This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Jason A. Coombs: And that is the song that I play. Like, I mean, if you just want to feel like your hips, it's like lights off. Oh my God. I mean, tell you, like, tell me this doesn't make you want to just like, like, feel like sweaty, sweaty. I just want to be like, I just want, I just want, I just want everybody's hips moving. Right. I believe I truly believe as the song goes, I'm just want to like do it like looking direct. I just believe that if we all danced and like, let our hips go and do what we want to do and kiss your friends, that we all as a species would enjoy our lives more. We take everything way too seriously. All right, we'll do this bad boy.

[1:05] Jason A. Coombs: Hello, this is Jason A. Coombs. I'm here with Where the Light Lands on the Broadway Podcast Network live from the welcome to timesquare.com studios where you can be a star like my special guest here. I am so excited to be joined by actor Rodd Cyrus. I got to say this guy, let's do one of your other podcasts. And you said your lunch ladies call you double D.

[1:27] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah, that was my nickname growing up.

[1:29] Jason A. Coombs: That's hilarious. Nickname for like a five year old.

[1:33] Rodd Cyrus: Yes, great. It's a great nickname for Rod. If you don't know, is currently making his Broadway debut in Ragtime at Lincoln Center. Our production is running through June, 2026.

[1:44] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah, it is.

[1:45] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. And you may recognize him from television roles on The Equalizer and Ellsbeth, where he shared a screen with some truly iconic artists like Queen Latifah.

[1:55] Rodd Cyrus: You got to talk about that.

[1:56] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, we will talk about the Queen. His work spans stage and screen includes performances at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

[2:02] Rodd Cyrus: Keep listing off my resumes.

[2:03] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, you have an upcoming Netflix film.

[2:06] Rodd Cyrus: Yes.

[2:07] Jason A. Coombs: 72 Hours with Kevin Hart. Rod, you're a graduate of the Juilliard School. And I'm looking forward to hearing all about that on today's show.

[2:15] Rodd Cyrus: Let's do it.

[2:16] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. So we're gonna start with the basic question. What drew you into performing? Like, what was the catalyst that said, Hey, I want to do this. I want to make a career out of this.

[2:23] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. Well, I guess, I mean, to really pick at your question, there's a, there was a difference between loving it so much and then career out of this. I think we're two different things. Right. But I think I, you know, I think some people say they like came out, they could sing before they could speak. And they like came out of their mother singing and dancing. Right. I think I, I can't, this is so graphic and not that I think I came from my mom pretending to be other people, which sounds so odd, but I really do think that my first love was, I don't know if you had this, but growing up, if Halloween or anything, we'd have a box and my mom called it the costume box or like costume chest or whatever.

And so anytime we had friends over cousins over, I would just pull this out and be like, we're putting on a show. You're playing this, you're doing this, you're doing that. So I really do think my first love was just theater making and creation, storytelling, storytelling, yeah. And playing weird, different people.

[3:24] Rodd Cyrus: Um, and then the career of it, I guess, I don't know. It really felt like in high school, I had a really, really close knit theater group in high school. We did all the shows together.

[3:34] Jason A. Coombs: I love that.

[3:34] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. We were very, very tight. And, um, three of them were also going into the performing arts. So I think it just was this assumed thing that we all sort of were like, well, if they're doing it, then I must do it. You know? Um, my parents had a very different, um, point of view.

[3:50] Rodd Cyrus: Cause they're, they're in tech, right?

[3:51] Jason A. Coombs: Because they're in tech.

[3:52] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. Well, my mom's an architect and my dad's an engineer and I grew up in Silicon Valley, so like, you know, Apple, Google, Facebook, that vibe.

[4:02] Jason A. Coombs: Not Broadway.

[4:02] Rodd Cyrus: Not Broadway. Let me tell you, it's very different. Um, but so yeah, that became a big thing in my family, but I really, yeah, I felt that the career sort of, yeah, when I got to high school, it really felt like this is the thing. There's really nothing else that I, I could see myself doing.

[4:22] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my God. Wait, can I just tell this funny story?

[4:24] Rodd Cyrus: Please.

[4:24] Jason A. Coombs: I remember we did this thing where you have to take like a test online in my high school and it would tell you what it thinks that you should be when you grow up.

[4:33] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah.

[4:34] Jason A. Coombs: Did you ever do one of these?

[4:35] Rodd Cyrus: I don't think so, but I've heard other schools that I went to a very urban school that didn't care.

[4:39] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. We had this like career center and everybody would have to take this quiz on like, you know, you answer, it takes hours and then it would end and tell you like five options of what you should be, what you should do, what you should do when you grow up.

[4:50] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah.

[4:50] Jason A. Coombs: The first thing it told me that I should be when I grew up is a mortician.

[4:55] Rodd Cyrus: Oh God.

[4:56] Jason A. Coombs: Really? And the second one was butcher.

[5:00] Rodd Cyrus: Oh, I don't know how I feel about that.

[5:02] Jason A. Coombs: Sweeney Todd, Sweeney Todd is the role I'm meant to play. Is that not insane?

[5:08] Rodd Cyrus: That's a wild.

[5:09] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. So, so I, I decided not to do that in pursuit.

[5:13] Rodd Cyrus: A mortician and a butcher.

[5:14] Jason A. Coombs: I know. I don't know what questions it asked me to be like this man, death and blood and meat.

[5:20] Rodd Cyrus: Cutting meat.

[5:21] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly. Anyway, that's the longest answer to your.

[5:23] Rodd Cyrus: No, I love it. I love it so much. There's like so much I want to dive into because I think it's like, uh, I just remember like when I was told my mom, I'm going to go into theater. My mom is not theater person. She was like, Oh, okay. I did theater in like middle school and high school. She's like, Oh, I thought that was a hobby for you. And I was like, well, I guess it was, but this is something I really want to do. And of course she supported me, but she was like so shocked that I want to like make a career out of it. Cause you know, when you're from an Island, you don't think about, they don't think about dreams in that way.

[5:54] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah.

[5:55] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. You know?

[5:55] Rodd Cyrus: So what Island?

[5:57] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, Jamaica.

[5:58] Rodd Cyrus: Oh yeah. She's on her way there right now.

[5:59] Jason A. Coombs: I got amazing.

[6:00] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. She's literally flying. He just took off.

[6:02] Jason A. Coombs: So, yeah, well, I think there's something too about not, I, you know, my parents didn't grow up in this country and I think the first show my dad ever saw was when I was in one, he learned what theater was when he saw me on stage. You know what I mean? So if you're not exposed to it, right.

[6:18] Rodd Cyrus: I totally get why your son being like, I'm going to become an actor is like, well, hold up. What exactly? You know, exactly. And maybe we can just dive into Juilliard because I think I heard that you said, when you got into Juilliard, that was the first time your parents kind of were like, oh, this is like a real thing. Cause it was like, it was like a Harvard of like acting schools.

[6:37] Rodd Cyrus: That's my dad's quote. That's not my quote. That's my dad's quote.

[6:40] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. And how'd that feel? Do you feel, did you finally feel validated or?

[6:46] Rodd Cyrus: Well, totally. I mean, I think it's, I always say this, but anybody who goes to that school doesn't think they're going to get in. Like we're not sitting there. I think it's easy to think of the people who go there as like, oh, of course. They, and it's like, we all are like, we got, you pick me. I got in. So I think that I say this all the time because I auditioned without telling anybody, it was a secret. I just did it to see if literally I just want to be like, can I, let me just see if I can get it, let it be cool. That would be such a flex for me if I could get in. And then I got in and I was like, holy shit. Now I have to decide if I want to go there. And it's four years and I already had gone to school.

So it would have been for grad school, you know? So it was so many decisions that went into that, but all in all, it was the best decision I ever made. And I tell anybody to apply because you don't know what you're going to get in. And the master's is also free now.

[7:38] Rodd Cyrus: Oh yeah.

[7:39] Jason A. Coombs: So you can go to Juilliard for free for your master's and I would highly recommend a lot of actors.

[7:45] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. A lot of actors have these stories about just like the challenges because we all know this is not an easy, not an easy career. Was there a moment in your journey that taught you about patience and I guess persistence?

[7:58] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. I mean, I think my whole, my, I didn't get the leads in high school until really late in high school. When I got to UCLA, I've said this before, but I auditioned for, I think there's 10 a cappella groups when, you know, a cappella is really big at UCLA. It feels very pitch perfect vibes. And so I was like, okay, well, this is a BA theater program. It's not a BFA. I'm not getting as much training. So I'll join an a cappella group, sing some more. I didn't get into any of the a cappella groups, but do you know who did are all of the business majors and electrical engineers and software engineers, you know what I mean? And so I'm sitting here going like, whoa, I'm a theater major who's supposed to be studying musical theater and I can't get into an a cappella group.

How, how am I supposed to, you know, I'm a fraud. Like, what is this? Rod just quit while you're ahead, you know? So I do think that there was just something that I learned over time of just turning rejection or failure into some, you have to just find some way to turn that into fire.

[9:08] Rodd Cyrus: Ooh, yeah, that would be my, that's my thought. Turn rejection into fire. You have to, you have to turn it into, let me go take a voice lesson. Let me go take this class. Okay. I didn't get into that. You know, be sad for a day and then go do something about it. Your feelings are valid. Your feelings are valid. Right. A hundred percent. Own that. Talk to your friends, call your mom, call your dad, do whatever you need to do. Talk to your therapist and then pick yourself up and just like go back in and with a fire of not quitting, not quitting.

[9:38] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. So you worked across stage and screen. Can you tell us about the first time you booked your first TV spot and what that felt like for you?

[9:45] Rodd Cyrus: Talk about a win. I mean, I remember my first thing on TV really was when I was on Ellsbeth.

[9:56] Rodd Cyrus: Hi, I'm Ellsbeth.

[9:58] Rodd Cyrus: I know Quinn texted me already. I heard you can hook us up in Chicago. And if you don't mind, please sanitize before contact.

[10:04] Rodd Cyrus: Oh, wow. Thanks for the reminder. All good. All hands need to be on deck right now. So we're taking every precaution.

[10:11] Rodd Cyrus: Okay. So I'm going to go ahead and get started. All hands need to be on deck right now. So we're taking every precaution.

[10:17] Rodd Cyrus: Well, that must've been extra stressful when someone on your team got COVID right before the last company meeting.

[10:23] Rodd Cyrus: What?

[10:24] Rodd Cyrus: Oh, oh yeah. I mean, everyone on the team tested negative that day. So we figured it had to be the janitor or something. We did also go out for kombucha after, but we masked between sips.

[10:34] Rodd Cyrus: That sounds refreshing. Do you happen to have a recording of that meeting? I used to represent a lot of big Chicago hedge funds and I would love to show them Cerberus's exciting, youthful energy in action.

[10:44] Rodd Cyrus: Did you say hedge funds?

[10:52] Rodd Cyrus: Okay, look, I did secretly record the meeting because I'm making a documentary about Cerberus's rise. I'm going to sell my stocks after the IPO and pursue my dream of becoming an important voice in film. Like the Wayans brothers.

[11:06] Rodd Cyrus: And it was such a moment because it was just, I, when I, I graduated Juilliard into the strike, right? So that was a very bleak, you know, you come out of school being like, I'm ready. And then the industry is like, we're quitting. So it really felt, um, when I got that job to be like, oh my God, this is so exciting. Someone finally thinks I can say 10 lines in a TV show, which felt so challenging for so long to make people believe that I could do that. So, um, yeah, I remember running around my house and then calling my girlfriend and talking to my agents being like, like just screaming. Cause it felt, it felt really good.

[11:47] Rodd Cyrus: It does. It just feels amazing. You have to celebrate the wins because this is the ups and downs. The rollercoaster of it all is so many downs.

[11:55] Jason A. Coombs: There's so many towns.

[11:58] Rodd Cyrus: There's so many downs.

[12:00] Jason A. Coombs: What did that, uh, that was it one day or a couple of days?

[12:04] Rodd Cyrus: It was a few days.

[12:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. What does that experience that those couple of days on Ellsbeth teach you as?

[12:10] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. Well, so my scene, my main scene was with Carrie Preston who plays Ellsbeth and she also went to Juilliard, which is, so I'm not kidding. I'm sitting there. She's like, is this teacher still there? I'm like, oh my God. Yeah. We had the same tea. Like we're literally sitting there talking about having the same teachers because, um, it feels like people don't age at that school. So it was, it was kind of remarkable to sit there and just feel so connected and know that we view the art in a similar way and you're like peers in a way. I mean, I mean, I respect her so much. I've grown up seeing, seeing her work, but yeah, you know, I do think that there's something when you, you know, you meet so many artists and actors throughout this career and there's something about when you meet someone who speaks the same language as you, I don't know how else to put it other than you're kind of traveling New York and then you're like, oh my God, you speak my language and it just feels like your, your nervous system slows down and you really get to talk about, you know, you're, you kind of, you know, I was my first day on set.

I'm like, oh, hi everybody. Like nice to meet you. You know? And then like I saw her, we talked about having the same sort of views on stuff and you just feel your nervous system sort of relax and you're like, oh, okay. And I feel like it was so fun to play with her and to act on, on screen with her. It was such a good time.

[13:26] Jason A. Coombs: I love that for you.

[13:28] Rodd Cyrus: We think, I guess, do you feel like you prepare differently a stage piece versus a television, like, 10? Totally. Yeah, totally. Just because, just because you rehearse in theater, and you don't really, I mean, you really just like tell you to go sometimes you get like a blocking rehearsal. Yeah, blocking rehearsal is and to me that's that's a different that's sort of like find your mark. Where am I standing? Where's the camera? Are we close up? Or, you know, what's the angle? So you're really thinking technically in that sort of rehearsal. But it's not like you have weeks at a time to do table work. I mean, you might for an indie film, or if you're the lead of a feature, I would think that maybe there's just more time to talk to the director and stuff.

But you meet everybody that day, right? You know, you're not really preparing when for, you know, theater things, you have a three week rehearsal period where I come in with a lot more questions, like my script is filled with questions. I actually don't have to mark it all up. I honestly would be shocked and some of my scripts if you could see the script. Oh, I love that. It's like the writing I am literally highlighting. Yeah, I don't use different colors, but my pencil I just with a pencil. I'm like drawing I doodle. Yeah, yeah, you know, so yeah, my script is filled. But, you know, so with theater, it's a lot more questions when I do think with film and TV, especially if you're a co star guest star, right, and you're coming in for a few days, you really kind of just got to show up and deliver delay.

Yeah, yeah. Which I hate that word. But that's what it feels like you're like invited to their party. You're there for a few days, and you're kind of irrelevant until you're the most relevant person. And even say that about the directors for TV, right? Because they kind of just like rotate in themselves, too. So yeah, that's what they're so amazing, because they're able to do that, you know, like, they're not there all the time, but they come in and have a clear vision. But, you know, the series regulars, rightfully so get more of the time. So I do have respect for the guests, the guest stars and the co stars. That is some of the most difficult underappreciated work because it's hard to just pop in and right.

Just bang something out in two, three takes max, right, max. Yeah. Okay, we got to talk about Ragtime. I've heard about it. Let's do it. Right. The hit. I guess we're talking about it. Extension. So people are loving it. People are really loving it. How did that land in your hands? Like the audition? Did you like tell us everything?

[16:05] Rodd Cyrus: I heard that they were looking for a Houdini. Yeah. And you were like, that's the part I'm going to play. Well, honestly, I was like, why not? Yeah. I get sure, you know, and I love encores. I did one show before then I did The Light in the Piazza. So working at City Center was just one of my favorite experiences because it's so condensed and so intense. And it's sort of best idea wins because right, you don't have time to overthink anything. Right, right. And I just my, I just love the cast of Piazza so much. We still have a group chat that's still going really long later. And we've been together for like, almost. It's like two, two and a half. Yeah. But it's like we were together for, I don't know, three weeks.

And still, it's like, Oh my God. Yeah. So I met some lifelong friends in that show, too. So it was just such a good experience that when I found out they were looking for a Houdini, I was like, well, hey, yeah. And so then I reached out to my agent, and then I got an audition and sang a song. I sang my own song. And then I sang, I think a cut, a tiny cut of something Houdini sings. And then I, I did the Houdini little boy scene. It was the quick one of the quickest auditions I've ever done. And then Wow, c'est la vie. Yeah. Is that what they say?

[17:29] Jason A. Coombs: That's what they say. Yeah. And did you have a relationship to Ragtime before? Like, are you a fan?

[17:35] Rodd Cyrus: I knew this song. I mean, I feel like so many musical theater people, I knew the songs, because, you know, there's some of the greatest musical theater songs ever written. Wheels of a Dream. Yeah, Wheels of a Dream. I mean, back to before Make Them Hear You, there's just so many amazing songs. So I knew of the songs, and I'd seen a production of it in LA. But I just never thought that one of the three groups, because it's so clear what each of these groups are, that there was a part for me. Also, Houdini's 5'6", was 5'6". In real life, I'm taller than him. That I didn't, I just thought if someone wanted a Houdini lookalike, like I wasn't the guy. But as time's gone on, I actually really find, I mean, actually, I think I totally get why him and I have a connection.

Because I do think, yeah, I think that what he resembles in the show and so much of his personal life, the more that I've delved into him, I'm like, oh my god, I really connect to this man. I just do it shortly. Right.

[18:38] Jason A. Coombs: I'm kidding. I do it. I just am like, he's in this version, taller than 5'6".

[18:44] Rodd Cyrus: It's the magic of theatre. Totally. Suspend the disbelief. Age and height. Totally. But you think about it. I mean, I really, like for my acting process, like, you think about like a man who's 5'6", versus above six foot, just you see the world differently, you know, and I do think there's something I've talked about, you know, people who are 5'6", these men, it's like, there's something you feel like you have to prove a little bit more. And I do think that it's so clear to me that there's something that this little man got to really, our short king, as they say, like what they really, he needed to prove himself and just started to just become obsessive about these tricks that he was doing. So he was such like an innovator. He kind of like, he made the paparazzi craze that we have.

[19:34] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah.

[19:34] Rodd Cyrus: Right. We all blame Houdini. I think he was one of the first influencers. Right. I mean, the dude, it's so crazy to also be in this building doing this. He literally would hang off of cranes right around the corner. Like,

[19:46] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my gosh.

[19:46] Rodd Cyrus: I mean, one of my last lines in the show is Harry Houdini was hanging upside down high above Times Square.

[19:51] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[19:52] Rodd Cyrus: We're like, literally right there. Right. So. Wow. I feel him in the room with us.

[19:58] Jason A. Coombs: He is. I mean, he is in the room. Should we do a seance? Bring him back.

[20:03] Rodd Cyrus: Alan, come on, seance.

[20:05] Jason A. Coombs: Seance?

[20:05] Rodd Cyrus: I was just pulling up some seance music.

[20:07] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, good. Put it up. Put it up. Do you have the Ouija board?

[20:11] Rodd Cyrus: I asked for one for this.

[20:13] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my gosh. Have you ever used a Ouija board?

[20:17] Rodd Cyrus: I have.

[20:18] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. Is it a good memory?

[20:20] Rodd Cyrus: No, I mean, I say I have because I remember it being there. So actually, maybe we never played it. I think maybe all the friends were too scared.

[20:28] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, we did it once when I was younger. Guys.

[20:34] Rodd Cyrus: Now should we call? I feel something in the air.

[20:39] Jason A. Coombs: What if one of the lights just went out?

[20:41] Rodd Cyrus: I would start crying.

[20:43] Jason A. Coombs: And I'd be like, good God. Mr. Houdini, wherever you are, we come in love.

[20:49] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah, we come in love. Peace. We're very grateful for you, our short king.

[20:54] Jason A. Coombs: Our short king. And your legacy's lived on.

[20:56] Rodd Cyrus: I hope so.

[20:58] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[21:00] Rodd Cyrus: Getting back more serious.

[21:01] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, let's get serious.

[21:02] Rodd Cyrus: About Ragtime. It's such a, I mean, this is probably my favorite musical. I've like always loved it. And I never got to see it professionally until I saw your production.

[21:11] Jason A. Coombs: Wow.

[21:12] Rodd Cyrus: That's the first time I saw it professionally and blown away. You guys are all amazing. I love how, I don't want to ruin it for anybody, but your first appearance, how you just arrived, iconic.

[21:22] Rodd Cyrus: Thank you. I am having a great, I'm having a great time.

[21:27] Jason A. Coombs: You're like having your Glinda moment.

[21:29] Rodd Cyrus: I am. It's my bubble moment.

[21:31] Jason A. Coombs: Right, right. Politically resonant. It's a layered piece. How did you emotionally and intellectually prepare to enter this world? Especially now, right? We're living through these times where this administration is awful to undocumented people, to people of color, to women. Like, you know, it's just like, it feels like a whole step back.

[21:55] Rodd Cyrus: Totally. And mother said we can't go back to before.

[21:57] Jason A. Coombs: I know, right. It's so funny. Well, I shouldn't give this away.

[22:02] Rodd Cyrus: So. Yeah, we won't spoil it.

[22:03] Jason A. Coombs: Go see Ragtime, go get your tickets.

[22:06] Rodd Cyrus: Go see Ragtime. Get your tickets. What are you waiting for? We're there till June now.

[22:11] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, yes. Six months.

[22:13] Rodd Cyrus: Six months. It's such a great question. I think that I can't tell if it's in the wake of Black Lives Matter and after 2020 that there was so much dialogue about feeling like for so long we all had to come to work and leave our lives and who we are and certain beliefs that we have behind closed doors.

[22:36] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[22:37] Rodd Cyrus: And I do think this show, what it's sort of caused and doing it in 2025 is that we bring our political beliefs and our frustrations to the story.

[22:51] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[22:51] Rodd Cyrus: You know, I mean, I really, I mean, every political issue, everything that is resonant in our lives right now and the frustrations that we have with this government or frustrations that we have with where the world is or our fears going into it, that for me is all inside this musical.

[23:08] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[23:08] Rodd Cyrus: And I think that depending on what happens that morning in the news or what happens the night before we do that next matinee.

[23:15] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[23:16] Rodd Cyrus: You feel it in the room.

[23:17] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[23:18] Rodd Cyrus: You know, I mean, heartbreakingly, um, well, my girlfriend's from Australia, which is great, but heartbreakingly, I have been to Bondi Beach. I just, I've been there so many times, you know, cause I've spent a lot of time now in Australia and I love that beach.

[23:32] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[23:32] Rodd Cyrus: And so after what happened, um, during Hanukkah, the attack on in Hanukkah, it really like doing the show the next day, it's just like taught his themes and taught his story just was so much more prevalent. Like you could feel it in the room.

[23:52] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[23:53] Rodd Cyrus: That Jewish story was so palpable. And so I say this all because it feels like you can't, I've said, you can't divorce what happens in the world with what you see on stage. And I actually think that's so exciting that the youth and people are so in tune now with the news. And I think unfortunately, or fortunately, however you want to look at it for so many years, you could kind of just believe like the political politics are there in the back corner, but like, we're doing our lives here. Yeah. I don't know how to get involved. There's no way for people to not get involved. I mean, there's no way that so many things that are going on are really tapping into people's belief systems. And I think the show is asking those questions and helping people grapple with it.

And when we look out in the audience at the end, I mean, you really feel and see people are not okay. And, you know, I don't think this story is in any way trying to make people feel better. I mean, some may, some might feel hope on a day, some might feel tragedy on a day. I think that if you see the show twice, you'll have a completely different experience. And that's, I think what makes it feel so alive and why people are like, you know, I see them at the stage door, like, this is my fifth time. I'm like, yeah, I bet it was really different each time. Also, like, you must be rich because these tickets are so crazy.

[25:11] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, grateful for it.

[25:13] Rodd Cyrus: No, it's great. It's great. So what you're saying is at least, at least go twice, at least go twice, get two pairs of tickets.

[25:20] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, no, that's so important. I think that's like when I see show, I think there's room for all kinds of shows. Right. I feel like we need, we need the Ragtime. Is it? We need the, the Mamma Mia's. Yeah, I'm still okay. It's you. I am. You've been in Mamma Mia too. I have been in Mamma Mia too. I love Mamma Mia.

[25:36] Rodd Cyrus: Love Mamma Mia.

[25:38] Jason A. Coombs: But does your mother know?

[25:39] Rodd Cyrus: Does she?

[25:41] Jason A. Coombs: I think she knows. Mom, I'm sorry. Um, I, I say that just because I do think that there's something about a show like that. Then also I do believe theater can be a really good time. I do think that we can't have one without the other though.

[25:54] Rodd Cyrus: Right.

[25:55] Jason A. Coombs: And it's very true. You know, preaching.

[25:58] Rodd Cyrus: Thank you.

[25:58] Jason A. Coombs: Preaching. Let's talk about some of your, your cast mates. I feel like you have this remarkable, like iconic legends that are basically like modern day legends in this cast, Joshua Henry and Casey Levy and Brandon Uranowitz. Did I say that one right?

[26:16] Rodd Cyrus: I hope so.

[26:16] Jason A. Coombs: You did.

[26:17] Rodd Cyrus: Nailed it.

[26:17] Jason A. Coombs: Nailed it. Uh, so what's it like working with those like iconic musical theater folks, like walking through, I can't even imagine walking into the room and seeing Joshua Henry and hear him sing those songs.

[26:30] Rodd Cyrus: It's been, it's a masterclass. I think that if I went to Juilliard for grad school, this is my PhD. I don't know. It feels like being here at Ragtime is like watching some of my greatest teachers. And I felt this way when I did Light in the Piazza, which I mentioned while watching Ruthie Ann Miles do what she did in that show. I mean, it feels, it is not lost on me that I feel like I am watching these people who are so brilliant at their craft.

[26:57] Rodd Cyrus: And so being in the rehearsal room, I mean, I sometimes would, you know, I wasn't called every day. I didn't have a rehearsal every day, but I would go just to watch, just to see the way that they, you know, found this moment with the song or ask questions or the way that they navigated, you know, a challenging text or whatever it was. Like, I just feel, in the rehearsal room, I learned so much, but also now being a little bit into our run, I was saying this before we started even, but eight shows a week is no joke.

[27:30] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[27:32] Rodd Cyrus: I mean, you can prep for it in a way where I technically feel ready to do eight shows a week. I feel like I have the technique to do that. But it's another thing to get your brain to, because you literally cannot practice doing eight shows a week until you do eight shows a week.

[27:44] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, exactly.

[27:46] Rodd Cyrus: So now watching them, I'm sort of going up to each one of them and be like, how do you, how do you do this again and again? Is it like, you know, and I don't feel like it's moments on stage where I'm like, oh, this feels stale. Like, I feel like the technique I have can still allow that. I truly am not just saying this. I do feel like I find something new every night or something. I leave the stage. I'm like, oh, that one line, like if I hit that consonant a little bit more, I think it'll resonate. Or like that word or my hand. I think if I think Houdini actually doesn't, he doesn't have open hands because if he worked out as much as he did, he would be way more calloused and go out. And so I think his fists, he would actually like naturally rest in a more fisted position rather than a hand open. Like, that's truly like what I'm spending time just thinking about backstage.

[28:36] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[28:36] Rodd Cyrus: But my ADHD brain doing it again and again, it's just like I'm, I need to find variety in my life in other ways because the show is so consistent and reliability and consistency as an actor is very rare and a stable paycheck is so beautiful and I'm so grateful for it. It's the first time in my life I've had that, you know, so that's all nice. But then it's like throughout the, throughout the run, I have to find truly, I'm not kidding. This is one of my favorite things to do because I, it adds something new for my day. I get to sort of look at the show differently. I get to think about my life a little bit differently. So thank you for being my variety for the day and giving me a fresh thing to think about. I really appreciate it.

[29:17] Jason A. Coombs: Well, thank you for being on my new podcast. So exciting. I appreciate that man for sharing that because I feel like hopefully you'll have some younger listeners who need to hear this, you know, and I feel like it's important to know, like even people who are professionals, they still are figuring it out, you know?

[29:33] Rodd Cyrus: Well, totally. I mean, you're, you're still going to be figuring stuff out because you can't practice this. You can't practice eight shows a week. Like doing the school play is very different than doing a Broadway show over and over and over again. I love acting exactly the same. Like acting is, doesn't change, but there's something about consistency and repetition that is just something you can't practice for.

[29:56] Jason A. Coombs: I love it. Bringing it back to our homie Houdini.

[30:01] Rodd Cyrus: Oh my boy. Yes. Silence music. The lights are going to crash out again. What has portraying him taught you as either an artist or a human being?

[30:11] Rodd Cyrus: That you can do a lot in one lifetime. I mean, really think about how much one human can do in one lifetime. Right. Especially nowadays.

[30:21] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[30:21] Rodd Cyrus: I mean, he did this much back then. Right. And a hundred, you know, he died 99 years ago.

[30:29] Jason A. Coombs: Oh wow.

[30:29] Rodd Cyrus: And Dua Lipa put out a song five years ago called Houdini. Like this man has a legacy.

[30:37] Jason A. Coombs: Right.

[30:37] Rodd Cyrus: We all know who he, even if you don't know what he looks like, like, you know, there's like a magician man named Houdini.

[30:43] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. We learned about him in middle school.

[30:48] Rodd Cyrus: That's what I'm saying.

[30:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[30:51] Rodd Cyrus: You don't know like a punch in the stomach. Totally. Like he is a cultural, he really is, you know, people, I hate this word because people use it all the time, but he really is iconic.

[31:00] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[31:00] Rodd Cyrus: And I feel like what he's taught me is that, God, if you really want to do a lot in your life, you can, and people are going to tell you no, but you can just keep going and it doesn't matter where you come from. I mean, he was an immigrant. He didn't speak English when he came to this country. He had no money and he found a way to, I mean, he was clearly a brilliant businessman on top of being an illusionist. So I think it's also, that's a, I don't know, no one really wants to talk about that, but I do think as good as he was and as brilliant and innovative as he was in his art form, he was a really smart business person.

[31:41] Jason A. Coombs: Well, you kind of have to be, right?

[31:45] Rodd Cyrus: You kind of have to be. Show business at the end of the day.

[31:45] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[31:51] Rodd Cyrus: Which is such a thing, once again, going to just being this, this being my Broadway debut, like you can think you know what the business is and then being in show business is another thing.

[32:03] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[32:03] Rodd Cyrus: So I don't say this all to scare anybody. I think it's all beautiful and exciting. It just is real. You know, this whole thing feels very, very, very real.

[32:08] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. What is like a secret that maybe us muggles, right? Who'd never been on Broadway, don't know about being on Broadway? Like what is something that you would never expect? Because I'm sure most of us think it's like all glitz and glam and I'm sure it's not at the end of the day, because it is work.

[32:26] Rodd Cyrus: It is. I mean, essentially it's sort of what you said, and maybe people do know that, but it's a lot of blowing bubbles with a straw in your water.

[32:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[32:41] Rodd Cyrus: It's a lot of pulling your tongue to release tongue tension.

[32:47] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. Yes.

[32:48] Rodd Cyrus: It's a lot of, it's a lot of like, what steamer do you use?

[32:55] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[32:56] Rodd Cyrus: It's a lot of, oh, this lozenge doesn't dry my throat out. Like it really is those sorts of things that is what people talk about backstage. Less like, my life is so glamorous, you know, because I do think that that's what makes it so exciting and the allure be so cool is that what we do is amazing, but, and does have the glitz and glamour. And you know, there's moments of that, like opening night was, I was like, oh my God, where we met.

[33:29] Jason A. Coombs: I know, you look so amazing.

[33:30] Rodd Cyrus: Oh my God, thank you. I loved, that was probably one of my favorite things I've ever worn. But yeah, you do that. I mean, that night was actually so, such a clear testament because we got there, we're all done up and it's like, the photos, the meeting, the people, it was my first carpet. It's like, you have to go talk to this person and take photographs here and like all of this. And then you take those clothes off and we had to do a show. And so then I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, like let that go and then go get the straw to warm up to then get my body in check. Like, you know what I mean? And then you put all the clothes back on to then go to the after party. So that whole night was just such a clear, I think, testament to what you're talking about of, there is so much that is amazing and, you know, glitzy, but then you still have to warm up. People are still going to hear me today, you know?

[34:20] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, exactly.

[34:22] Rodd Cyrus: Um, yeah, so that was, I learned a lot that day.

[34:25] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, that was a great day.

[34:26] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah, it was fun. You asked such great questions on that carpet. I remember, because it was, like I said, it was my first one. And so I was sort of like, learning in that moment, like how much time do I have and how deep do I get in this moment? Like, there's only so much you can do in the two minutes we're talking, you know what I mean?

[34:44] Jason A. Coombs: You're super strict.

[34:45] Rodd Cyrus: They're, yeah, no, they are like...

[34:47] Jason A. Coombs: Because y'all have work to do.

[34:48] Rodd Cyrus: We got work to do. We got to do the three-hour show.

[34:51] Jason A. Coombs: It doesn't feel like three hours, though, honestly.

[34:53] Rodd Cyrus: Thank you.

[34:54] Rodd Cyrus: Literally, I cried like four times, at least, just like bawling. It's such a special, special, beautiful show. I think you all need to get your tickets right now. Pause this, go get the tickets.

[35:06] Jason A. Coombs: Do it.

[35:06] Rodd Cyrus: And yeah, I don't think we'd be, I wouldn't tell you, I mean, I would, because I meant I'm supposed to, but I really am just saying, I do think that, I mean, in the past week, you're seeing all the best of theater of 2025 and we're on every single list. Like it really is truly, it's not lost on me that this is not normal for a Broadway debut to be the show that everybody's losing their shit over. So the gratitude is just off the, off the charts for me, so.

[35:36] Jason A. Coombs: Good. Well, you seem like you're very humble and you clearly deserve it. You work,

[35:40] Rodd Cyrus: Thank you.

[35:41] Rodd Cyrus: You clearly work hard.

[35:43] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah.

[35:45] Rodd Cyrus: Because I listened to your interview, you said, I didn't want to talk too much about Juilliard because I know you talked extensively about it, but you said 3,000 people auditioned?

[35:51] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah.

[35:51] Jason A. Coombs: And they picked 18.

[35:52] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah.

[35:53] Jason A. Coombs: You got to put some work in for that. So like.

[35:56] Rodd Cyrus: Well, that's what I think, like, I had this conversation with Josh backstage, Joshua Henry backstage last week, where he was sort of telling me, he's like, you don't have to, there's a humility, like you just said, like you're like, you seem humble. I was like, thank you. I feel that. But there's also something about you can be humble and also feel ready at the same time. I think that both of those truths can live at the same time. I actually don't think, hot take, I don't think that the best art comes, I don't think an actor really can be doing their best work if you're feeling lucky to be there the entire time, and that's the only color that is inside of your body. I think there's a moment of like, when I got the call, I was like doing it, I was like, oh my God, this is so amazing.

I'm so grateful. We start rehearsals. I'm feeling so, we walk in, I'm like, oh my God, these are all my heroes. I'm going to do this thing. But then you turn that off because then I have to do a scene with these people. I can't actually be sitting there just being like, I'm looking at Josh Henry. That's not art. That's like fangirling and that's not conducive to a rehearsal space.

[37:01] Rodd Cyrus: So I say this all because I think the humility is totally there, but I do think that there's moments. And this is, I think what imposter syndrome is, I think people talk about so much is like, you can hold that truth, but then also you get to be an actor. And I have to look at them and go like, you know, the only way that Houdini, I think can really have the presence and size that I think he did. He's the, I mean, literally the whole point of him in the show is that he shows what an immigrant can do. And he's the fabulous immigrant and the celebrity who made it. I can't be on stage going like, I'm so lucky to be here. If I'm trying to channel celebrity energy, like, you know what I mean? So it really is. I think that that's really a beautiful thing about acting too, is that you can have these feelings, but then you have to manipulate your energy and warp your energy so that at the end of the day, the art for me is the thing that's the most important.

[37:50] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Thanks. You preaching?

[37:57] Rodd Cyrus: When someone gives me a mic, I will talk.

[38:05] Jason A. Coombs: Who are the other artists on stage and film or elsewhere who've influenced the way you go about your career or the way you want to perform? Anybody you want to name drop? Any people you admire?

[38:10] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. I mean, the first people that come to mind are Meryl Streep.

[38:17] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my God.

[38:17] Rodd Cyrus: Because she's the greatest.

[38:23] Jason A. Coombs: Literally.

[38:23] Rodd Cyrus: Literally. She can do anything. She can do anything. It's wild. She can do anything. The vulnerability in her eyes and body is just something that I've admired. I used to do this thing called Meryl Monday, where I'd watch a Meryl Streep movie every Monday.

[38:32] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, it's so good. I love her.

[38:39] Rodd Cyrus: Secondly is Viola, obviously. I love Viola.

[38:39] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[38:39] Rodd Cyrus: I think that the actors that I look, and I say this because I've had this conversation with her, is that she went to Juilliard as well. And I do think that she was talking about when she first got out, the uphill climb for her was so hard. And she was saying that the only way that now she's sort of able to have a little bit of say in the things that she does is when she started her own production company.

[39:00] Jason A. Coombs: So the actors that-

[39:04] Rodd Cyrus: Wait, I'm sorry. You said you were having this conversation with Viola Davis? You were having this conversation?

[39:09] Rodd Cyrus: Yes. I actually interviewed her. I was like, in my head, I'm like, wait, did you just say that? It's kind of a funny story, actually.

[39:15] Jason A. Coombs: Okay. I'm sorry to interrupt you.

[39:19] Rodd Cyrus: No, no, no. Well, do you want to hear the story?

[39:19] Jason A. Coombs: I do.

[39:24] Rodd Cyrus: Okay. So our fourth year at Juilliard, we do this thing called an interview project where you have to interview a real person and you just let the phone record them. And then you compile 10 minutes and then you do a monologue as that person. Wow. So I was like, who do I want to do? And I was like, I want to do Viola Davis. So we have a mutual friend. So I interviewed her. Well, I asked my friend, can I contact? And then she was like, sure. So then I interviewed Viola. And I did my piece as Viola.

[39:50] Jason A. Coombs: Love that.

[39:50] Rodd Cyrus: And it was so funny because she actually mentioned, she said this line, I'll never forget. She goes, you can't learn this lesson in room 304 at the Juilliard school. We were doing this monologue presentation in room 304 at the Juilliard school. So it was kind of amazing to have this like, what is that word?

[40:01] Jason A. Coombs: Meta.

[40:01] Rodd Cyrus: Meta?

[40:01] Jason A. Coombs: Right? Is it meta, Alan?

[40:01] Rodd Cyrus: Kismet. Kismet. I think it's meta. What's the word?

[40:21] Jason A. Coombs: I don't know the word I'm looking for.

[40:25] Rodd Cyrus: One of those like moments where you lift yourself up out of it and you're like, this is so crazy. Wow. So I don't know who is that? That's the guy from the Simpsons. I'll look him up. Really? I usually get Joe Jonas, which I don't see either. I love Joe Jonas. I love Joe Jonas. Joe Bros. Yes. That's so funny. Wow. Okay. So where were we? I look up to Viola Davis because she has a production company. Yes. I look up to Oscar Isaac because I love his work on stage and film. I think for me, I need to see Frankenstein. That's on my list. Yes. I think so. The actors that I really look up to are the ones who believe that what we do as actors is a very noble profession. And I believe that our artistic taste and our say deserves to be at the table and not just a sort of pawn where everybody makes the creative conversation and then you tell the actor what to do.

Right. So I'm just excited by the people who found a way and in my conversation with Viola that a production company and producing your own projects is the only way that you kind of, unfortunately or fortunately, get to have a say on the work that you do. Double D Productions.

[42:02] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, that's so great because I've had to think of a name for... I mean, I think it's a good one, but you know.

[42:09] Rodd Cyrus: No, because it's kind of dirty, which I love and kind of so confusing, which I also love. Wow. This is all right. Thank you for that. Well, you know, you heard it here. Yeah. You heard it here. Let's go to like the theme of this podcast. I actually feel though, like what would people think I'm producing? I might think you're doing like a movie fans. It's an only thing. Double D Productions doesn't feel like I only do Hallmark movies. Okay. We'll think about it, but we'll workshop it. Yeah, we'll workshop it. Yeah. Yeah. So this podcast is about where the light lands. Right. So do you remember you've had so many wonderful experiences and you're still so young. So that's wonderful. We have so much more to get through, but do you remember the moment where the light landed for you personally or professionally and how you stepped into that light?

[43:01] Rodd Cyrus: Can you tell me more? I mean, I, there's so many, my brain's going so many places. So light being... It's like a metaphor for just like the lights on you. Like, this is your moment. Like I would think, like I would think if I was in your shoes, it would be the Ragtime openings. I felt like, you know, you had a, I feel like everyone kind of works for that, right? To get your Broadway opening. But I mean, I don't want to tell you what to feel, but I feel like that's really interesting. I mean, that's so, my first thought went to, I'm really good in a crisis. Oh, I said personally or professionally. So. Well, yeah. I don't even have an example right now. Other than sometimes, I don't know what it is.

Like if something's like the crazy person on the train, like I ended up being the, like, what do I need to do? Oh, I love that. So I don't know. It feels like the light goes on for, for me when help is needed. Yeah. Like Superman. Are you going to play Superman? Batman. Which one's the one who has the light? Oh, that's Batman. Super, super bad. I don't think I'm Batman, but I do think that the light on I find to be less like light on me. Look at me moment, more light on me. It's time to help.

[44:25] Jason A. Coombs: I love that. Yeah. We need more people like you. We need more helpers. But I do think that there's, I just believe, I believe that our art form is a generous one. I believe that what Josh is doing, what Brandon's doing, what Casey's doing on that stage every night is an act of generosity. What Ruthie Ann Miles did in Light in the Piazza is one of the most generous things I've ever seen to know what her life is and to know how much she believed in this story to go and tell this story is like a beautiful, selfless, selfless act of generosity. And I think that I, okay, to answer your question, I think the moment that I learned what that was the most was having to do our city center production of Ragtime the night after the presidential election, because I did not want to go on stage.

I wanted to cry my eyes out. We all wanted to cry our eyes out. Right. But I was like, this is why my teacher said that art is an act of service is because y'all paid and want to sit. We all want to sit in some sort of thing as a catharsis to have together about believing in what this country can be. It's my job, our job, the 40 of 50 of us backstage, the orchestra included, to go up and let you all grieve. Even though more than anything, I just want to go and cry is that it's for you. And the light is now on me, us to hopefully be a beacon for people.

[46:02] Jason A. Coombs: Love it. That's powerful. I can't imagine having to do that show after that. I truly think if there was a documentary of us having to do that show during that week, it would be fascinating. Yeah. Because the week before the election versus the week after was just like a completely different life. There wasn't much light after. No, but that's why the audience is like lost their shit. I'm sure. Yeah. You know, back to before, before it was like, yeah, we're not going back to before. And then like after the election, it was like, we are not going back. You know what I mean? People were really just so moved and you could feel that in the room. Yeah. Wow. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah. We're almost done. I hope I answered that question. Wow. Yeah. We have like two more little quick things I want to do with you. One more final question.

[46:56] Rodd Cyrus: Okay. Is there a particular role or show or collaboration you want to manifest with me today with me and Alan today? Alan's in the room too. I'm a big manifester. I think it's important to manifest what you want to put it out there. You don't have to, but you know, there's something you want to do. The two things that I want to do besides double D productions is I guess I have to play Sweeney Todd because I was told that I should be a mortician and a butcher. I don't know why. I think it's because one of my favorite movies is Saving Private Ryan. Oh, that's a good movie. I want to be in a war movie. I want to be like the guy who's like, ah, why do I have a gun? I don't want to have to do this.

Do you write? I do. Maybe you're going to write that. I've written a film that... Oh my God, it's too painful because I thought it was bought and then it wasn't bought and then anyway, so I'm working on it. Just sent it to some people to read. So hopefully double D productions will come through with that future film. But I, I don't know what it is. I just like loved war movies growing up and believe that you really just in those times of crisis, you see the heart of people so much. And so I would love to do that and I really want to play Bobby in Company.

[48:22] Jason A. Coombs: Oh yeah. Those are great. We're putting it out there. We're putting it out there. Here Houdini if you're out there. Yeah. Can you say some help? Help a boy out.

[48:33] Rodd Cyrus: All right. The next part is called scoring the moments. Okay. If your life were a movie right now, I want to know what song would be playing during these special moments right now. Yeah. So Houdini by Dua Lipa. Well duh. That's it. That's my answer. But if it was like a whole movie, so like the opening credits, what would it be playing of my, of your movie, of your sound, like the soundtrack to your life? Is it a biopic of my life or is it in this moment right now? Oh, so you're, you're, you're challenging me. I mean, I want to answer, I want to answer. Good. No, good. I think it's like, if your life were a movie, if my life were a movie, how would my, what would the opening credits of my life be? The opening song. Thank you.

[49:18] Rodd Cyrus: Of Riverdance. I love Riverdance. It's called... I'm going to get emotional. Oh my God. It's so good. I'm literally going to cry. Thank you. No one needs to see me cry. Oh my God. It's so good. It's so good because it's so, I believe what, I'll get to what my beliefs are of what the, my beliefs on like the potential that our world has to do right. What it can do, would be the opening song to Riverdance called Real Around The Sun. It's one of my favorite songs. I grew up on it and it feels like it encompasses birth, death, life, and it's a bop and you can dance to it too.

[50:25] Jason A. Coombs: Yes. You, you Riverdance. This is it. Oh, should we take the whole eight minutes to listen? Oh God. Okay. Um, see, do you see that? That would be the moment I was birthed in my film. Um, I can, this is how I, I literally listened to this to like walk to the theater every day. I listened. This is always on my top plate. Spotify Raps is number one every year. It's all albums is always Riverdance. Did you have another question? Well, yeah. What? Well, no. Did I answer this one? You did. Yes. Great. Okay. I love that you got so moved by that.

[51:06] Rodd Cyrus: I didn't. It just comes up on me. It just calls out. Thank you. Um, so I hope this is correct. I switched I've been listening to you a lot of your other podcasts this past week. What song would score the chapter where you were watching The Music Man in the cafeteria window?

[51:21] Rodd Cyrus: Oh my God. You really did listen. I think at that point in my life, my favorite movie and man who is so dear to my heart is Dick Van Dyke. And so it would be Toot Sweet from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where he plays that candy and then it's like the dog whistle and then all the dogs come in. It'd be Toot Sweet or Choochie Face, which is the duet between the King and the Queen where he's trying to destroy her. Um, it'd be a Chitty Chitty Bang.

[52:11] Jason A. Coombs: Happy birthday. Happy hundredth birthday.

[52:14] Rodd Cyrus: Right. Well, there's something new on the scene. A mouthful of cheer. Wait, did you say Houdini died 99 years ago?

[52:22] Jason A. Coombs: 99 years ago. So he was Halloween. Wait, so he was alive when Dick Van Dyke was one years old when he, oh my God. Oh yeah. I'm really bad at math. So I'm like, no. Did they cross over? Did they cross over as the question? I think they did. Overlap. If he's a hundred and he died 99 years ago, I think Dick Van Dyke was a, was one years old. I mean less the time of the year. That's wow. Harry Houdini and Dick Van Dyke might've overlapped lifetimes.

[53:00] Rodd Cyrus: Oh wow. You were right. Oh my God. That's crazy. Well, I saw something that when, you know, Dick Van Dyke's hundredth birthday happened, there was a list of all of the things that Dick Van Dyke is older than. And one of them was sliced bread. Like that's so insane.

[53:14] Jason A. Coombs: That is insane. That is insane. Like there's something that, you know, people are like, what lives rent free in your head? I probably think weekly about how wheels weren't on suitcases until the like truly, I think it was the seventies.

[53:29] Rodd Cyrus: Really? That's wild. People were just like lugging those.

[53:32] Jason A. Coombs: People were like picking them up with their hand. What? Do you know what year it was? No, no.

[53:37] Rodd Cyrus: That they put wheels on suitcases.

[53:40] Jason A. Coombs: Alan. So it's like sixties or seventies.

[53:44] Rodd Cyrus: 1987. Oh my God. Okay. They patented the four wheel suitcase in 1970. They put the telescope.

[53:55] Rodd Cyrus: I think it's my grandma. I'm such a grandma's boy. I mean, both my parents worked growing up, so my grandma took care of me. I mean, I say that, but my mom's always like, you act like you didn't have parents. I'm like, no, I had parents. We had a very, very special relationship growing up. And she doesn't speak English still. She's 93 or 4 and I think she's almost 94. And so we are so close. We're both Geminis, grew up like born a week apart. And I was May 27th. And she just was, is, is still, still, still the life of the party in a way where I'll call her. I'd be like, what are you doing? She's like, I was out at a party last night. I'm like, I'm not kidding. I'm literally not kidding you. When I think about who I am, this woman was literally when I was two years old, three years old, would teach me jokes during the day.

We'd practice jokes and stories so that then when we went to the dinner party that night, she'd put me on her lap and put me in a literal bow tie and dress me up and then go like, tell everyone. And I remember one of my first memories is me sitting in this room of people with my grandma, sitting on my grandma's lap and then telling jokes to people and listening. I think it was something too about like getting that laughter and getting my grandma to pat me on the back and be like, good job. I was like, I meant to do this. Thanks, grandma. So I think that she goes out still. She's like a party girl. She came, she literally came two, three weeks ago. She had her little walker. My family came up with her cause she needed some help.

My girlfriend was fantastic, showed her how to get up the stairs and all that stuff, but it was, she, she's so cute. She can't really see that much anymore. So I was like, did you know what was going on? And she was like, yes. I mean, the moment that I recognized it was you, you left the stage. But I mean, how amazing. She lives in Boston and she came out to see it. So I love that. It's pretty amazing.

[1:01:30] Jason A. Coombs: Congrats. Thanks. Love that. What's her name? Shout her out.

[1:01:34] Rodd Cyrus: Her name's Jilla. J-I-L-L-A. Yes. My girl. That's a queen. It is. She really is. And last one. Yeah. I feel like I've taken so much of your time, but I'm like, Oh my God, I could talk all day. Um, is there a cause or a nonprofit or creative space you want to shout out? You like to put some light on as we're heading out of this interview or can be another person you want to.

[1:01:54] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. I mean the, I don't know if this answers your question, but this is the first thing that came to mind. Do you know Rick Steves is?

[1:02:04] Jason A. Coombs: No, he's, do you know Rick Steves is the travel?

[1:02:10] Rodd Cyrus: Rick Steves, bitch. No, not, I don't know who that is.

[1:02:14] Rodd Cyrus: That's Rick James. That's Dave Chappelle as Rick James. Rick Steves is a, the most wholesome man. He's a tour guide and writes books about Europe travel. Like he, and I, I fell in love with the way that he writes about traveling and, you know, he puts these DVDs. He, back in the day I'd watch DVDs of him being like, so in Spain, this is what I did in these cities. So he's amazing. Anyway, he did a book signing last year at Barnes and Nobles and I went to it, got to meet him and he gave a speech about his new book. And something that he said that stuck with me so hard was he was saying things like, instead of when you like a traveled massive travel tip for him was like, don't, if you can, if you can avoid traveling by air, try and travel by land or by sea because you'll get to meet people along the way and go to the little cafe and see the little places and experience the people who work at the train station, not just getting from airport to airport.

That was one thing he said. And then the thing that really stuck with me is that he's like, I don't believe that you should be allowed to vote if you don't have a passport. And I feel like there's something inside of that that is so core of my belief system that I think we as Americans, because we think that we're exposed to so many different cultures because there's so many different people who live here, that we think we understand the world, but the world is so much bigger than us. And I believe that a passport and getting out of this country and seeing the world and seeing the way that other people think and what other foods taste like, not Chinese takeout just from your like neighborhood place.

I love Chinese takeout. I'm just saying like, go to China. You're able to go to these places. And I think there's something about my family's from Iran. I can't go there, unfortunately. That there's this longing for me about getting to experience other cultures. That's why I love Riverdance is because it's not just Irish dancing. There's so many other cultures in there. And I believe that my cause I want to share a light on is culture is so important. And I think go, I think right now as a society, we are way too focused and care about cultural appropriation. And I think that we are allowed to, I'm giving my friends and people in my circle, permission to fall into like, let the pendulum swing because get back into the curiosity of what other cultures are like. And I think that the lines get really stiff and I think we need to blur them for people to feel like we're allowed to love people in a way that can let our country be as exciting as we want it to be.

[1:05:10] Jason A. Coombs: Mr. Rod Cyrus. Clearly, I feel like I gave speeches. I'm so sorry. I know you don't like this word, but iconic.

[1:05:18] Rodd Cyrus: Oh my god. No, seriously. You are such a wonderful human being. I'm so happy to talk to you. Thank you.

[1:05:24] Jason A. Coombs: You as well. Thank you. My lips are so like, it's dry in here. What's going on? I'm going to go home and steam.

[1:05:30] Rodd Cyrus: Alec humidifier next time.

[1:05:35] Jason A. Coombs: That would actually be a really funny interview. Like a theater thing where we're both sitting with our steamers and doing it and just going like mid steam.

[1:05:42] Rodd Cyrus: Mid steam. You call it mid steam. That's a good name.

[1:05:47] Jason A. Coombs: But once again, I don't know if people, mid steam could sound like, no?

[1:05:52] Rodd Cyrus: It's not just giving like steam room.

[1:05:54] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, maybe like the bath house.

[1:05:56] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. Double D productions, mid steam.

[1:06:01] Jason A. Coombs: We know where you're going with this. Can you say where can people find you online?

[1:06:04] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah. It's no more of you.

[1:06:06] Rodd Cyrus: Sure. You can follow me on Instagram at Rod Cyrus.

[1:06:10] Rodd Cyrus: I think I also am. There is a tick tock there.

[1:06:17] Rodd Cyrus: It's just like, why add another one? There's so many of them. I know, but you do it so well.

[1:06:22] Rodd Cyrus: I try. It's really hard. My cousin is like 58 and she's like got like 40,000 followers. She's like, she's inspired to me. I'm like, if she can do it.

[1:06:32] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, totally.

[1:06:34] Rodd Cyrus: But it's so hard.

[1:06:34] Jason A. Coombs: It is so hard. So yeah, Instagram also tick tock, but mostly Instagram. And what your website?

[1:06:39] Rodd Cyrus: Oh, I mean, if you want to.

[1:06:40] Jason A. Coombs: For the people who are 58 and above.

[1:06:43] Rodd Cyrus: Yeah, exactly. www.rodcyrus.com.

[1:06:50] Jason A. Coombs: Amazing. And you can find me on Instagram, tick tock. We're the Light Lands pod. Thank you so much, Rod.

[1:06:58] Rodd Cyrus: Continue killing it.

[1:06:59] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. Thank you. I hope I get to see the show again before June 2026.

[1:07:04] Rodd Cyrus: You will.

[1:07:05] Jason A. Coombs: It's a gift.

[1:07:06] Rodd Cyrus: Surely.

[1:07:07] Jason A. Coombs: Thanks. Bye.

[1:07:08] Rodd Cyrus: Oh, that was good.