Joe Manganiello (Deal or No Deal Island); Chase Stokes & Lana Condor (Valiant One)

0:00 In this episode of Pop Culture Weekly, I talked to Joe manganello all about Deal or No Deal Island, and I talk with Chase Stokes and Lana Condor all about their brand new movie Valiant One. Let's go Welcome to pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon from my Heart Radio, your pop culture news, views, reviews and celebrity interviews on all the movies, TV, music and pomp culture U Crab Weekly. Here's Kyle McMahon. Nick Na Na Na Nit, Hello and welcome the pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon. I, of course am Kyle McMahon, and I thank you so much as always for hanging out with me for another episode of pop Culture Weekly.

0:44 This is an interview only episode, and I promise you next episode we're going back to you know, the typical format, but we have a couple of interviews to for today. First up is Joe Manganela. Oh, Joe has been an actor, you know, in the business for a while. It's been both in TV and film, and I would say his first big breakout role was as Outside in True Blood on HBO and he was a fan favorite that entire run from twenty ten to twenty fourteen. He's been in all kinds of movies and TV shows. As I mentioned, he of course is Big Dick Ritchie in Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, Death Stroke, of course, the famous DC comics villain in Justice League, among many other titles.

1:39 He's also very passionate about fitness. He was a three sport athlete in high school and college. He's authored books on health and wellness and has been a huge advocate for numerous charities as well. So Joe is currently hosting and producing Deal Or No Deal Island on NBC and Peacock, to spin off obviously of Dealer No Deal, and this features contestants that are competing in physical challenge on an island, and they retrieve briefcases containing cash values, and then the winner of each challenge selects a selects a contestant to play the Banker's Challenge in a segment that's like the traditional Dealer No Deal. And in the first season the winner won three point seven five million dollars. So it's pretty high stakes, pretty nice. Season two has upped the stakes and it's it's really just a fun show. So I'm going to talk to him about that and about Army of the Dead, going to ask them for an update on Army of the Dead Las Vegas as well as you know what we can expect from him next.

2:48 So let's get in to my interview with the one and only Joe Manganella. Hey, Joe, how are you. I'm doing well? Thank you? First of all, thanks for speaking with me. I really appreciate it. You are in the middle of Deal or No Deal Island season two. How did you get involved? You know, you're hosting and producing. How did you get involved in that? It was an incoming call NBC and end of all, Shine wanted to speak to me about this show idea that they had and we had about a ninety minute conversation. It's about like twelve twelve people on this on this call, and you know, once they started explaining it to me, I just knew like that this is my show, like you know, and this is a perfect, perfect show for me and my personality. And then they thought the same thing.

3:43 So it was we were off to the races. Yeah, and it's so so enjoyable to watch you and especially in you know, a it's not a film role, you know what I mean, or a television role in that traditional regard. It's more you're more loose and your personality really shines through. Great. Yeah, I think it's it's very close. Big I am. I would say that. Yeah, And how has the experience you know, now you're in the middle of season two, which is on right now, how has the experience been for you? You know, you have one full season under your belt, you've assumed film the second season which is out. Now, how's it been for you the experience overall? Was it what you thought it would be?

4:25 Well, you know, you never know. You never know how people are going to receive it. You never know how the game is going to go, if things are going to line up. But all of that has far by far exceeded my expectations. And I just love it. I love I love hosting the show. I love running the show. It's a blast. And you know, I hope I get to do it for many, many, many many years. So I mean, I would do this show forever. It's awesome. I love that and I think people are enjoying it. I certainly do, and you know, people that I talk to, I really think it's a great twist and it's fun and it's it's it's just a great show, So kudos to you on that. Are you able to as the host and ep are you able to kind of you know, do you ever have favorites and if so, are you able to separate that from as a viewer, as a fan of what's happening, from you know, somebody that's running it.

5:23 Sure, yeah, no, of course I I Yeah, there are people that especially sometimes you hear somebody's story and you think, boy, you know, it would be great to see them win this, or you know, or just certain people's personalities you're like, oh, that person's that's a great person. That's that's all. You know, they're just super you know, you're rooting for them. And then you know, conversely, sometimes there's people that you know, you're like, boy, I'd really be okay if they got eliminated, you know. So so yeah, you have your human you have all those those you know, you have all those impulses. But but my job is to not ever let that get in the way of what's going on in the show.

6:05 But you know, again like being aware of it and also being a conduit to the audience. Yeah, my brain is processing all that information in a way that's like hm, I bet you. If I think this or feel this way about a person, the audience is going to think and feel that way too. So you know, you're being very conscious of all of that while you're running a game. And are you ever surprised at the outcome? You know, obviously as viewers we are, but you have more insight, a lot more time with the contestants and the games and all. Are you ever, you know, shocked at what happens, just like we are watching? Of course, So you see me in season one, I'm fist pumping. I can't believe it Boston Robb hit that target.

6:46 I was like, what you know? I mean, you're just you know, I'm setting up the drama. I'm setting up everything so that when that that final event happens and that challenge happens. You know, it's like setting up the you know, the putt to win the Masters, or you know, you're you're setting up that that that near perfect bowling game with one ball left, or that ninth inning you know, two outs, you know that that at that you're setting all of that up. So yeah, I mean you get caught up in it all, of course, and especially this season this season, the person that Wins breaks the all time television game show record, and it was the most insane thing I've ever witnessed in my life.

7:32 Wow, as you're watching or I'm sorry, as you're recording, you know, filming. Uh, and then you go presumably there's a period where you're able to step away after it's wrapped. Do you go and watch with that same excitement you know when it's when it's on NBC. Yeah, of course. Well, you know, I'm also on you know while during the process of editing, you know, I'm always in there and I'm going in as well, refinding the episodes and tweaking and fine tuning, and you know, I give notes and things like that on episodes and what works and what doesn't or you know what I think you know was missing or things I remember that that that you know that are in the can somewhere from from shooting from the Island. But yeah, no, of course I've you know, I actually just watched the finale of the season put together, and I was like jumping in my chair. I mean, I'm not I'm not kidding.

8:30 It's like, yeah, it's it's electrics. Talk about a teaser for for the challenges are there challenges that because it's got to be fun to come up with some of these. Do you how does that process work for you when you're working through them? Well, we we have a team that that puts together challenges. I I get to pitch challenges as well. But but you know, the complex and the strategic and you know, and there are certain kind of guidelines that you follow, and there's certain aspects to the show's own personality that you have to kind of follow. You know that that kind of differentiate our show from some of the other competitions here. So but yeah, I mean once once I'm there on the island, you know, I'll go out while the team is testing out the challenges with we have kind of like stand in contestants and things like that, so I'll kind of get a feel for how it's going to run. I want to understand where the you know, where the where the the strategic points are. You know, I want to I want to try to wrap my brain around it so that I'm ready, you know, and I know what I'm looking at and I know it's at stake when when the actual challenges are filmed. So, yeah, it's the process.

9:42 Have you ever participated in any of them yourself. I mean, obviously not in the show. I don't really have time for it because of just my schedule when I'm there, you know, like you know, but but I definitely want to. Are you kidding? So finally, you you have some cool stuff coming up, including a film called Nona's Right. Yes, how excited are you about that? It looks great. It's going to be on Netflix towards the end of the spring early summer. Great comedy that I played Vince Vaughan's best friend. And there's some other great Italian American actors in it. Lorraine Brocco, Italia Shire, Brenda Viccaro, Drea de Matto, Linda Cardolini. Great, you know, it's all about being Italian Italian food. It's fantastic.

10:29 And what else can we look forward to in the near future for you? Well, I some point in the future, I've filmed a begun filming for One Piece, which is the adaptation of the best selling manga and anime and Japanese history that was adapted by Netflix and it's become the biggest show in the world. Yeah, play a very notorious pirate on the show and that'll start airing at some. Point awesome, and uh, the Army of the Dead Las Vegas? Is that ever coming? It's dead? Okay, gotcha?

11:10 That is uh. As far as like what happened, I'm probably not at liberty to say yeah, yeah, yeah, that is all right. Well, Joe, thank you. I can't wait for everybody to continue watching Deal or No Deal Island. It's so much fun and you're just so great in it. Thank you, Thanks man, I appreciate it. Have a good day. Thanks. Such a great guy. I love his work. I love I like this is I love the Magic Mic films, which sounds crazy, but they're actually like really great dramas. I mean that, you know, and it has super high pedigree for the filmmakers. So but he's great in those films. I love him in of course True Blood and really just everything he's done.

11:56 So love having him on. Hope to have him again or known As, which comes out later this year. All right, let's take a quick break thirty seconds, and when we come back, we are going to speak with Chase Stokes and Lanta Condor all about their brand new film Valiant One. All right, welcome back. Thank you for hanging out with me and supporting our sponsors that make this show able to happen every single week, every single episode. So next up, Valliant One is a new film from Steve Barnett the director, and stars Chase Stokes and Lanta Condor. It follows a routine mission by an army helicopter crew kind of in between the borders of North and South Korea. I guess at the border, and ultimately I'm trying to be as spoiler free as possible. Sergeant Edward played by Chase Stokes is assigned to a mission who kind of must step up.

13:07 Lana Condor plays Selby and so it's a great war film, but it's like an actiony thriller war film. It's really enjoyable and Chase and Lana are great in it. So Lana Condor is an actress who made her debut as Jubilee in X Men Apocalypse. Then of course, Lara Jekovey into All the Boys' movie franchise films. Great actor with an interesting life, and she's amazing in Valiant One. And that Chase Stokes best known as John the star of Outer Banks on Netflix. This is his first big starring role in a big film like this, so he also is currently dating Kelsey Ballerini, So like, what awesome? So, in any event, let's talk about Valiant One with Lara Condor and Chase Stokes. Congratulations to both of you on the film. It really is a awesome movie that is both action packed, thrilling and dramatic, and it really is enjoyable to watch. So congrats to both of you.

14:16 Thank you very much. So let me start by asking Lanna. I believe that I read were you once in the Navy? No? No, my brother, My brother's in the navy. Your brother's in the navy. Yeah, okay, so he's actually currently stationed in Japan right now. Oh wow, Well, thank you, thank you and your brother for his service. Did you talk to him at all, you know, as you were preparing for the role. Honestly, not really. I I think I didn't talk to him because I I don't know why. I talk to like my uncle, who's a general. I talked to other family members who are in the military, But for my brother, I didn't really talk to him about it. I don't really know why. I think maybe it came from this sense of like I really so badly wanted to do him justice, and I felt like just nervous to even bring it up. So I actually didn't really talk to him about it, but I will say, like, he doesn't often watch a lot of my work, and I do think that this might be one of the first movies that he watches of vine. So that's great. Well, oh my god, I hope he likes it. I guess we'll find out soon.

15:29 Yeah, so are you nervous about that? I feel like that's like a big thing. I'm really really nervous. I'm really, really, genuinely, honest to god, nervous, like I'm going to throw up. I just like, really, really. I really did want to do this movie for a huge part because of him, and I my heart will break if he says like I didn't do it right, because we really tried on this film to honor the men and the women that serve and we tried so hard to make it realistic. And I think if he were to tell me that it wasn't and that would be a real that would be a real bummer. Yeah, is that what attracted you to the movie? Yeah?

16:13 Definitely the familial tized I know that Chase has comes from a military family as well, but also the opportunity to show a different side of myself as an artist. I feel like I've been doing rom comms for so long and I love doing them, but I know that there's more in me and I really wanted the opportunity to show that, and so hopefully that came through. I think it did. How about for you, Chase, what attracted you to the role of Brockbank. Yeah, I think it's everybody has that friend that you look at and you say, you could just be doing so much more with your life. Yes, And the fact that there was a character that I felt that immediately jump off the page, felt like a story and a character that I wanted to bring a life. And then when Lana jumped on board, it just felt like a really cool opportunity because I knew that we had a similar want to flex that muscle in different areas of our careers. So I knew that she had like a hunger to be like, all right, hold my beer, like let's see yeah, and I was in the same space, So yeah, I think just that. And then you know, my grandfather and my great grandfather served, and I have friends who are in the military, and I just wanted to do a different version of a war film that felt a little more character focused, and this really hit home for me.

17:30 I love that. And one of the things that I love about the film is, you know, it's very raw in the fact that Brockman, you know, all the characters, but Brockman, I think in particular. You know, I feel like he's a leader, but he needs to get there. You know. It's kind of like a flaws and all sorts of thing, which is kind of all of us, isn't it. Yeah, I mean I think, you know, he is the modern tech soldier. He is somebody who sits at a desk nine to five and analyzes data and assess the situations, and that's what he does. He's been a basic like everybody else. But just like with Selby, you know, these characters haven't been in the field, right, there's no combat experience. So when you're faced with adversity, what happens? You know, do you go instinctually into that training that they all have.

18:15 And there's something really interesting about the human experience when fighter flight comes in and what happens there. And so watching him shift from you know, like you hear wanting to go to Silicon Valley and have a seven figure contract into you know, becoming a leader and taking on responsibility was a fun role to, uh, to kind of tackle. How about for you, Lana, I think I think it's kind of like adapter or die. And I think I think what you said about like fighter flight or freeze that is so true. And I think I hope that audiences will be will come out of the theater. And be like empowered that like they no matter what, can survive if you want to, you can survive. You you just got it. You adapt period. I mean we're seeing that, you know, all over the world. But it's like there are people, there are normal people put in put in extraordinary circumstances, and you have to adapt and you have to keep going and and you are strong enough to do that. And I mean I even like even with the oh God, even with the LA wildfires, like seeing the community come together and being like, Okay, we're gonna do this, like we're going to support each other, We're going to get through this devastating time, Like that's in all of us, even if we don't necessarily think that, you know. And I think that's empowering and very and a great message.

19:44 Yeah, and you know, kind of along those lines now that I think about it. I love, you know, big giant superhero movies as much as the next person. But Valiant One really kind of looks at our every day superheroes, if you will. And you know, it's interesting to me because, as Chase was saying, you know, in many ways, you're sitting at a desk and and what a hero may look like traditionally to somebody might not look like that to what others think, but still they're they're doing it, you know, in support of the mission, which is to keep us safe or you know, whatever that may be. So you know, it really does the film really does kind of take a peek under that curtain, if you will, in both ways. Right, well, yeah, thank you for that, yeah, of course. And Chase, you've spoken about having imposter syndrome before, which I think, I know I've struggled with myself as you have been establishing a career as an actor. Have you found that you know, you're leading a film with Lana right now talking, you know, doing a press junket for it. Does that give you more comfortability or is that something that you think is still a struggle.

20:59 You know, I think think my goal is just at my core, I just want to tell great stories with great people and continue to collaborate in this space. And I think whenever you put yourself out there, especially in the artist's space, it's vulnerable and you're naked often and there's nothing not scary about that, and I think the beauty of it is finding that that little switch in your brain that gives you the opportunity to just push forward and give the performances that you're really proud of. And so I think I'll never not have imposter syndrome, and I think I allow myself to be at peace with that. But ultimately for me, you know, like I'm just very fortunate that people like Lana want to do films with me and they believe in my art in the same ways that I've believed in hers and will continue to believe in hers. And I think that's just where I'm at, and it's just the next right thing, you know. I can't get too far ahead or look too far back, because none of it matters as much as this moment in time right now.

21:55 That's beautiful. And I don't know either of you have ever heard of the book The Power of Vulnerability. Brene Brown. But I'm trying to like make that my bible because you know, as you said, being vulnerable putting your art out there or telling somebody how you really feel is scary, you know, And there's a whole world, it seems sometimes that is out there ready to judge you whenever you do take that step and be vulnerable. So I applaud you both for speaking about it now and being brave enough to share your story because it helps, in my opinion, it helps so many other people that are like, wait a second, I feel that too, and Chase is saying that, so it's okay for me to say that, you know, so thank you for that. Similarly, Lana, you know, is that something you struggle with too? As you and Chase headline valiant one to be.

22:44 Frank, I, I have a really strong belief in myself. I yeah, I think it was the way that I was raised. But I like, my dad has a quote where he says greatness is coming, and he said that to me since I was a baby and I was raised to be proud of who I am. I was raised to be like confident and smart. I think, of course, of course, there are days where I'm like, oh my god, like I really really really like I'm insecure and I'm nervous about this, that and the other thing. But in terms of my work, like I actually do have a sense that like I love to act, period, this is my favorite thing to do. Like acting is all that I want to do, and therefore I just want I just want to step into it, like I do have this kind of maybe it's a delusional sense of confidence, but I think so far it's working out.

23:48 I was just gonna say not to cut you off, like you you are so like it was really fun to watch and it really encouraged me, like you were instinctually so good at this craft and you are so like she comes to set and it is it is true, Like it was really mind blowing to watch, like instinctually you're right on the nose and if it's not that, the way that you can adjust and adapt and her emotional range in this film is absolutely bananas. And I'm super excited for you as a co star, as a friend, for people to see this performance because even watching it last night, I was like, oh my god, like I'm so emotional watching the way that you connect with Diana who plays been and it's just cool to see people that you care about and have shared the screen with get an opportunity to flex the muscle in a way that maybe the world hasn't seen and to be able to take confidence and power in that is so badass.

24:38 I just love what we get to do. It's the best and I and I just never wanted to go away. Totally agree with you. Well, I will say as a viewer and as a movie lover, and you know, it is a joy to watch both of you. However, both of you get there. You're getting there and you're delivering for you know, audiences like me. And it's so important in my opinion, for storytellers, whether it's actors or creators or journalists or whatever it is, to continue to tell their stories of people and humanity and all of that. And I can't wait for everybody to see Valiant One. Thank you, Lana, Thank you, Chase. I really appreciate your time.

25:19 Thank you so much. Thank you for supporting the film. Man. We appreciate it. Of course, have a great day, guys. Yeah you too, our condor and Chase Stokes. I'm telling you you got to go see Valiant One if you like First of all, if you love like the kind of military war movies, you'll absolutely love this. But it's a great thriller, it's a great drama. It really is a very enjoyable film that I highly recommend you go and check out. So all right, that is all for this episode of pop Culture Weekly. We will be back next week with the usual format. We got a lot of great stuff coming up. And if you haven't noticed, I am pumping out videos across all social platforms. So there are some of my classic interviews, the long form ones. There's clips you know, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, wherever you are, hopefully pop Culture Weekly is there. So let me know what you think, comment on the videos, let me know what you want to see. Hit me up.

26:19 What do you want to see more of? What do you want to see less of? What ideas do you have that we can do. Continue to be a part of the show because the show does not exist without you. All right, I will see you next week. I love you, We. Thank you for listening to pop Culture Weekly. Here all the latest at pop cultureweekly dot com. Whoam into Spare