah and i think everybody watching they're like like the guys were were looking at Pamela Anderson and Yasmin and us girls were like, oh, my God, what is that? It was like, yeah, yeah. Major eye candy.
Yeah. You were perfect for the show.
Yeah. And I brought, like, I knew how to drive because I taught, I grew up sailing and then I taught sailing and I've driven all kinds of boats like um so when it came time to like actually you know like whether it was the wave runners or like the we had those big yellow the long speedboat but it's like for action sequences like you need experience and you like before they're gonna let you like drive like they'd only let myself and the other guy mike newman pretty much drive i'm like when they like in close to venice pier and kind of and um so all the experience i had already before i was on the show and and that i brought to this show just they were like wow this guy can do it all we can just write massive rescues for him and we don't need to have so you guys did a lot of a lot of your own action scenes on the show.
I did all of them, except for some reason they wouldn't let me. The only thing they wouldn't let me do is like rappel down this cliff.
And then about two episodes later, Numi and I were doing an episode and we rappel off a hundred foot fire tower. So I'm like, yeah, that made a lot of sense.
But I get to do it all. Yeah.
Oh, my God. How fun.
And how was it working with all these other super? Because David Hasselhoff was already very famous. Right.
And I think the girls became famous with the show like you. Yeah.
But did you guys were friends off camera? Yeah. I mean, in the beginning, there was like, you know, it was a lot of pressure.
But I was like, you know but I saw what worked. I saw the formula.
It was basically like the more fit you were, the more you worked on your craft, like your acting abilities, basically, all those, if you just kept at that, you would succeed. so I would just I would work on the show and then I would go to the gym and then go work on my, with my acting coach.
And I would just do that and do that every day. And then, and then I got into a really good rhythm and all of a sudden, you know, even that first season where I was only guaranteed six, I ended up doing like 19 out of 22.
Oh my God. And then my character took off in popularity.
But, um, yeah, I just, in the beginning, you know, it's, it's, it's nerve wracking. You're stepping into a show that's already a hit.
It's already in full motion. So you're like the new guy.
The pressure. But, like you said, you were me.
I like that you said that because you were like, that's me. That's my game.
Yeah, because as soon as they were like, all right, we're going to shoot some, like, you know, we had an A unit and a B unit. Like, we're going to shoot some B, which is all the action.
And when it came time to do that, I would just crush it. Oh my God.
I love that. How was it working with Pamela Anderson? She was awesome.
Like her and I, I mean, it was so funny. Like my character, they, they gave me so much, it grew so quickly.
Like, I think it was the end or the middle of my first season. They're like, Hey, the producers came to me and go, do want pamela or yasmin as your girlfriend on the show and i was like oh you could choose you guys are giving me that choice wow and i loved yasmin oh my god pam and i just had the gorgeous blonde oh my god somebody has to do it she has a little bit my my mom is, my grandmother, we have strong Finnish heritage from Finland, and so does Pam.
And then her and I just had this very self-deprecating humor back and forth. And so I just, of course, I was like, I went with Pam.
And our scenes were awesome because we just had a, we never took ourselves that seriously. And they were very – I look at them and I'm like, we were doing great work.
They were funny. They were – like the chemistry was there.
And, you know, we had a great time doing it. So she was awesome.
You guys had great chemistry on screen. And I have to ask you, there are lots of rumors out there there and i know you've talked about it on other podcasts that when she started dating tommy lee it was a big issue for him like he was jealous of you guys working together and doing romantic scenes is that true yeah yeah yeah there was a um so when we shoot we would shoot at will rogers which is out in the open and they can only they tape off as much as they can, but they can't control it.
Anybody can show up and people would fly. They would take their vacation.
They would fly to LA and go watch Baywatch and fly home. That was their vacation.
But at the time, there was those, do you remember Inside Edition? Yeah, kind of like the TMZ of these days. Yeah.
So they had written one of these scenes where Pam and I are making out at the water's edge. And sure enough, they were shooting it.
And I think it was his birthday. I don't know.
He was at home and they aired it that night, basically. And he like was watching it.
And they're like, and here's Pamela Anderson making out with her new on-screen boyfriend, David Chokichi,, blah, blah, blah. And he just lost it.
And then the next day I'm walking to the set and I walk by her trailer and I just hear all this like commotion. I'm like, what is going on in there? Like, you know, and then he was basically in there renovating her trailer.
So it's a true story. He was furious.

Did you have direct contact

with him? Did he ever say anything to you?

No. It's even weirder.

But he threatened the producers.

He said if you write another

kissing scene for Pam and

Chokichi again, I'm going to kill you.

To the creator.

Oh my God.

Were they intimidated? No. They were like, this is Baywatch.
Couldn't they just say you're not coming to the creator oh my god you guys like were they intimidated no they were like this is bay couldn't they just say you're not coming to the set like get out it got so complicated and it messed her up i think she became this i forget the timeline but everything was really cool and fun the beginning and then she noticeably was getting more and more like anxious and nervous about like him and but like two months after this whole incident we end up going to dinner tommy pam yasmine a friend of hers myself and a buddy and we end up like partying together and tommy and i are like and my buddy are like doing shots together and then we all go to the viper room together and like like it was like happened. So it was.
Maybe he needed to hang out with you to feel comfortable with the situation. I don't know.
Yeah. I've heard he actually, you know, I get it.
You know, like you're married to the woman who everybody like fantasizes. I'm sure it triggers you at times, you know.
But I was like the last guy on the planet. I was like, dude, I'm not, I just, I'm not crossing that line ever, you know? I mean, it comes with the territory of being an actor, right? So I always say like, if you're going to marry, date an actor, you need to know work is work.
They cannot like not do it because if you're jealous, like maybe you shouldn't date an actor. Yeah.
And we're just like making, it's not like TV today where they're like going for it. You know, like you're making out on screen.
Like, come on. It's like, but it got squashed and moved on.
Yeah. Let's talk about the cold water because you guys and we got that question a lot for you guys.
This was a TV show being filmed in the actual beach. Yeah.
Right.

Like it's not like a movie set.

You are swimming in the ocean.

So, yeah, really in Malibu and vicinities, right?

Malibu, Santa Monica, Will Rogers and so forth.

Yeah.

And the water is cold all year long here.

It's not like the Atlantic Ocean that gets 83 degrees.

Yeah. Well, Florida.
Yeah. It's it's it's freezing it's freezing yeah yeah how was that experience of like literally like having to do all the scenes and jump in the cold water must be tough as fuck well as you know um because my character was like an Olympic hopeful.
And also lifeguards do wear Speedos a lot.

Like they, I don't know if they do as much now, but back then just for efficiency in the water. They were wearing Speedos in real life? Yeah, for less swim drag.
Or when they do lifeguard competitions, which were huge back then. Mike Mike Newman was like one of the champion, like worldwide, like world champion lifeguard.
But you wear a Speedo because you're running, swimming, and it's less drag. So my character was an Olympic hopeful.
And we would take the boat out. And they'd go like 10 miles, I don't know, eight miles offshore in the middle of the ocean.
And it'd be six in the morning and it's foggy and the water's probably like 60 degrees. My God.
And they're like, all right, you know, they're just going to, they're going to film me, you know, training, basically getting ready to try for the trials. And Alexander Paul was my coach and she's in the boat yelling at me and stuff.
And then, so I'd have to get out of the ocean after swimming for like an hour, freezing, and then get in the boat and then do a scene and like so like i talk about this i was talking about the shrinkage factor and i came up with a really effective solution i would just i would find a i'd be like i need like five minutes and i'd grab a towel and i would find a little spot like on the boat and i just do a little self-circulation massage oh my god all right i'm good to go we thank you for being so honest about it because yeah we were watching the show we're watching the scenes and everybody's like this water is freezing and these guys are acting like because of course the tv shows like everything is so glamorous and every day the sun shining. But in real life, it's cold.

Malibu is cold.

When they call cut, you're scrambling for the boat usually, and like this.

We shot some night stuff in the ocean, no wetsuits, where I had to swim against all these guys.

And were you afraid at all?

Like, oh my God, this stuff.

Afraid of what?

Jumping in the water?

No.

Jumping in the cold, freezing water? No? I like it all. oh my god this this stuff afraid of what a jumping in the water jumping in the cold freezing water and i know i like it all no where was anybody afraid oh yeah yeah yeah the girls well no alexander paul is probably the most like she was a legit like iron woman or iron man yeah to this day she's so fit yeah yeah so she loved it she care about the cold.
New me, Mike didn't care about the cold. But Yasmin didn't like to be in water over her head.
So that became really interesting when we had to do rescues. But I was like, you know, I was just supportive.
You know, she just wasn't used to the ocean. That wasn't her thing.
But she pulled it off. You know, they helped her.
But, yeah, there was a lot of people. One actress they had cast before had gotten there, after they had cast her, they didn't ocean test her for, like, a swim test.
And they, you know, called. They said, okay, you know, there's the victim.
Action. Go get her.
She runs up to the water's edge. She's like, I'm not going in there i'm i'm afraid of sharks and it became like a real thing so they would have to like cut have this stunt double run in do the rescue pull the shoot the thing the double comes in then the actress grabs the people for the person at the water's edge and then pick up the scene from there and And you know it you can't be doing that so ever since then they made people do a swim test at the the pool up in uh the palisades at the time yeah the pool but it's a big difference between doing a swim test in the pool and then shooting in the ocean because it's a lot more real and scary right didn't they put a clause like in everyone in your contract? Like, you are going to have to shoot in the ocean.
You are going to have to swim. Yeah, yeah.
But, I mean, I was, like, bringing it. That was my forte.
That was my strength. Yeah, for you.
Was the money worth it, like, to do all of that? Was it life-changing money? No. No.
Jesus. You're, like, on the biggest show in the world, and it wasn't life-changing money.
No, they paid Hasselhoff, and they paid Pamela, and they paid themselves, the producers. But they figured everybody else, their philosophy was you can make money off of the show.
Once we wrap, there will be a million opportunities where you can actually go kind of cash in and they basically felt everybody besides pam and hasloff were replaceable to an extent um which you know at the time i didn't really care about the money but uh hey jamie mcdonald here this is my brand new song oh Be sure to check out my breakout single, Desperate, on all streaming platforms. It really pissed off a bunch of the, like the original, like Billy Warlock, and he had a real problem with it.
It was just, it was just unfair the way it was scaled. You know, he went from like making a lot of money and then it was like you know kind of peanuts and but true to their word you know i've had i did have a lot of opportunities that were like you know i went to argentina one time they they said you know will you come down here and receive the lifetime achievement award and it was like first class everything i i received this award in front of this huge crowd it was like a big modeling show that and valeria matza presented to me.
Oh, wow. And they paid me a ton.
She was one of the most famous. For people that don't know, she was one of the most famous supermodels back then, right? Oh, yeah.
She was stunning. Yeah.
I haven't seen her in forever, but she was gorgeous. So they paid me a...
She looked like Lauder Schiffer. Yeah.
I think even prettier. And they paid you good bucks for that.
Yeah, crazy good. Yeah, so there was like all these weird ancillary opportunities that did pop up.
And that was kind of true, but still it was, I don't know, that was their philosophy. I remember you were on People's 50 Most Beautiful People in the world.
That must have brought you tons of publicity, right? Yeah. That's an honor.
No, it's still like the craziest thing is like it every not just today but it follows you around people like bring it up like i don't know if that that issue is still as popular as it used to but what it is is it yes okay because when i was doing it it was i remember like wow this is a super popular like thing to crack into like it was hard like i remember they were like it becomes like a kind of a fight like to try and get your guy in there and then they were like yeah this guy's this is the guy so and like tom cruise is on the cover and it was a killer photo spread and uh that we shot out in malibu and it looked awesome and um and it's almost like a little club you're in. You're in the 50 most beautiful people.
Listen, it's a very exclusive club to this day. I promise you.
If you ask anybody in Hollywood, they want to be included there, and it's only 50 out of hundreds of thousands. So, yeah, you can be very proud of that.
No, it was good. It helped afterwards.
We got into a lot more anytime, like we're trying to go to a bar and there was a line. They're like, oh wait, that's the name.
Come on, dude, you're good. Bring your buddies.
You're like right in there. So let's talk about that because I know some of you guys from the show did amazing, didn't lose your head over the fame and the success and the open doors.
And some people went down a really bad path, right, of drugs and alcohol and all kinds of stuff. How was it with you? Did you let the success go up to your head a little bit? How did you deal with it? No, I didn't fall for that trap.
I grew up in new england i grew up with parents who are very um we just had like hardcore work ethic like my dad mom like we were like my but my brother and i would be like you know we want to go to the beach with our buddies and it's saturday and summertime he's like no there's work to be you know, he basically, that was his way of being with his boys.

Like he didn't really not ever late.

So he would have us do yard work with them all day long.

I'd be furious.

But we just, we, in the end, like, you know, my mom and dad taught me just like, we had chores.

We had chickens.

Like we had around like, so at five in the morning in the winter, snowstorm, someone's got to go feed the, like give water to the chickens.

It's dark, like before school.

And that was us.

So, Like we had around like, so at five in the morning in the winter, snowstorm, someone's got to go feed the, like give water to the chickens. It's dark, like before school.
And that was us. And like, there was just no slacking and that work ethic always carried forward.
And even when I got on the show, um, I saw the traps. I was well aware.
And even my buddies, I went to Bates college. I played football with a bunch of, like, really good buddies.
And they all thought I would change and become this other person, like, who is full of, like, like, full of themselves. And then after shooting the show and we got together, they're like, holy shit, dude, you didn't change a bit.
You're the exact same guy. Thank goodness, by the way, right? Yeah.
I think there is nothing more annoying than someone that gets a show, a movie, or something, and they become another person. No.
Right. Because let me tell you what.
Whatever you're doing, TV or film, it's not that important. In the scheme of things.
It's entertainment. It's entertainment.
You're not saving lives, although we were kind of on Big Watch. But really, when you break it down, there's no reason.
I don't care who you are as an actor i mean maybe maybe the top 10 people could take themselves that seriously because they're doing that good of work but but you know i have to say i think the more successful ones normally they're the more down-to-earth ones yeah and the ones that are like wannabes are the most like, you know, let their ego go up to their head. At least in my experience in this industry and interviewing people and just being out and about.
Yeah, yeah. You know, I'm not going to name names, but I've met crazy successful people and they're like you.
They're like super chill, super nice. And then you meet some reality stars or something.

They're like, oh, my God. Yeah.
No comment. Yeah.
Oh, my God. Don't even get me going there.
I know. So when you are on the show and like you said, you're walking into bars and restaurants, you're making good money, you're being invited to things, you had the same personality.
You're like, okay, I'm going to do my thing. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, I just had a blast with it.
I mean, yeah, I just didn't, you know, I didn't buy anything major. I, you know, I think I got like a Toyota 4Runner was like my basic expense.
And I kept that for like 18 years. And I just saw people like, you know, they left the show because they thought they were become movie stars.
And that failed drastically. Or they spent money that they didn't have, that failed drastically.
Or they just chose unhealthy lifestyles, and that failed drastically. Which is unfortunate.
I told you I was watching the—and if you guys didn't watch it, I highly recommend it because it's super interesting and it's very emotional, the Hulu documentary. Yeah.
How about you guys? What is it called? After Baywatch, Moment in baywatch moment in the sun yeah moments in the sun and they show some of those actors that got tangled up in drugs like you said some of them left the show after one season they're like oh i couldn't handle it i couldn't handle the the pressure the pressure i don't know or the success i'm not sure what they couldn't handle. Yeah, I didn't understand that.
I just, you know, we got to go to, like, when I got on the show, Gina and Gina Lee Nolan and myself went to, we did this photo shoot in the Bahamas, and then we went to Europe for this big press tour, and it was like we were the Beatles. It was unbelievable.
And I was like, this what are you talking about the pressure this is like right we just got to do the coolest things possible you're getting paid right you have this amazing I mean you're working on the beach like you said I remember when I was in California with my dad as the show was on tv and I sometimes friends would come with me from Brazil and my relatives and they were like oh let's go through Malibu because we want to see them everybody that came here visit from other countries they thought any given moment you would drive through Malibu I'm like they're not here all the time you know and the and everybody thought the lifeguards in real life were as good looking as you guys. You i remember every time i was with my dad in brazil or in france everybody used to ask me that question like you know is that like that in real i'm like no no this is like just the the ultimate dream that everybody looks like that but it's not the case yeah exactly because you guys are like the impossible like talk about body goals you know we were like watching the show like this is impossible body goals to achieve you know i mean the lifeguards in real life because my daughter is a part of the junior lifeguard program oh how sweet yeah how old is she now she's 13 and she showed this summer she'll be her fifth year and the crazy thing is the guy g Greg Bonan, who was the creator, one of the creators of the show, he's in his early 70s.
He's still an active lifeguard. But he actually runs, this is at Zuma Beach up in Malibu.
So he runs the cadets. So there's like, you know, ABC and then the more elite.
But he kind of oversees that hold of it. So on first day i dropped her off like i'm like hearing i'm dropping my daughter off for like wow junior lifeguard and become a potential lifeguard my friend and like colleague greg is like running the program and like you know it was like art imitating life i was like whoa this is so weird this is like emotional did she ever watch the show she's barely watched it she's like watched one episode and it wasn't like have a great one and she's like i'm like i cannot believe you why haven't watched my show like my whole family they don't they don't watch anything i do really maybe they need to do a reboot they are doing Yeah.
Oh, really? Yeah. And he's, so I've been pushing it for probably 10 years.
Oh, my God. Every six months, I keep writing to them saying, why haven't you guys done this? This is why I should play the guy.
This is the backstory where Cody has been. I came up with a great, like, one-page story about where my character's been and how he's back in the mix.
So there's – I don't know where they're at. I mean, they have a deal at Fox, but they're kind of stuck there, I think, until January.
I think if they – who knows what's really true. But there's a chance – if they shoot – there's a chance they're going to shoot in Australia because of financial reasons.
And if they do, I won't be a part of it. You don't want to move to Australia.
They won't cast me. They won't fly another actor.
They won't pay for it. But there's a chance.
He would not be the same if they do it. It's not.
I don't get it because they already tried it. When they moved the show from L.A.
to Hawaii, it didn't work. Same.
I know. I agree.
Because for audiences, when it changed, like, what are you doing? Because the essence of the show was the California Malibu lifestyle. And you would think Hawaii would be better because everything's like, and it just didn't work.
So they're going to try and double Australia for L.A. and it doesn't work.
Yeah. Oh my God, it would be so cool if they just brought it back here.
Yeah, he's really, he's fighting, but it's like the people like Newsom and them, they're just like, there's a chance, I guess there's a studio in Venice that's being, he's trying to get them to rehabilitate and they would shoot it there and try and bring a

you know bring millions

of dollars back to the state

but he took an

initial meeting with Newsom to see if he would help

subsidize the reboot

and Newsom's response was

I don't see

how subsidizing Baywatch reboot

would help the state of California

and the guy's jaw

just like dropped and when I heard that

Thank you. I don't see how subsidizing Baywatch reboot would help the state of California.
Oh my god, that's crazy. And the guy's jaw just like dropped and I heard that story.
We need to like do a massive campaign to bring the show back. Yes, like stay in LA.
Yes, and stay in LA. So Cody can be on it.
Come on. Cody, can you imagine Cody and your daughter on the show? That's what I already said.
What's her name? Brit, B-R-I-T. Brit, oh my god.
I'm like little backstory that my wife passed away, and I went down and blah, blah, blah. And she's already been in a couple of my movies.
She's beautiful. I'm sure.
And she can surf. She can swim.
She's part of the – what a better duo than the two of them. Yes, I know.
I will help you pitch. Yeah.
That's a great pitch. All right pitch yeah great pitch all right coincidentally before we run out of time because there's so much i want to talk about you were in a movie that i loved it's based on a true story soul surfer yeah about the girl that lost her arm the the what was her bethany bethany it's a true story she lost her arm surfing in hawaii and you one of my dear dear friends was the executive producer of Dominic Cayano he was one of the executive producer now he's the president of round table entertainment he was one of the executive producer in this movie I knew about the movie because of him I did not know you were in the movie was he there when we were shooting? I don't know if you probably because yes he was highly involved in the movie the guy well I did a TV show beyond the break that we shot in a while and then so Sean McNamara was directing Soul Surfer and right was it Sean? Dominic was one of the executive producers.
Yeah. And Doug Schwartz, one of the Baywatch guys, was producing it too.
So, wow. I don't even know if I'm...
Such a small world. Please tell him I said hello.
I will because now he's the president of Roundtable Entertainment. So maybe we can pitch the Baywatch.
They can help. See? All right.
Come on, Dominic. I'm telling you he's he's gonna listen to the other but i'll definitely connect you guys so how was shooting that movie because it's such an emotional story right yeah by the way if you guys didn't watch go watch it's a great movie it is great movie this girl is so brave yeah yeah in real life in real life i went on i did a diving show.
It was like a kind of a reality show.

It was for Fox, but basically they took a bunch of us. It was like Antonio Sabato Jr.
It was Bethany Hamilton, Terrell Owens, the football player, Alexander Paul. And they took us for like four or five weeks.

We were trained to be like divers, like real, like diving off certain, like, like, so either individual diving or like platform dive, like high diving or synchronized. And it was like, and then the end product was, we were going to go compete against each other during this live taping in like South Carolina.
And so I was with her a lot and we would be in the gym and like work out. And it's so crazy because she has like a little bit of arm left.
She, in order to keep that, she has to do all these specific, like hook up or like a strap and like do these, like, I'm like, Oh my God, that looks like it takes so much time. It's not like you can just like leave it.

Like she has to exercise what's left of her arm

and she's got a great attitude.

Yeah,

because for people

that don't know the story,

she was a real surfer.

She was surfing in Hawaii

and she got attacked by a shark.

She lost her arm

and she went back to surfing.

Yeah,

she's charging.

She's surfing like probably better than,

I mean. talk about the human

spirit right surf one armed is like i mean you can't even imagine especially in big waves and

she charges big waves so it's that's super ballsy and like i give her a ton of credit but um that was awesome i had written they so for my scene they were like okay you can you can because really really what happens when you have a victim like that who's lost an arm, there's a million things as the person who's like, I was in the ambulance doing all this stuff. And actually, the guy I worked with was Mike Newman because he was a firefighter.
So before we shot it, the writers and directors said, yeah, go work with Newman.

Come up with all your own dialogue.

Create all this business and we'll shoot it. And hopefully, you know, so I came up with all this bitching stuff where I'm doing all this like stuff where I'm stabilizing it before we get to the hospital and we shot it all.
And then I see the final product and they use like 30 seconds of it i'm like fucking kidding me dude like it was so it was straight up out of like a trauma room deal like i was like i had things in my mouth and i'm like doing like injecting her and then she goes into shock and i'm like anyway they only but still it was fun it was fun, my God. Yeah.
It's definitely a great movie.

Yeah.

Other than acting, I want to mention, because that's a really big deal to me, you do fantastic work rescuing dogs. Thank you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been rescuing dogs my whole life.
I have to rescue animals, to rescue babies. How did you get into that? um well i think the first time was, I think, at Best Friends Animal Society.
In 2000, they were doing this big pet adoption at La Brea, Tar Pits area. And they wanted actors to come walk dogs down a runway and try and kind of, say, sell them to the audience.
Because if those dogs did not get adopted that day at that adoption, they were going to be euthanized the next day.

Oh, my God.

So I was like, of course.

And that was my first introduction to best friends.

And I've been an ambassador kind of for them for ever since.

And at that same adoption, we were walking around and we found our first pit mix.

And we rescued that one.

That was the first one.

And then I've just I've been like my mom and dad always had a dog they had german shepherds for some reason that was their thing but we always had a dog i just have an affinity for dogs same more so than people look at my my dog is nicer than you we designed this this dog merch to help shelters so% of everything that the merchandise brings in, we distribute to needy shelters. So I brought you some samples for you and your family.
And then I'll connect you with the site so you guys can, whatever you love, we'll send more your way. Because I really admire your work.
There's a lot of great videos on your Insta. So when the fires happened, best friends actually asked, hey, will you come help load dogs? Because they were so smart.
Best friends, Paws for Life Canine Rescue, Angel City Pits, they anticipated the problem and they started flying animals, pulling dogs out of the shelters and flying them to other places around the country that have space, which is always the case. So this group, Wings of Rescue, which is like the number one animal transport either during natural disaster or if they're not flying during natural disasters, they're pulling from kill shelters and sending them to places.
So on the first day I went and worked with them, it's always at a private airport, like in Burbank or Vionnese, because you got to drive all the rescue group cars onto the tarmac, unload, blah, blah, blah. Oh, it's amazing work.
If you guys don't know what we're talking about, go check his Instagram. putting the link here on this episode and if you're listening to the audio episode make sure you go to the youtube to watch the interview so you can see his face yeah and so anyway wings of rescue as because he's like i need one guy inside the cargo area that can work hard and i work construction back east and you have to um you have to have to be like speed.
Like if you're not high speed and because the dogs are like, this is like a long day. They're stressed.
They've never flown. Um, we were, they were flying cross country.
So you gotta be like, if you're thinking about the dog, it's like life and health. You like, so I was like, I'll go do it, man.
So it was me, the pilot and him.

And he's just like telling you where to stack.

And I was just like head down.

And then afterwards he's like, seriously, that's,

I've never had anybody work harder.

And then kind of half joking up.

So he's like, do you ever want to come work for me or fly with us?

Like, um, we would love to have you.

And he didn't even know I was from Baywatch.

And then afterwards he asked the lady, he was like, who was that guy? And she's like, you don't don't know who that was that's the guy from like baywatch and he's like you're gonna be shitting me and then about a month ago you're so down to earth yeah which is really cool i was there for the dogs yeah thank you that's the dogs are very grateful for sure they're such angels they actually asked me to become a like an official part of their flight crew and um i've done so twice now. They have flown me.
I fly commercially to Dallas. And then the next morning, we load dogs onto their charter.
And then I would fly with them. And then so we fly from the two trips.
It was like Dallas to Maryland, drop dogs. Then we to New Hampshire, drop dogs.
And then up to Maine. And then you get to Boston and then fly back to la all in one day amazing it's like no sleep but just i love it it's always fantastic wings of rescue yeah and they're all they run their operation all on donations so like you should definitely oh yeah i'll definitely put them on no i i saw their work because i have another i saw some other girl that was helping them during the fires and it caught my my radar so i did i did tell my team like let's put them on the list you know donations with our doggy collection because it's a really big deal to me it is because they're really they're doing like what's happening in texas is so bad yeah and the that, that I've handled and seen,

like there was one dog broke out of its crate and the pilot,

when we were in New Hampshire,

I was like,

David,

will you come deal with this?

I don't want to deal with this dog.

It was like an 80 pound Pyrenees mix.

And it's like,

yeah,

dude,

I got it.

And I,

I had to get him out from the back,

carry him down a six foot step ladder.

And then I just sat with him on the floor,

the cargo plane all the way to Maine.

Oh my God.

And he was like,

just the biggest love. I was like, they just want love they just want love and um i asked rick the president his name is rick browd is the president of wings rescue i asked because he and his brother were on that flight and so uh coda was the dog's name i said how long would coda have he's like coda would have been would have been euthanized within three days to three weeks.
Oh, my God. Because he was of his size only.
Oh, my God. That's horrible.
So, like, probably out of all the dogs I've experienced in my life, the sweetest, most connected dog I've ever met. Oh.
Like, would have been killed. That's amazing.
That's such an inspiring story. Yeah.
You do incredible work. And for people that want to watch the documentary, it's on Hulu because I just watched it.
It's very emotional, very special. And what's next for you? I'm shooting a movie right now called Commander Down, which is kind of interesting.
Yeah, it's fun. Let me know when it comes out.
Yeah, but there's a movie that I'm really proud of that you have to check out. It's called Married Alive.
Married Alive. They just finished post-production.
I'd say it would probably be released, I'd hope, by summer, mid-summer. But I think out of all the years of my...
It's a long story, but I think it was the best was like the best script the best character the best crew all these elements came together at once and just like it's it's it's gonna like blow people's minds it's keep me posted because i'll definitely share yeah it's not like in none of its force it was written by and directed by bruce reesman who's it's just one of those movies that has every element and all every element is organic it's not so there's everything in there is like you know you're not once would you go well why is that you would never there's not a moment you'll question love it it's beautiful that's a like a story about how much i care about my son and like yeah it's really cool can't wait can't wait make sure you let me know when it comes out because I'll share with my audience because they love you. Yes, yes.
This was so much fun. It was such a lot.
I could talk to you for hours. I know.
We have to do it again because it's a rainy, cold day and you drove all the way from Alibabao to West Hollywood. We are so grateful.
Thank you so much, Dave. Well, maybe next time we do, I do a Wings Rescue flight that loads here here, you can come out.
For sure. You can shoot some footage for your show.
One million percent. Because it would be cool for people to see.
One million percent. I'm like a huge animal lover, huge dog lover.
Yeah, it really feels rewarding. Well, we're connected.
We're going to stay connected. I feel we're going to do a lot of other fun things together.
I hope so. It was such an honor having you.
Thank you for having me. Thank you.
And girls, you're welcome. Go watch the YouTube channel because he's too eye candy.
And that song, that song, right? They put the same song in the documentary that they watched. Yeah, like, I'll be there for you.
It was so cute. Debbie Gibson, I think, to redo her saying it.
Yeah. Okay, David, thank you.
This was incredible. Guys, be safe out there, and I'll see you again very soon.
Yay, we did it! Thank you! And if you guys love taking care of your bodies and health as much as I do, I invite you to check out this brand that I love so much, Nutra Harmony. Look well, feel well, be well, stay beautiful on the outside with care and health from the inside.
Nutra Harmony is your daily dose of perfection, confidence, health and beauty. Each supplement is made for you with love and care.
Made in the USA with globally sourced all natural ingredients. I love their biotin with collagen.
I am obsessed with their hair mask. They have so many incredible products.
I invite you to check out their website and shop now, Nutra slash Harmony dot com, or you can go directly on their Amazon store. You will absolutely love the quality of their products.

I am completely hooked and I highly recommend them.

Hey, Jamie McDonald here.

This is my brand new song. Send help from heaven Cause that's what I need I need heaven and I'm Desperate

Desperate

Oh, I need heaven

Need heaven and I'm

Be sure to check out my breakout single, Desperate, on all streaming platforms.