Episode 18 - Actor Pej Vahdat (The Old Man) / Actor Mapuana Makia (Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.)

Things Are Going Great For Me with J. Claude Deering

J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) spoke with actor Pej Vahdat (The Old Man). Pej is a prolific actor who starred as Dr. Arastoo Vaziri on Bones, Kelly Patel on Empire, and Kash on Showtime’s Shameless. He talks about the groundbreaking character arc of Dr. Vaziri on Bones. Struggling to get noticed early on in his career as a brown actor, and navigating an industry that often tokenizes and stereotypes Middle Eastern performers. He also talks about his stage work at Lincoln Center, his early career as a professional tennis player. And the incredible story of when he started his own agency in order to submit himself on projects.

Followed by a second interview with Mapuana Makia (Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.). Mapuana currently stars as Dr. Noelani Nakayama on the new Disney+ series, Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. She talks about doing a network showcase at ABC, and going on to shadow direct for the showcase, in addition to co-teaching workshops for program. She also talks about working as a dialogue coach on set, growing up in Hawaii, working with teen actors, her old day jobs in bars and restaurants, and creating her own voiceover and audiobook business.

Plus Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) and Claude chat about breaking the rules in art.

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