Danay Garcia | From "Fear the Walking Dead" to NBC / Peacock's "M.I.A." | Food for the Soul

[00:00:00] Danay Garcia: You know, the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl- Right ... but then there's the commercials in the Super Bowl. And I realized, "Oh, my God, I think I kinda done something special here." I feel so proud. I feel so American as being part of the culture.

[00:00:13] Announcer: Welcome to Story and Craft. Now, here's your host, Marc Preston.

[00:00:17] Marc Preston: All right.

[00:00:17] Marc Preston: Here we go. Back again, you and I, another episode of Story and Craft. So good to have you. If this is your first episode, welcome. Glad to have you as well. Uh, today, sitting down, having a fun, lively, uh, conversation. Or actually, it's a fun conversation with a very lively, cool guest, Danay Garcia. Uh, she was in the show Prison Break, also spent a number of years on Fear the Walking Dead.

[00:00:43] Marc Preston: The new show, M.I.A., on NBC and Peacock. It was a great conversation, talked about her, uh, history, her heritage coming from Cuba. Had a great time talking with Danay. I think you'll enjoy this as well. Hey, uh, don't forget to make sure to grab your [00:01:00] phone or whatever device you're listening on, make sure to like Story and Craft.

[00:01:04] Marc Preston: Follow the show, because that way you'll get notified every time a new episode comes out. It also helps people to find Story and Craft, which I appreciate greatly. You can also go to storyandcraftpod.com. Everything you wanna know about the show, it is right there. Also, Substack, uh, just go to storyandcraft.substack.com.

[00:01:24] Marc Preston: Okay, so let's get after it. Today is Danay Garcia Day right here on Story and Craft. So

[00:01:31] Danay Garcia: am

[00:01:32] Marc Preston: I saying your name right? It's Danay, correct?

[00:01:34] Danay Garcia: It's Danay.

[00:01:35] Marc Preston: D- Danay. Danay. Okay. Yeah. Good, good, good. Like,

[00:01:38] Danay Garcia: don't deny it.

[00:01:38] Marc Preston: I'm not going to, I promise. Um- So where are you joining me from today?

[00:01:43] Danay Garcia: I'm, I, I'm in Austin, Texas.

[00:01:45] Marc Preston: Ah.

[00:01:46] Marc Preston: Well, you're just a little bit north of me. I'm down on South Padre, so we're n- we're not that far- Oh, so we're

[00:01:50] Danay Garcia: in Texas, same state.

[00:01:52] Marc Preston: Yeah, we're not that far from each other. Yeah, a treat. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I see you're, uh, you're originally, uh, uh, from Cuba, correct?

[00:01:58] Danay Garcia: That is right. There. I'm from [00:02:00] Havana. Yes.

[00:02:01] Marc Preston: Wow, from Havana to Austin. Uh, uh, I gotta know, are there, are there a lot of similarities? Are there, uh, are there things you see in Austin that remind you at all of Cuba, or is it totally different?

[00:02:11] Danay Garcia: Well, the weather is pretty, um, straightforward, right? It's hot.

[00:02:16] Marc Preston: Hu- humid, yeah.

[00:02:18] Danay Garcia: Very humid. We don't have the oceans, but we have beautiful rivers in Austin.

[00:02:22] Danay Garcia: Uh, so it's, it's, it's a good combination. Uh, South Padre Island, I remember everybody was like, "If you want the beach, go to South Padre Island." Mm-hmm. That's like, that's the closest to Cuba I think there is. I think you're closer to Cuba than me in terms of experience.

[00:02:36] Marc Preston: Well, prob- yeah, you know, you know, it's funny enough, uh, being from Dallas originally, uh, where I grew up-

[00:02:42] Danay Garcia: Oh

[00:02:42] Marc Preston: it's, it could get ironically more humid there than it could get down here sometimes, which is just odd. But it just, you get that h- really oppressive heat in Dallas and, you know, where, where it's like- Yes ... 100 degrees is no big deal. I'm like, down here, if it gets, uh, really far above 90, it's a rarity, you know?

[00:02:59] Marc Preston: Um-

[00:02:59] Danay Garcia: You [00:03:00] know, I did a show called Prison Break, and we shot it in Dallas. Oh, that's right. And- That's

[00:03:04] Marc Preston: right ... it

[00:03:04] Danay Garcia: was so hot, and I remember thinking, "How, why does it feel hotter than in Cuba here?" And, and the reason, and then I figured it out, and I think that's what you're experiencing is that- I, I think it's all the concrete

[00:03:15] Danay Garcia: you don't have an ocean.

[00:03:16] Marc Preston: Oh,

[00:03:16] Danay Garcia: yeah, yeah. You don't have an ocean, and the ocean has breeze. Like, you can't out... Like, it's just, it cools you down. Like, and in Dallas, it's just not, you're not close to any mass of water, and so- Yeah, I think it's- So the ocean-

[00:03:29] Marc Preston: Yeah, I think it's the largest- Yeah ... landlocked city in America, I think.

[00:03:33] Marc Preston: I think somebody told me that once.

[00:03:35] Danay Garcia: Yeah. That's like, that says a lot about how

[00:03:37] Marc Preston: big and hot. Yeah, they got creeks That's about it. Yeah, no, no, there's some lakes there. You know, people go do the lake thing, but, uh- But

[00:03:43] Danay Garcia: still, they're, they're not big enough to cool you down. They're

[00:03:45] Marc Preston: not-

[00:03:46] Danay Garcia: Yeah ... they're not like, you know, like in Austin, we have the Colorado River-

[00:03:49] Marc Preston: Oh,

[00:03:49] Danay Garcia: that's right

[00:03:50] Danay Garcia: it runs through the downtown and, you know, there's still some... If you sit by the river, it's not as intense, like when you're like in the middle of flat [00:04:00] desert, you know?

[00:04:01] Marc Preston: Well, you know, it's, it's funny, 'cause I did a little bit of, uh, I don't like to do a lot of research, research, 'cause I always like just to sit down and have a conversation.

[00:04:08] Marc Preston: But I did run across something that, uh, you know, I always end up talking food at least once on every episode, and I noticed you do, like you're a, you're a foodie. You're a kind of a cooking sort of maven. We're, we'll touch on that most certainly, but I gotta know, Austin, have you ever been to, uh, Franklin Barbecue, Monica Jatz?

[00:04:26] Danay Garcia: Of course. Of course.

[00:04:28] Marc Preston: Okay. God, to live like you're- It's amazing ... uh, you know, I try, I've tried to go there so many ti- well, so many, a few times, and it's either the line was crazy or it was COVID. Or it was COVID and- Yeah ... you know, they, they did the thing where you had to order ahead, and I'm like, "Oh," you know.

[00:04:42] Marc Preston: So it's

[00:04:43] Danay Garcia: like- No, no, you can't do that. No. You have to live the moment. Like, yeah. Eating during COVID was a nightmare for me. Like it just, the whole experience of eating just goes away by the amount of preparation before you eat. Yeah. It's [00:05:00] just too much.

[00:05:00] Marc Preston: Well, there's a place here on the island that they still have it.

[00:05:02] Marc Preston: It's, they've got a vestige of the, uh, uh, COVID times. They still have one of those like little scanners, you go and you like look at, and then it scans you and it gets your temperature or whatever. They never took it out of the entranceway, so every time I go there, I always take my temperature just for fun now.

[00:05:16] Marc Preston: You know what

[00:05:16] Danay Garcia: the temperature...

[00:05:18] Marc Preston: I'm like a l- I'm like a little kid. I'm like, "How, what's my temperature now?" Um-

[00:05:22] Danay Garcia: Before I eat, I need to know h- what's my temperature. That's funny.

[00:05:25] Marc Preston: Oh, I should be doing it- That's funny ... on the way out, especially if it's spicy, you know. Um, but, but how long have you lived in Austin?

[00:05:31] Danay Garcia: I've been here since full... Well, I, I did a show called Pr- uh, Fear the Walking Dead.

[00:05:37] Marc Preston: Right. Right.

[00:05:37] Danay Garcia: And Fear the Walking Dead, uh, we did two seasons in Baja in, in, in Ensenada. Oh, yeah. And then they moved us to Austin in 2018. So I w- I, I got a good taste of Austin before COVID, which was... But, uh, you know, working, it's like you don't get to be exploring the city.

[00:05:54] Danay Garcia: Yeah, yeah. I mean, especially in the apocalypse, it's like so intense. You just don't. But, uh, but then in [00:06:00] 2020, that's when I relocated for good, 'cause I, the whole traveling during COVID while being in production was so complex and you just, I just never wanted to get sick 'cause I don't wanna stop production, so.

[00:06:11] Danay Garcia: I

[00:06:11] Marc Preston: know. It was, when I started this show is, is right around COVID, and there were still, there was a few times when I'd be talking with somebody and they would have to go do their COVID test before they go on set. And then there was- Oh ... uh, one guy I, I was speaking with, they sent somebody to his house to swab his nose And then- Yes

[00:06:29] Marc Preston: you know.

[00:06:29] Danay Garcia: So I decided to stay here, like in Austin. Yeah.

[00:06:33] Marc Preston: So they shot, uh, Fear the Walking Dead in Austin? They moved the production there?

[00:06:36] Danay Garcia: Yeah, from Ensenada. So we shot season two, three, um, two and three in Ensenada, and then we moved to Austin, uh, with the season four, five, six, and seven. And, and we did, uh, uh, and yeah, and six, and then seventh we did it in Savannah, Georgia.

[00:06:55] Marc Preston: That's cool that they brought the- Which is another kind

[00:06:56] Danay Garcia: of hot. Oh,

[00:06:57] Marc Preston: yeah.

[00:06:57] Danay Garcia: Savannah.

[00:06:58] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah. [00:07:00] I, uh, used to live in San Diego, and, uh, everybody would go talk about going down to Ensenada and getting the, uh, lobster tails. That was, you know, of course we're back to food again. Yeah. But, um, but I've, I'd never made my way down there, but everybody said the, the seafood was amazing.

[00:07:13] Marc Preston: You know, I admittedly, I only saw the first season, and there's so much stuff out there I gotta keep track of and watch for fun- Yes ... and for, you know, doing this. But it was an interesting spin on the, uh, on the original. Was the premise for, f- for like me, a guy, that I didn't go beyond season one- That's good

[00:07:30] Marc Preston: but did they, was the idea that you're moving... W- was it the same core cast, uh, every, every season? Or was it kind of a re- Yeah ... Okay.

[00:07:40] Danay Garcia: We started with the family, and the family, actually the first season they shot it in Canada and was pretend to be Los Angeles.

[00:07:48] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:07:49] Danay Garcia: And then the family that starts the, the, in the apocalypse, they go to Baja, literally escaping the US.

[00:07:56] Danay Garcia: Like they cross the border in a boat.

[00:07:58] Marc Preston: Um, and that- Right. Right.

[00:07:59] Danay Garcia: I remember

[00:07:59] Marc Preston: that. I [00:08:00] remember that, yeah.

[00:08:00] Danay Garcia: And that takes us to season two, which they land in my colonia, Luca, uh, uh, um, Luciana. And, and then, and then that same core family keeps going and going, and we lose a couple of the characters, but then we reunite at the end.

[00:08:15] Danay Garcia: So it's basically the same core family that we follow for, for years.

[00:08:20] Marc Preston: Yeah, I remember the first season they were at like a... Weren't they in a hotel? Wasn't that kind of the, where they're, they started off as their kind of the home base at first, and there was a, I know a yacht was involved. I don't... I gotta go back and watch.

[00:08:31] Marc Preston: I, I- Yes ... I, you know-

[00:08:32] Danay Garcia: Yeah, yeah. There was Rosarito Beach and, uh, hotel. That was season two. That was really when the apocalypse was hitting. 'Cause the first season was more like- seeing the world collapse. Right. In, in The Walking Dead, you know, the main character goes into a coma, and when he wakes up, that's the apocalypse.

[00:08:48] Danay Garcia: But in our- Right ... show, the prequel, we actually get to see how the world really starts crumbling, and these people are, like, dealing with that. So yeah, that's the difference too. Yeah.

[00:08:58] Marc Preston: It, it's one of those shows, I don't know why [00:09:00] I stopped watching it. I, I, I enjoyed the original show. But I think there was a- Yeah

[00:09:04] Marc Preston: certain fatigue after a while of just kind of... 'Cause it's heavy, you know? It's a, it's a lot of, you know, uh, you know, vi- Very

[00:09:11] Danay Garcia: intense.

[00:09:12] Marc Preston: Yeah, yeah. So before Fear The Walking Dead, like, uh, like when you were, when you were first approached on that, I'm assuming you already knew about The Walking Dead. That was something that was already on your- Oh, yeah

[00:09:21] Marc Preston: you know, radar.

[00:09:22] Danay Garcia: Yeah, yeah.

[00:09:22] Marc Preston: So how did that come together for you?

[00:09:25] Danay Garcia: Well, you know, I auditioned, and I, I was like you. I watched The Walking Dead, but when the prequel started, it was very new that I haven't been able to see it, like, as it was coming out. So when I start, when I auditioned for it, I looked at the first few episodes and I realized that, you know, in The Walking Dead, the number one was Rick Grimes, and he was a male.

[00:09:45] Danay Garcia: Mm-hmm. But in female, in, in Fear The Walking Dead, our number one was a woman. So it was basically polar opposite, like, in ways to approach this entire world. And I, and you know, women in the apocalypse, in, [00:10:00] in this universe, they're really badass. Oh, right. So I knew I was going in for a treat in all kinds of way.

[00:10:05] Danay Garcia: Uh, so I really got excited and, and I just went and I put my heart on the audition process. And when I got it, I was literally put on a train from LA to San Diego. That beautiful train ride- Right, right ... I don't know if you-

[00:10:19] Marc Preston: It

[00:10:19] Danay Garcia: runs,

[00:10:19] Marc Preston: runs right along, uh, the

[00:10:21] Danay Garcia: beach Right on the r- Yeah. Yeah, it's so beautiful.

[00:10:24] Danay Garcia: I'll never forget that first ride, uh, getting ready for, uh, Fear, uh, reading my script. And then I crossed the border, and the next day I was in the apocalypse in Mexico, and it was one of the most... I, I felt like I was living just such a precious world, uh, where it was so dark and beautiful at the same time, and, and it was just, it was a great transition in my life.

[00:10:48] Danay Garcia: Yeah.

[00:10:49] Marc Preston: Yeah. That's, what a great place to shoot it, though. You know, that's, um-

[00:10:52] Danay Garcia: Oh, gosh. Yes, yes.

[00:10:54] Marc Preston: Beautiful beaches.

[00:10:54] Danay Garcia: We shot it, we shot in, in Baja, uh, Fox Studios. That's where [00:11:00] they shot Titanic.

[00:11:01] Marc Preston: Uh-huh.

[00:11:01] Danay Garcia: Uh, they, so we, we were in the lot of- this insane infinity pool that they built with a huge rig where they put the Titanic, like, sinking, and it was right off in cr- in front of the ocean.

[00:11:15] Danay Garcia: And imagine, you're having lunch where they shot Titanic, X-Men, and all these iconic cin- you know, movies. Oh, cool.

[00:11:23] Marc Preston: I didn't even know that was there. I didn't know they had a, a filming location in Baja.

[00:11:27] Danay Garcia: Yeah, the Baja Studios, that's where they shot Titanic, and it was where they shot the infinity pool. Like, like, you can see the ocean and the water and, you know, there's a pool and it just, you could not see that there was, like, a little, uh, y- you can see...

[00:11:42] Danay Garcia: I mean, it was incredible how they did it. It was amazing.

[00:11:45] Marc Preston: Well, I'm curious- Yeah ... kind of going back, where did you originally, when you, when you came from Cuba, how long ago was that, uh, that you came over here?

[00:11:52] Danay Garcia: I came in 2003. Okay. Uh, I came in 2003, and it, it, you know, it, I started basically modeling and [00:12:00] doing commercials.

[00:12:01] Danay Garcia: I did-- I, I studied dance in Cuba, so I, I w- I go back to, like, ballet and flamenco and all this. Like, I feel like if, if you come from an island like Cuba, it's like you, dance is inevitable in your life. Oh. It's like either you play baseball or you sing- Yeah ... or you dance or you play dominoes. It's like, it's part of living.

[00:12:21] Danay Garcia: It's part of, like, growing up. And so, so then, but I, I, I ended up doing theater in Havana. And then when I came to the US, I just, I just went to commercials and I just started, like, the, I got my SAG, Screen Actors Guild card doing a, a Old Navy commercial. I'll never forget for the theater. Yeah. So we really start, like, doing Old Navy commercials and, and all this, and then little by little I got a movie and then I got another film.

[00:12:49] Danay Garcia: My first film was with Marisa Tomei. It was a movie called Danica. Mm-hmm. Uh,

[00:12:53] Marc Preston: and,

[00:12:53] Danay Garcia: and it was just an incredible experience. But my base was theater in Havana. And

[00:12:59] Marc Preston: then little by- Well, but where [00:13:00] did you first, uh, where did you first arrive when you got here? Where was your initial destination? Los Angeles. Oh, La-- So, so you went right- Los Angeles

[00:13:06] Marc Preston: you went right to where it was happening.

[00:13:08] Danay Garcia: Yeah.

[00:13:08] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:13:09] Danay Garcia: Yeah, yeah. And the, and, and it was, you know, it was a long process starting out. Uh, but it was, you know, coming from ballet and cl- and dance, you know that art takes time and, and- Mm-hmm ... you know, before you do, you get to do anything good, it's, it takes time.

[00:13:24] Danay Garcia: So the patience, which is someone, something that people get really hang on to, like, "Oh, it's, I'm not making it," it's like, it was an easy transition. And also the language was another barrier that I had to really perfect and overcome and, and be present, uh, you know, speaking in English, whether it was acting or not acting.

[00:13:45] Danay Garcia: It was, it was, it was a learning curve, but it's

[00:13:48] Marc Preston: so special. So did you start-- So were you stu- had you studied English when you were in Cuba before you came over, or did you kind of start the whole learning process when you got here?

[00:13:56] Danay Garcia: Well, you start- I mean, when you're in a country that [00:14:00] English is not a language, like it's not a first language, you think you know English.

[00:14:04] Danay Garcia: You think you know. Uh-huh. You, you're like, "Oh, I, I, I, I, I can talk and I can, uh, you know, communicate." But then you come to the country where English is like 24 hours, then you realize how much you have to catch up. So I understood the basics. I, I mean, I, I, I knew how to communicate, but when it comes to like daily life and, you know, not turning off the language was like, that was a challenge and, and, and it took practice.

[00:14:30] Danay Garcia: It took time. It took years.

[00:14:32] Marc Preston: That's a, that's a lot to dive into. You know, you're in a not only a new country- Yeah, it was... Well, what, was it, I mean, for lack of a better way of putting it, was it difficult, uh, leaving logistically, uh, from Cuba or, or, uh, was that... You know, 'cause I always envision it like people that wanna come from Cuba, they just obviously just don't envision them being able to jump on a plane like, "I'm gonna move to the US now," you know?

[00:14:51] Marc Preston: So was it difficult or was it more like, you know, just leaving what you knew was the hard part?

[00:14:57] Danay Garcia: Yeah. I think, I think re- [00:15:00] readjusting my entire life in an unk- unknown world was the hardest part, 'cause this is where I, you know, I came. And, and understanding the culture, the language, uh, finding my place here, finding where I belong, and it's really, it was the journey that transformed me the most- Mm-hmm

[00:15:20] Danay Garcia: uh, to the person I am. And learning, learning the nuance of, of this business and, and understand where I should serve and where I should grow and where I should study and the weakness and strength and all that stuff is really where the growth really started for me in life. It was not so much of like leaving what I already know, it's like understanding where I am and where I'm going.

[00:15:43] Danay Garcia: I think, uh, that's kind of the life of an im- of an immigrant a little bit, of really understanding where is the place for you to serve and to be of service in an unknown world.

[00:15:55] Marc Preston: So when, so when you came over, were you, were you looking at it as, uh, you know, you had a clear goal like, "Listen, [00:16:00] I'm gonna do this thing."

[00:16:01] Marc Preston: You know, you, you came from dance, you came from a, the, a theater background. So did you come going, "Man, I wanna do the movie thing," or were you thinking, "I wanna do theater when I get to the US?"

[00:16:12] Danay Garcia: I... It was interesting. I was nev- I never had a clear idea of what I wanted. I, I actually joined, uh, Debbie Allen Dance Academy when I first came- Okay

[00:16:23] Danay Garcia: and I would take, uh, ballet classes just to feel grounded because it's something I understood, dance. So I would go in the mornings and take dance classes and, and feel like, oh, I understand this world. Like, uh, it's French, you know? Yeah. So it's like, it's like, it's, it is a world that I understood and... But then, but I just m- I was more...

[00:16:44] Danay Garcia: You can't, at that stage when you are come to a new world, you can't decide where to go because everything is new. You just, you just try to find your own s- place as time goes. Uh, so I joined Ivana Chubbuck Studios. I would take, uh, [00:17:00] scene studies there and classes. So I was finding my place to, to, to... I, I, I was just looking for where- Mm-hmm

[00:17:07] Danay Garcia: I belong. I, I did not have a specific idea of what I wanted.

[00:17:11] Marc Preston: So did you come over with family, or were you just kind of solo? You just came on over and jumped right in?

[00:17:16] Danay Garcia: Well, my, my brother was here, and I was, uh, reunited with him, my, uh, ex-partner. Uh, so I, we were very little, and, uh, just my brother was really the only family I had here.

[00:17:30] Danay Garcia: Uh, and, and that was enough, you know? Sometimes you feel like, oh my God, I, I, I, I was not even expecting to have friends. It was more like, uh- Yeah, y-

[00:17:39] Marc Preston: it, well, it's nice you have a home... You, you had a foundation when you landed. You were like- Exactly ... you, you had a place to jump off from. Um-

[00:17:45] Danay Garcia: Exactly.

[00:17:51] Marc Preston: Kinda what was that first big project, that first thing, you know, besides Old Navy, of course. But, um, what was the first- What was the thing that [00:18:00] landed for you where like, "Okay, this, I'm in it. I'm doing the thing right now." What was that for you?

[00:18:04] Danay Garcia: Do you know, I did, uh, a Super Bowl, Super Bowl commercial. Uh, and, and I did actually five Super Bowl commercials with Snoop Dogg.

[00:18:14] Danay Garcia: And I'll never forget- Really? ... it was for the Nokia. For the Nokia.

[00:18:18] Marc Preston: Oh,

[00:18:18] Danay Garcia: yeah. The, the a- the, the phone. And I did not grow up with, with American football, so I had no idea what I was doing in terms of commercials. I thought it was one more commercial to do. Mm-hmm. Uh, and then, uh, there were five, and the, the, the director was Guy Ritchie.

[00:18:35] Danay Garcia: Um- Really? ... which was very wonderful. Yes. And, and Snoop Dogg comes, and at the time we had, uh, Johnnie Co- Cochran. He was the attorney for O.J. Simpson. Oh,

[00:18:47] Marc Preston: Johnnie Cochran. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Wow, you're going back.

[00:18:48] Danay Garcia: Yes.

[00:18:49] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:18:49] Danay Garcia: Well, I mean, I mean, it was just such a... Like, characters would come up, and I had no idea, 'cause, you know, it was my, one of my first jobs here.

[00:18:58] Danay Garcia: I had no idea the Super [00:19:00] Bowl, it was so Amer- such an American

[00:19:02] Announcer: c- Mm-hmm ...

[00:19:02] Danay Garcia: uh, culture. Like, that day is the day of the year. Uh, and, and I remember I did it, it was two weeks of shooting. The most incredible uh, characters would show up. A- and, and I remember when it came out on TV, you know, the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl- Right

[00:19:19] Danay Garcia: but then there's the commercials in the Super Bowl. And I realized, "Oh my God, I think I kinda done something special here." The, uh... So it was, uh, I felt so proud. I feel, I felt so American as being part of the culture and being part of, uh, the, the, this, the, the commercials of the Super Bowl. That was my first like, "Whoa, whoa, this is cool."

[00:19:41] Marc Preston: Definitely levels up from, uh, Old Navy. So you, you went from, you know- Right. ... starting to top of the t- top of the commercial heap. Uh, now going back, like what did, what did your, uh, parents do? What kind of, uh, what was their vocation and experience, uh, back in Cuba?

[00:19:54] Danay Garcia: Well, my mom is, uh, she's a teacher. I come from, uh...

[00:19:58] Danay Garcia: Which really helped a [00:20:00] lot growing up. You know, have a very structured home. Uh, I have two older brothers. I'm the, we were three in total. I'm the youngest. And then, and my dad is a professional bartender. He actually worked in, uh, in this little bar where Ernest Hemingway used to have his mojitos.

[00:20:18] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah.

[00:20:19] Marc Preston: No, no, no, I know that. That's, it's, it's actually got an Am- a- an American name, right? It's, the, the bar itself. La

[00:20:24] Danay Garcia: Bodeguita. Oh,

[00:20:25] Marc Preston: no, no,

[00:20:25] Danay Garcia: no. Yeah, La Bodeguita del Medio is, is where, where he would drink his mojitos, and El Floridita, that's where he would drink daiquiris.

[00:20:33] Marc Preston: The daiq- okay. There, the da- daiquiris.

[00:20:34] Marc Preston: That, that's the one. Daiquiris at El

[00:20:36] Danay Garcia: Floridita. Yeah. So my dad worked as a professional bartender in, in this just, just iconic place in Havana. Uh, and he actually travel opening, uh, this, this kind of bar in Mexico, Spain, so- Really? It's because-

[00:20:51] Marc Preston: Wow, that's-

[00:20:51] Danay Garcia: Yeah.

[00:20:52] Marc Preston: You know, it's funny, I know about that because I was a big, you know, Anthony Bourdain fan.

[00:20:56] Marc Preston: Uh, and I know- Oh, yeah ... when he went, when he went to Cuba, he went to that bar and it was like... And the [00:21:00] daiquiri that, the way people think here, like frozen daiquiri, it's different than the daiquiri down there. Or- It's

[00:21:04] Danay Garcia: so different there. Yeah, it's so different. And, and the mojito's also different. Mm-hmm.

[00:21:08] Danay Garcia: Here they put mint. Over there they put hierbabuena, which is a kind of leaf that doesn't grow here because it's not- Really? ... chilly enough for it.

[00:21:16] Marc Preston: No.

[00:21:16] Danay Garcia: Yeah, so- I thought

[00:21:17] Marc Preston: it was mint. My world has just been rocked. No, no, it's

[00:21:20] Danay Garcia: not mint.

[00:21:20] Marc Preston: Oh.

[00:21:21] Danay Garcia: I mean, Hemingway loved it with hierbabuena, let's put it that way. I mean, but it's, that's how they make mojitos.

[00:21:26] Marc Preston: Hierbabuena, is that like a herb, yerba mate kind of a related tea vibe? It's kind

[00:21:30] Danay Garcia: of like an herb similar to mint. Okay. It has, but, but it has like an earthy taste to it, too. It's not as minty as mint.

[00:21:38] Marc Preston: Huh.

[00:21:38] Danay Garcia: Yeah.

[00:21:39] Marc Preston: Hmm.

[00:21:40] Danay Garcia: I know, right. So, so I come... So these are my two, uh, so, so yeah, so it was a, it was a very unique place.

[00:21:48] Danay Garcia: My dad would travel, friends will come over and we would go- Well,

[00:21:50] Marc Preston: bartenders, they're, they're on a stage as well, you know? Yes. So there's kind of a, I don't want to call it a performance, but they're, uh, maybe it is. Maybe it is a performance.

[00:21:59] Danay Garcia: I, I think a [00:22:00] little bit. I mean, they come, you give them a good time, and you talk, and then they go and they, you know, apart from the drink, it's an experience.

[00:22:07] Danay Garcia: And, uh, you know, I feel like Cuba is such a- Cuba has so much history, and the fact that it's like, you know, still is ve- is preserving the 1950s style- Yes, yeah ... like, like, like you go to places and you see pictures of Frank Sinatra, Hemingway. That's where he wrote The Old Man and the Sea novels, and you go to places and you can feel that vibe everywhere.

[00:22:31] Danay Garcia: And then you put the drinks on top of it, and then the heat, and then the water. It's like, it's really, truly magical. It's,

[00:22:36] Marc Preston: um- Yeah, that was, uh, Amer- that was where Americans went... I mean, that predated, like, Las Vegas and all that. And I think, you know- That was Las

[00:22:43] Danay Garcia: Vegas in the Caribbean, absolutely. So- Yeah,

[00:22:45] Marc Preston: but it was leveled up as almost kind of like a, um, a French Riviera-ish kind of a, a, a vibe back in the day, and-

[00:22:53] Danay Garcia: Totally.

[00:22:53] Marc Preston: Yes ... there was a really good movie I saw a long time ago. It was with, uh, um... God, it, this probably came out in the, [00:23:00] uh, I don't know, maybe late '60s with Sean Connery. Uh, God, I forgot what that was. It, it was... I forgot the name of it, but it was a real- it was of that snapshot of time when things changed, you know?

[00:23:10] Marc Preston: Yes. And the preservation of the cars there, I mean, the, the, the, you know- Oh ... the kind of money those people could fetch for those cars in the US, it would just be astronomical. But it's just- ... there's a, there, there's a resilience and there is a kind of a just figure-it-out vibe of the people there, which is just, you know.

[00:23:27] Marc Preston: It's a place I've always wanted to go, I think. Uh, friends of mine who live in Canada, they go regularly, so.

[00:23:31] Danay Garcia: Oh, yes. We have a lot of Canadian tourism, and European too, for sure.

[00:23:37] Marc Preston: So- Yes ... what did your folks think about you coming? Were they encouraging it? Were they like, "I don't know about going you to Los Angeles"?

[00:23:44] Danay Garcia: My parents were, are always very supportive, uh, of, of, of my, of what I do. And, and that is something that I s- that I really has helped me grow as a human. Like, I, you know, every time, e- every time... Good changes come with, like, [00:24:00] scary feelings, right? Mm. Like, it's, you, because you don't know until you know, and, and the unknown part of living is what really scares you.

[00:24:09] Danay Garcia: And having parents that they understand that I am in the unknown, and they're in the unknown as parents, and still have the courage to say, "It's worth it, and it's, it's you have to try it, and, and it's how we raise you, and it's, it's who we are," it's, uh, it's something that really I carry with me. Like, starting new projects that are so scary, you know, when you start new characters, when you go to auditions, like, it's...

[00:24:35] Danay Garcia: I feel like life is full of these scary, unknown places that it takes you that-

[00:24:41] Marc Preston: Well, the only constant in life is change, so it's kind of when you embrace it and you ride it kinda like a surfer riding a wave, you may fall down every now and then, you know, but-

[00:24:48] Danay Garcia: Oh, yeah.

[00:24:49] Marc Preston: Inevitable, but- But that's so funny.

[00:24:50] Marc Preston: You said that thing about parents, it's like you're in the unknown. That's one of the things kids don't know. It's like you got somebody that's doing on-the-job training while they're raising you you know, that kind of a thing.

[00:24:59] Danay Garcia: [00:25:00] That's right, yeah.

[00:25:01] Marc Preston: So did you- Yeah ... uh, how long did you live in Los Angeles?

[00:25:03] Danay Garcia: I lived in LA for 16 years-

[00:25:05] Marc Preston: Oh, so you

[00:25:06] Danay Garcia: were there for a while.

[00:25:07] Danay Garcia: Okay Yeah, yeah. But you know, when you... It was interesting 'cause I lived there for 16 years because I had my place there, but I was always traveling. Like Fear the Walking Dead took six, seven months out of my life oversea- uh, in Mexico. But I was still, I would always go back to LA. So- Mm ... if we really look at it from, like, okay, when did you full-time move, like, like your home became where you came to, yeah, 16 years.

[00:25:33] Marc Preston: You're now officially a Texan. You probably... And I got my little can of water here from H-E-B, so you probably do your H-E-B shopping.

[00:25:41] Danay Garcia: Love H-E-B. Got a little of those

[00:25:42] Marc Preston: tortillas- We have

[00:25:43] Danay Garcia: Trader Joe's here.

[00:25:44] Marc Preston: Yeah, Tr- oh, yeah, that's right, you do have Trader Joe's. That's right. I could see a little bit of- I do have Trader Joe's here

[00:25:48] Marc Preston: you got a little bit of that LA vibe hanging out there. But yeah, I've, I'm, I'm a big fan of the, uh, and people in Texas will know, uh, the tortillas you get at H-E-B, which are, you know-

[00:25:57] Danay Garcia: Oh ...

[00:25:57] Marc Preston: you know, s- solid. Uh- Very

[00:25:58] Danay Garcia: fresh.

[00:25:59] Marc Preston: [00:26:00] Yeah, so that's- Very fresh ... one of the things I love about coming back down here, 'cause I lived in New Orleans for 20 years, being a Dallas kid.

[00:26:06] Marc Preston: But I was down there, and my youngest graduated high school, hit the ejection seat on New Orleans, decided, "Where do I wanna go?" You know, LA, ba- or back to Southern California, back home to Dallas where I'm from. I was like, you know what? I, I grew up coming to this place. Uh, and I call it my tropical Mayberry.

[00:26:20] Marc Preston: It's, like, 3,000 full-time residents. But, uh, but you know, Austin is kind of where, uh, a lot of the people down here in the Valley like to drive up to. That and San Antonio are kind of, like, a little, they do- Oh ... their little excursions up there. Um, I have yet to do so since I've been here. I, uh- Oh, you have

[00:26:34] Danay Garcia: to.

[00:26:35] Danay Garcia: Uh,

[00:26:35] Marc Preston: absolutely. It's great. Here I am right about lunchtime talking about tortillas, and this always happens. I always record... I always... Anybody that listens to the show knows I always record right around lunch it seems like, and I'm always hungry. You know? And so, but you do- Yeah ... d- but you do a, a, like, a cooking thing, a, a web video.

[00:26:52] Marc Preston: Like, you do... Are they cooking lessons, or are you just exploring food? Or kind of what are, what are you doing i- in your, uh, program? [00:27:00]

[00:27:00] Danay Garcia: Um, it's called Cooking with La Familia. So basically, COVID hit. Uh, I'll never forget, we were shooting Fear the Walking Dead, which is already an apocalypse with dealing with virus, right?

[00:27:11] Danay Garcia: So the show, the show, the, the producers come and they said, "You gotta go home. There's a virus a- and it, and it's a pandemic." And we thought it was a joke, because I'm like, "We're, we've been killing zombies for, like - ... a few years now." We're like, "What?" And, and they're like, "No, no, no, this is very serious and we have to stop production.

[00:27:29] Danay Garcia: Everybody go home until fur- further notice." And we thought it was gonna take a week. Uh, we thought it was gonna take two weeks, a month at the most. Here we are two months in, and I don't know what to do with my life. I feel like, I don't know, art is... We're imitating life and lar- life is imitating art, 'cause we've been, like, literally living in this high stakes in the show, but now we're living that in our real life.

[00:27:57] Danay Garcia: So I decided to do [00:28:00] this thing called Karaokes and Chats, and I would literally go on live Instagram, and I would sing- Spanish songs like salsa, and then I would do a chat about how to d- he handle this hard time. Like, let's keep our beds, you know, let's cl- keep our homes clean. Just ba- basically like something positive, and then I would end it with, with, uh, with singing karaoke.

[00:28:25] Danay Garcia: And then after that, uh, we kept prolonging our break. You know, the pandemic kept going, and then I decided to be like, "Who would like to cook?" And then everybody kept saying, "Yes, let's go. Let's do it." And I just started cooking Cuban food. I just would do it live on Instagram, and I would... I help- I taught everybody how to make arroz con pollo, tostones, which are plantains- Oh, yeah, yeah

[00:28:49] Danay Garcia: um, black beans, Cuban black beans. I mean, I even made them a mojito with... No with hierbabuena because I couldn't find it. Oh,

[00:28:57] Marc Preston: okay.

[00:28:58] Danay Garcia: So I, I would make like [00:29:00] dishes, and everybody would be cooking for ... with me live, and then they would send pictures of their... I make them... I, I taught them how to make flan, like, you know, the Cuban flan.

[00:29:09] Danay Garcia: Yeah,

[00:29:09] Marc Preston: yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:29:11] Danay Garcia: I mean, the whole deal, I would be live. Like, you know, you put the flan in the oven-

[00:29:15] Marc Preston: Oh, you did it live. You didn't, you didn't pre-record it and put it out there. You're just... Yeah. Oh, okay.

[00:29:17] Danay Garcia: No, no, no. It was live, and then I would take that, that footage, and I would put it on my YouTube, and I started cooking with la familia because everybody was a familia.

[00:29:27] Danay Garcia: So that's what you do.

[00:29:28] Marc Preston: Yeah, no, I remember... Yeah, that was so funny was you brought back that memory of, like they said, you know, you... It was always like, "Oh, this is only gonna last so long." And it w- it was always this kind of optimism story, you know? It kept

[00:29:39] Danay Garcia: going.

[00:29:39] Marc Preston: Going. Yeah, this... I re- I vividly remember I was in LA, uh, 2019, and it was right around Christmas time, I think, and that's when people s- first started talking about plane travel, the other part, there's this thing going on.

[00:29:52] Marc Preston: I'm like, "Okay." And next thing you know, we're wa- Yes ... we're washing our groceries. But, uh-

[00:29:58] Danay Garcia: So that's how

[00:29:58] Marc Preston: cooking was

[00:29:59] Danay Garcia: born ...

[00:29:59] Marc Preston: you, you kind of e- you, you [00:30:00] embrace that as kind of a way to stay connected and, in a way- Yes ... feel kind of... You know, y- y- or do you find... Are you kind of person who has to kind of be in motion?

[00:30:08] Marc Preston: Do you find that about yourself? Are you kind of always want to be working on something or, or kind of a- Yeah ... kinetic energy kind of a thing?

[00:30:16] Danay Garcia: I always love the idea of feeling like I am serving a purpose, uh, even if it's through food. I mean, I don't care. Like I, I just love the feeling of always contributing to something that is connected to my heart.

[00:30:31] Danay Garcia: Like I love every project I've done. I love each one of them. Every character I've done, I love each one of them. My podcast, my, my cooking show. Like everything has, like it's, it's connected to my heart and my- Mm-hmm ... my integrity. It's, it's all very emotionally connected. Uh, and, and that was a moment to explore that part of me through cooking.

[00:30:53] Danay Garcia: I didn't know I had it in me. I thought I'd be like Oh, but all of a sudden it was possible and I did it, and it's

[00:30:59] Marc Preston: a- Well, imagine, uh, [00:31:00] COVID not being able... I, I was just thinking about this just now, like COVID, but what if we were not as connected that, as we could be with phones, internet, whatever. Imagine how isolating that would've been without all that, you know?

[00:31:11] Danay Garcia: Absolutely.

[00:31:12] Marc Preston: Now I'm just tired of social media at some level. You know? I'm like, it- it's cool, but at the same time I kinda like, I like, I'm enjo- starting to enjoy my non-screen time, you know? I don't know if that makes sense. Yes. Um-

[00:31:23] Danay Garcia: Well, no, it does make perfect sense. And, and I think it, it's gone so far, such an extreme, this whole social media, that now we have to connect with humans too.

[00:31:34] Marc Preston: Yeah,

[00:31:34] Danay Garcia: that's right. And, and, you know, it's, it's like have conversations, like even conversations with you, Marc, it's like talking about things like that that are so important that it's not just scrolling down- Oh,

[00:31:44] Marc Preston: get- being connected is so, so essential, and I, that's why I love Gen Z is I keep reading these things about how they are, uh, sort of disconnecting a little bit from the digital, the idea of being able to date in person as opposed of trying to- Yes.

[00:31:57] Marc Preston: they like the IRL thing, you know? [00:32:00] Um- ... and, you know, my, my, my oldest daughter is 23, and I know their generation I think is, I, I think they, they grew up with it being there, so maybe they're kind of starting to look, okay, well, what else is out there, you know? So hopefully Gen Z- Yeah ... will save us. Um, fingers crossed.

[00:32:15] Marc Preston: Fingers crossed. But, um-

[00:32:16] Danay Garcia: Fingers crossed for the future.

[00:32:18] Marc Preston: Yeah. So do, do you have any, do you have any little ones or any kids?

[00:32:21] Danay Garcia: I do. I have a son. My son is actually 24.

[00:32:24] Marc Preston: Oh, okay. Okay.

[00:32:26] Danay Garcia: Can you believe? Yes. I, most of my life, all I've done is raise a child, just one boy, and seeing him grow and, and be... He c- he actually graduated in Austin, uh, college and, and during the pandemic, which was-

[00:32:40] Marc Preston: W- wait, he went to U- he went to UT?

[00:32:42] Danay Garcia: He went to St. Edward's University.

[00:32:44] Marc Preston: Oh, St. Edward's. Oh, okay. St.

[00:32:45] Danay Garcia: Edward.

[00:32:45] Marc Preston: Ah. Do

[00:32:45] Danay Garcia: you know St. Ed's?

[00:32:46] Marc Preston: Yeah. Uh, uh, I think the Dallas Cowboys used to train there many years ago. That was like their- Really? ...

[00:32:51] Danay Garcia: one

[00:32:51] Marc Preston: of their training thing. Yeah, from a long time ago. Oh, I

[00:32:54] Danay Garcia: didn't know that.

[00:32:55] Marc Preston: Back when they were

[00:32:55] Danay Garcia: good. Yeah. It, it, St.

[00:32:56] Danay Garcia: Ed's was a really great school, like to go, you know, 'cause it's [00:33:00] such a small school in comparison to UT. Yeah. You know, UT's like 50,000 kids. Uh, St. Ed's is like four, you know- Yeah ... 4,000. So, so, so they went back to school earlier than the norm because it's like seven kids per classroom and, and, uh, and, and it was a very good m- way to not lose the experience of college or education when they need it the most during the pandemic, you know?

[00:33:25] Danay Garcia: So yeah, so my son loves Cuban food, loves the culture. He ate a lot of Cuban food during the

[00:33:31] Marc Preston: pandemic. Oh. Oh, he hit the jackpot. Man, he, he just, he- He, he, he, you know, he, this, he was not in a chicken finger or, you know, chicken nugget household- No. ... of course. Um, so- Yes ... so the question is, does he, has he embraced the actual cooking?

[00:33:46] Marc Preston: Is this something that, you know, he can go into the kitchen and make things happen?

[00:33:50] Danay Garcia: Loves it. Oh my God. The thing is that, you know, where I come from, uh, we, we, the, we don't have anything frozen when it comes to food. First [00:34:00] of all, it's so hot nothing stays frozen- Oh, right ... for a long time. So, so I grew up just eating fresh food every day.

[00:34:07] Danay Garcia: My mom would cook it every day, so, uh, that's what I did when he was growing up. I would just cook every day, like fresh, because that's how I grew up. So he is very used to being in the kitchen, cooking up for me.

[00:34:19] Marc Preston: He probably has a really good palate for what's good, I think.

[00:34:21] Danay Garcia: Yeah.

[00:34:22] Marc Preston: Yeah. Yeah. That's sort of, kind of the way it was with my kids.

[00:34:24] Marc Preston: I always try to, like, keep the processed stuff out of the house. Occasionally an Oreo would slide into the pantry, but, you know, and, and- We can't help

[00:34:30] Danay Garcia: the Oreos.

[00:34:31] Marc Preston: Yeah. Or, you know, we would, we'd always shop at Whole Foods, you know. So we'd go in there. They would enjoy the... You know, so shopping is something that you, I got used to, you know, and the cooking and the...

[00:34:40] Marc Preston: So now it's like, uh, my daughter the other day, we, we had s- she just kind of conjured up an idea with, uh, fajitas. Was it fajita? No. Yeah. Oh, no. Chicken tacos. That's what we worked on. And she just kind of came up with this idea and just, like, ran with it. And, like, she basically cooked the dinner and the dessert.

[00:34:55] Marc Preston: So I was like, "Hey," you know.

[00:34:57] Danay Garcia: Hey.

[00:34:57] Marc Preston: Gotta get her to do that more often, you know. She's- [00:35:00]

[00:35:00] Danay Garcia: Yes, but that's because they grew up being used to seeing food being cooked in front of them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, they're not afraid of the process. Like, if you look at old pictures from like, I'm, I'm saying old pictures because they're not, like, 10, you know, 10 years old.

[00:35:13] Danay Garcia: But pictures in the, in the '80s, '90s, every picture of a mother is in the kitchen.

[00:35:19] Marc Preston: Uh-huh. Yeah.

[00:35:20] Danay Garcia: It's like they're all i- with aprons, uh, you know, hot, just because they cooked for the family. N- nothing has, was pre-cooked. So, so it's, it's a, it's, it's, um... It really transformed the way we think. Like, you know, when you open a door, it's just food and, and, and anything.

[00:35:38] Danay Garcia: It's just feels somebody's cooking. Yeah. I think there was

[00:35:39] Marc Preston: that thing in America, the Gen X kids. I think there was a hammock of time in the '80s when kids were left kind of to their own devices, and they would, like, the frozen dinners and stuff like that, and that's, like, you know- The

[00:35:50] Danay Garcia: parents were working.

[00:35:51] Marc Preston: Yeah. Yeah. So that was... I don't know, maybe that was kind of the reason why, uh, you know, the whole family dinners thing was not a big thing at my house, and I really wanted to do that. So I had this thing with the kids. We [00:36:00] always try to eat at the table together, you know, as opposed to- Yeah ... going many different directions.

[00:36:04] Marc Preston: But, uh- So, so where, what's your, uh, does your son kind of take a, uh, take your cue in, in terms of theatrical work, or is he doing something totally unrelated to what his mom does?

[00:36:15] Danay Garcia: He graduated from accounting and finance. Oh. He loves numbers, but he loves the arts. Like, uh, he actually now tells me that he's so thankful that I took him to so many ballet, ballet classes- Mm-hmm

[00:36:28] Danay Garcia: and ballet, you know, theater, and museums. Like, I always feel like no matter what you do in life, having a connection with the arts, having an appreciation and a taste for- You know, anything of surrounding you when it comes to music or anything, it's so important and-

[00:36:45] Marc Preston: It's also the people who do the art that make kind of- Yeah

[00:36:48] Marc Preston: it's real interesting to kind of, they're, they're a wonderful tribe of weirdos, and you realize you're one of them. Yeah. You know? It's, it's, it's nice to, you know, especially when you're watching the news and you see politi- you know, I've kind of noticed I'm [00:37:00] kind of trying to go on a news diet, and, uh, you know, and kind of a little bit- Oh,

[00:37:04] Danay Garcia: I love that.

[00:37:04] Danay Garcia: News diet. Is that a thing?

[00:37:06] Marc Preston: Please. Uh, well, I'm making it a thing. But I'm kind of wi- I'm buying ... I'm kind of wired into the, kind of the arts scene down here on the island, 'cause I kind of like, as the kids say, IRL, just trying to, you know, interact with some folks, uh, you know, and get to spend some time with some artists.

[00:37:18] Marc Preston: And, uh, it's really cool because when you're on that same frequency, you're creative. You know, you're in a different zone and different genre or different medium, if you will. Uh, but, uh, that's the same thing with dance for you. You know, 'cause the dance- Of course ... dance

[00:37:31] Danay Garcia: performance and- Theater, it's life.

[00:37:33] Danay Garcia: It's an energy that you're receiving in a dark place, like, or in an outdoor place. Like, it doesn't matter. You know, there's a beautiful saying in Cuba that says, talking about food, "Food nurtures your body, but the arts nurtures your soul."

[00:37:47] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:37:47] Danay Garcia: And you need both to, to learn, to grow, to feel, to, to be connected.

[00:37:53] Danay Garcia: And, and food, you know, you eat food together, and you can enjoy the arts together, but they're both are nurturing [00:38:00] you.

[00:38:00] Marc Preston: You ever make it down here? Do you ever... Have you been down to the, uh, this part of the coast?

[00:38:04] Danay Garcia: I do want to go. Everybody tells me, "You wanna go to the beach, you go to South Padre Island." I do want to go.

[00:38:11] Danay Garcia: But Marc, I wanted to tell you that if you ever come to Austin, I hi- I, it, I don't... Do you like jazz? I mean, being- Yeah ... from New Orleans.

[00:38:18] Marc Preston: Uh, uh, well, you know, I spent, uh, originally from Dallas, I always clarify, but I spent 20 years there. Yeah, sorry. No. Oh, no, no, no, no. Mentioned- I spent 20 years there. So I do have this, if, I've always had kind of an affinity, uh, for jazz and the derivative, you know?

[00:38:31] Marc Preston: Like, what it kind of, blues and things it sort of spawned, yeah.

[00:38:35] Danay Garcia: Yes. So, so in Austin there, there's this beautiful place called The Elephant Room, and, and it's, like, a place that you go on the ground, and it's jazz. It's full jazz. And the, the reason why it's called The Elephant Room is because they found mammal bones in

[00:38:51] Marc Preston: there.

[00:38:51] Marc Preston: Really? Like,

[00:38:52] Danay Garcia: whoa. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm like, jazz, mammal, whoa. But- Uh, check out the Elephant Room and there's so many jazz places here. [00:39:00] It's just, but it's that e- energy of, like, live singing-

[00:39:04] Marc Preston: And there, there is something to be said for, you know, for that. Uh, I remember one time I was, uh, back in, uh, 2001-ish or so, The Neville Brothers were playing at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and I was, for one reason or another, I was able to be back- I was on the stage, but just off to the side.

[00:39:19] Marc Preston: Yeah. I was kind of hanging out, kind of watching, you know, these guys do their thing. When it's right up on, you know, you're right up on it, it is, it, you kind, there's an energy. And if I... Oh, and god, I just remembered this. The, um, and this dude was next to me, he's wearing, like, army fatigues, and he was grooving.

[00:39:33] Marc Preston: I mean, like, people can't see me now, pretend like I'm dancing, grooving or whatever. Um, and he, he had this little, like, earring, had, like, a little fish on it. One of those little articulated, uh, you, in Asia, they're like these little metal arti- uh, um, anyway, it's like a little fish is what it was. We kind of chatted.

[00:39:48] Marc Preston: I wasn't really dialed in, in sunglasses, hat on. It's Laurence Fishburne is standing next to me. He's getting all... And so I'm, like, hanging out, watching Neville Brothers on the side stage, standing next to Laurence Fishburne. I'm like, "This is one of the [00:40:00] coolest things. I gotta tell this story." I haven't told that story- Wow

[00:40:03] Marc Preston: hardly ever, but now I'm- Oh ... telling you and who- and the folks listening. Um, but- That is inc-

[00:40:07] Danay Garcia: incredible ...

[00:40:07] Marc Preston: it is, as far as career stuff and the things you've done, what haven't you done that-- Is there something you're like, "I really wanna do this. This is on my bucket list to work with a person or a director or a genre or a type of a story"?

[00:40:23] Marc Preston: I mean, what is still kind of itching, making you think, "I wanna do this thing"?

[00:40:27] Danay Garcia: You know, I, every time I get this question, 'cause it comes out often in terms of, like, what, what, what is the one thing you haven't done or you wanna do? And it, I, I really n- never know how to answer it because it's like every time you get in into a job, everything that I'm about to do, I've never done before.

[00:40:51] Announcer: Ah.

[00:40:51] Danay Garcia: So it's always like, "Oh, how are we gonna get through this?" Like, because it's usually a new location- Ah ... or it's [00:41:00] usually a, it's a new world, it's a new, new, new filmmakers, new artists, new actors. Uh, and anybody, everybody has this idea of what this vision that we're doing is, and it's like, oh, it's like I, it never gets old for me.

[00:41:14] Danay Garcia: I, I don't... And so I, I don't know what I wanna do next. All I know is that I'm gonna have fun because that's what's been happening. Um, and I'm- So just kind of

[00:41:22] Marc Preston: to throw yourself into, you know, whatever's coming at you is, you know, always just say yes.

[00:41:27] Danay Garcia: I, I always say yes. I always say yes. I, I, I mean, I get scared.

[00:41:32] Danay Garcia: I mean, don't get me wrong. I mean, I, I, 'cause I don't have all the answers, but- I'm used to that feeling.

[00:41:37] Marc Preston: Well, doggone it- It doesn't scare me ... I was hoping, I hope, I was hoping you did because I'm like, I, I got some questions. You know, it'd be nice if somebody had all the answers 'cause the older I get- ... the, the less I think I know, you know, which is just a weird, uh-

[00:41:48] Danay Garcia: Oh my God.

[00:41:49] Danay Garcia: I have no idea. I mean, right? You just don't know. So to even have something in my mind that I wanna do, I- there's so much I don't know that I don't wanna just even [00:42:00] put a barrier into, like, "I wanna do this." I, I don't know. I really don't know.

[00:42:05] Marc Preston: H- how did, how did MIA come to you? Was that something that somebody reached out and said, "Hey, we got a thing that we're doing and we think you're great for it," or did you do the audition process, uh, you know?

[00:42:15] Marc Preston: Oh,

[00:42:15] Danay Garcia: I did a whole audition process. And I'll tell you, I, when I finished Fear the Walking Dead, I was in a very delicate place because then where... It's like finding your next home. Like- Yeah ... where am I doing ne- next after seven

[00:42:31] Marc Preston: seasons of- Well, you've had, you've had that ability to develop a sense of home, you know?

[00:42:34] Marc Preston: That's, that- Yes ... for a lot of people don't. They go work on a project, few months are done. You're, you're there, you know, developing relationships and, you know.

[00:42:42] Danay Garcia: Seven seasons of, like, and, like, a- almost 100 episode of television of Fear. So, like, I know these people really well. So now when you finish that and you wrap it and it's done, then what's next?

[00:42:55] Danay Garcia: That, that place was like, "Where am I going?" And I could not think of, [00:43:00] like, where I see myself. I'm like, I, I'm just putting out everything's for the best. I don't, I don't know where, but I will be ready.

[00:43:07] Announcer: Mm-hmm.

[00:43:07] Danay Garcia: So when MIA came, I got a call and they said, you know, they would like, uh, you to audition for this and, and this is a beautiful project, and it's Bill Dubuque next show, which is the creator of Ozark.

[00:43:22] Marc Preston: Uh-huh.

[00:43:23] Danay Garcia: And now Ozark has been one of my time's favorite, um, during the pandemic.

[00:43:28] Marc Preston: Oh yeah, that's, yeah.

[00:43:30] Danay Garcia: It became huge during the pandemic, and I do remember saying, "If I ever would do a show after Fear, I want something with this grit, like this depth and this, this, this beautiful arc, uh, character arc." I, I remember feeling so inspired by the actors, this, the, the whole deal, the whole package.

[00:43:51] Danay Garcia: Loved it. So when they said it's the creator of Ozark, I'm like... I literally was like, "What?" I felt like somebody was calling from, you [00:44:00] know, above in the sky. And I, you know, since COVID, we've been putting ourself on tape and send it to audition, right? It's called self-tapes. Uh, but this time I called my rep and I said, "Hey, would they be open to be, to do in-person audition?"

[00:44:17] Marc Preston: Yeah, yeah.

[00:44:17] Danay Garcia: And they were like, "Let me, let me call you back." Talking about in person, right? Talking about that connect- Yeah, I

[00:44:21] Marc Preston: can't tell you the amount of people I've spoken with who have actually said that they want to get back to i- you know, in person because- Oh my gosh ... during COVID the, uh, tape thing was the jam and what everybody just kind of went to.

[00:44:31] Danay Garcia: So it stays, stays, it stays doing self-tape. They don't do in-person, in-persons, in-persons anymore.

[00:44:36] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:44:37] Danay Garcia: So, so my rep said, "Hey, they're willing to do an in-person." And I'll, I just flew myself to LA. I rented, uh, an Airbnb close to the casting director's office. I walk, and I literally, um... It was March last year.

[00:44:53] Danay Garcia: It was so hot already, and I, I studied d- during the, you know, the whole, um, [00:45:00] trip, uh, the night before. And the day of the audition, I went in in-person for the first time since COVID before, and I had an hour and 45 minutes audition.

[00:45:13] Marc Preston: Wow.

[00:45:13] Danay Garcia: It was one hour and 45 minutes. I remember my agents were calling, "Are you okay?

[00:45:20] Danay Garcia: Are you still there? What's going on?" Yeah. It was, it was, uh-

[00:45:23] Marc Preston: Usually those things are maybe five minutes at best, you know?

[00:45:26] Danay Garcia: At best, yeah. Like 30 when you're talking about the role. Yeah. But it was such an exercise of, of... in all levels. Like, I, I, I was just going with the flow, whatever they want me to do. I was so hungry for this in-person experience that time went by for me so quickly, until I left the room and I realized I was hungry, I was hot-

[00:45:48] Danay Garcia: I was thirsty. My whole body was like, "Whoa." 'Cause you're

[00:45:52] Marc Preston: dialed in on a whole different frequency. But I know this is supposed to take place in Miami. Do they shoot it in Miami, or do they-

[00:45:58] Danay Garcia: The whole thing was shot in Flor- in [00:46:00] Miami.

[00:46:00] Marc Preston: Oh, okay. Like, in Miami. Where your pe- And it was- A lot of your people are there, you know, so.

[00:46:04] Marc Preston: And your- Oh,

[00:46:04] Danay Garcia: my God. And your food Talking about Cuban food. Cu- talking about Cuban food and Cuban cafecito halfway. Like, okay, at 2:00 PM There w- there, there was a craft lady that would come with like little, little like, uh, little shots of cafe, uh, of Cuban

[00:46:20] Marc Preston: coffee. Oh, those, those g- y'all don't play when it comes to coffee.

[00:46:22] Marc Preston: That, that stuff will light you up.

[00:46:24] Danay Garcia: Oh my God. Everybody was going downhill 2:00 PM. They will have a shot and it be like, whoop. Yeah. It's like, it's like, okay. Th- so that's what happens in Florida. I only lived that in Florida, and in Miami was, what a treat. I mean, live... I mean, it's called MIA and it's Miami.

[00:46:40] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:46:41] Danay Garcia: So happy we shot the whole thing in, in Miami 'cause it's really a character. Yeah. Miami is its own character.

[00:46:46] Marc Preston: Did you work with Billy Burke at all or... I don't know if he was just in an episode or two, um- Oh,

[00:46:50] Danay Garcia: yeah. No, we didn't work together. Oh, okay. It's, it's, yeah, a lot of the storylines are not, I'm not in, you know, we're- Oh, yeah, yeah

[00:46:56] Danay Garcia: we don't connect.

[00:46:57] Marc Preston: Yeah, 'cause I saw- Not yet ... he, he's a cool d- cool dude. I [00:47:00] just kinda saw him and Edward James Olmos, who's just super cool guy. Oh,

[00:47:03] Danay Garcia: I worked with him. I mean- Oh ... when he came to set, it was like iconic. I mean, Miami Vice. I mean, we're talking what made Miami Miami in the

[00:47:12] Marc Preston: movies. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[00:47:13] Marc Preston: 'Cause he's just, he's just so talented and he really commands a presence. So you had a chance to act with him. How amazing, uh, is that?

[00:47:19] Danay Garcia: He came to set and the whole crew, everybody. He came and we really felt that he blessed us. Like, because it's Miami, he's, he, you know, he started so many iconic shows and, and he was in the first e- episode.

[00:47:34] Danay Garcia: He's actually in the trailer. Uh, he's so iconic. I mean, when y- you just know you're in the presence of someone on a frequency that is just so above the rest. How cool, how

[00:47:43] Marc Preston: cool is that? And I, I, you know, I love all, you know, the Latin actors. You know, I'm a big fan. I mean, I l- uh, like living here is so wonderful because I get to use all my poorly crafted Spanish.

[00:47:53] Marc Preston: My, all my kids did a Spanish immersion growing up and, uh, you know, in school. And my oldest can speak it and [00:48:00] understand very well. I know my youngest understands it. She just is, you know, wonky about wanting to speak it. Uh, but it's, it's so funny 'cause I, they, when they correct me on Spanish, it's like I speak Texas Spanish, you know?

[00:48:10] Marc Preston: Kinda like you- Yeah, hey, I do the best I can. I try. The more tequila I have... I don't drink tequila, but whenever I did in my younger days, I thought my Spanish was so pristine, you know? Uh- Well,

[00:48:20] Danay Garcia: you, because you relax. You know, you relax and you don't, you don't overthink twice.

[00:48:25] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:48:25] Danay Garcia: Like when you drink anything, you just like cerveza, bano.

[00:48:29] Danay Garcia: Like you become so- Like so laid

[00:48:33] Marc Preston: back. Usually, usually the two of those, usually the two of those are inter, you know, used in the same evening frequently, yes. Uh, but- Good.

[00:48:40] Danay Garcia: Cerveza and bano.

[00:48:47] Marc Preston: One of the things I, uh, always do towards the, uh, end of my chats is something I call my seven questions, which is a little extra fun. Uh, and we all, uh, we've talked food, but I always ask the first question, which [00:49:00] is one of my favorites, which is what is your favorite comfort food? That thing you love that, that...

[00:49:06] Marc Preston: which you've had a bad day, it, it, it elevates your mood. Having a great day, it just kind of adds to it. What would that comfort food be for you?

[00:49:14] Danay Garcia: I love tostones, which is the fried plantains.

[00:49:17] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm.

[00:49:18] Danay Garcia: I mean, it's just, it's so c- it's not healthy, but it's like-

[00:49:21] Marc Preston: Oh ...

[00:49:22] Danay Garcia: God, this changes my mood. Oh. Like, I'm like, "I'm not tired anymore."

[00:49:26] Marc Preston: Well, there, there's a place here on the island that serves ceviche, and then they have fried, they, they, they do a long slice of the tostone and use that as- Those long slices of

[00:49:33] Danay Garcia: tostones? Oh ...

[00:49:34] Marc Preston: instead of a chip. That's, ugh, that's so good.

[00:49:37] Danay Garcia: That, anything with tostones, it changes my mood. Anything. Fish, meat, anything.

[00:49:43] Danay Garcia: It's... even by itself, it's just great.

[00:49:45] Marc Preston: Yeah, I, you know, I'm a fan. I, you know, I think it's more of a Puerto Rican thing, but mofongo- Actually ... uh, mofongo ... in

[00:49:51] Danay Garcia: the show, oh, mofongo is amazing. Is that- It's very Caribbean ...

[00:49:55] Marc Preston: n- the next question. Now, if we're gonna sit down and we're gonna have one of those little, uh, what do you call it, cafecitos?

[00:49:59] Marc Preston: Or what they, is [00:50:00] that what they call the small... Okay, y- maybe big coffees because this is gonna be a nice long afternoon sitting down at a table with three people. Living or not, who would those three people be you would like to sit down with, uh, for hours and just have a great conversation?

[00:50:13] Danay Garcia: Oh, my gosh.

[00:50:14] Danay Garcia: Well, one of my great friends, uh, that I re- I just talk, Rubén Blades. Rubén Blades, uh- Mm-hmm ... he is, he's, he plays Salazar on Fear the Walking Dead. He's an iconic actor, a great musician. He's won every Grammy out there possible. Rubén Blades. Really? He... Oh my God, he's like 25 Grammys. It's ridiculous. He's, he's an attorney, graduated from Harvard.

[00:50:40] Danay Garcia: He's from Panama. He ran for president of Panama. I mean, talking to Rubén with, w- even without cafecito, it's, it's, it's, it's a lo- it's such a joy. Um, somebody that I would love to talk to, to join that conversation, uh, do you know, uh, just because I had in [00:51:00] my mind for the past couple days, do you know this novel called One Hundred Years of Solitude?

[00:51:05] Marc Preston: I've hear- Uh ... I

[00:51:05] Danay Garcia: think

[00:51:05] Marc Preston: I've heard of it. I can't say I know too much about

[00:51:08] Danay Garcia: it. Okay, yeah. His name is Gabriel García Márquez. He's one of the most iconic, uh, writers in Latin America. Uh, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Times of Cholera. Like, he's-

[00:51:20] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah.

[00:51:20] Danay Garcia: Yeah, yeah, yeah ... I mean, yeah, he's, he's, he's, he's an icon.

[00:51:23] Danay Garcia: So, uh, so I would love to talk to him. Um, and one, you, uh, you say another person? Yeah. A third person? Yeah,

[00:51:30] Marc Preston: three people. Uh-huh.

[00:51:31] Danay Garcia: Gosh, could it be a character?

[00:51:33] Marc Preston: Yes. Sure.

[00:51:36] Danay Garcia: I don't know. Uh, s- does it have to be fictional? Could it be fictional?

[00:51:41] Marc Preston: Sure, 'cause, you know, nobody's done that. But yeah, I, like that's, that's, that's, that would be very interesting.

[00:51:46] Marc Preston: What would s- what would a fictional character be like in that... 'Cause it's not just talking with you, it's talking amongst the three of them talking amongst each other, which would be- The

[00:51:55] Danay Garcia: three of... Yeah, like, like somebody that we could talk to, like, uh, just the three of us. [00:52:00] 'Cause, um, I feel like it should be a girl, 'cause we would laugh so hard.

[00:52:04] Danay Garcia: Um, I don't know. Um, gosh, that's a good question, Marc. Well, I feel like I'm having a great time talking to you. I don't know, you're thinking, I'm thinking of you.

[00:52:16] Marc Preston: Oh, likewise. No, I'm, I-

[00:52:17] Danay Garcia: You could join that conversation with coffee. I think you could join any conversation with coffee and without, and with tostones.

[00:52:23] Danay Garcia: Uh, that would be- It

[00:52:24] Marc Preston: could be done with them ... that would be wonderful. What, what, what's that thing they do in Mexico? They take the, uh, uh, the coffee, the Mexican coffee, and the churros, and they dip it in the chocolate. Oh, no, it's hot chocolate. Oh That's what it is. Yeah.

[00:52:34] Danay Garcia: Yes, yes.

[00:52:35] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:52:35] Danay Garcia: Okay. Um, you are my third person, Marc.

[00:52:38] Danay Garcia: Aw. Just because I've been having a great time.

[00:52:40] Marc Preston: Well, you know what? I- that's the first time anybody's said that, and I'm gonna put a gold star somewhere in my studio here and like- And that's

[00:52:45] Danay Garcia: a lot for someone that I've never met before. It's not like we, we've known each other, but I feel like I already

[00:52:50] Marc Preston: know Marc.

[00:52:50] Marc Preston: Well, you gotta, you gotta come, you gotta, you and your son gotta come down to Padre. We'll have the tostones and the, uh, ceviche and, uh- ... watch the sun set over the Laguna Madre, you know?

[00:52:58] Danay Garcia: And the margaritas. It's [00:53:00] like, it sounds like

[00:53:00] Marc Preston: a plan. Oh, margaritas. At least, at least one or 20, you know? So, um- Just

[00:53:04] Danay Garcia: one or two.

[00:53:04] Danay Garcia: You start with one, or cerveza, you know?

[00:53:07] Marc Preston: That, that would be wonderful.

[00:53:08] Danay Garcia: You know how it's the cerveza and baño, so, you know. And so you need-

[00:53:10] Marc Preston: Well, they do something down here. They, they, they d- uh, when I came down years ago, they said, "Do you want it dressed?" I said, "Dressed? What do you mean?" They take, uh, tajin and they put it on the, uh, bottle, you know, so you can lick a little tajin.

[00:53:20] Marc Preston: Uh, not, not salt, but it's, you know. I like, I like, I like- Yes ... my Modelos dressed. So- Um, now the next question I got for you, if you, you know, could go back when you were younger, who was your celebrity crush when you were a, a young Danay?

[00:53:37] Danay Garcia: Oh my God, Brad Pitt. Are you kidding?

[00:53:39] Marc Preston: Oh, of

[00:53:39] Danay Garcia: course. I watch, uh, Meeting Joe Black.

[00:53:41] Danay Garcia: I was like, I think I was 12 and like-

[00:53:43] Marc Preston: Oh my God. That was- But I don't- Yeah, that was great. That was with Anthony Hopkins also was in that, right?

[00:53:48] Danay Garcia: Yes.

[00:53:48] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:53:49] Danay Garcia: Yes. I remember I did not speak English then, but I felt like I understood him. I

[00:53:54] Marc Preston: was like, "Yeah." Well, you, you don't, you don't need to speak- I know what he's talking.

[00:53:56] Marc Preston: I get it. Yes. He's not human. I don't know. I don't know what's [00:54:00] going on, uh, with that guy. He's just, he's, there's something a little off.

[00:54:03] Danay Garcia: The scenes with Anthony Hopkins, oh my God. Yeah. He- Like, they were together, it was just magical. It was... Anthony's like, "Whoa."

[00:54:10] Marc Preston: Yeah, a- a- "You are

[00:54:11] Danay Garcia: not-"

[00:54:11] Marc Preston: And the thing about Brad Pitt, I think, is he's very talented, but I think, I think his looks get in the way sometimes.

[00:54:17] Marc Preston: You're just kinda like, "Yeah, that gu- guy's just too pretty." You know? And then, um, now if you... The next question, if you're gonna be forced to live on an island, s- not forced, but it's a beautiful exotic island and somebody's like- You gotta be there for an entire year. It's beautiful. You wanna be there, but no streaming.

[00:54:32] Marc Preston: So you wanna, if you wanna listen to music, you gotta bring one CD or a box set, and if you wanna watch a movie, you're allowed to bring one DVD. What would that CD and what would that DVD be for you?

[00:54:43] Danay Garcia: Gosh, I, I, right away I, I thought of Celia Cruz. I think I would listen to salsa because if it- if I'm by myself, it needs to be musical and fun.

[00:54:51] Marc Preston: Uh-huh.

[00:54:51] Danay Garcia: I mean- Oh, yeah ... Celia Cruz would be like, like, you

[00:54:54] Marc Preston: know, maybe- So you're looking at it, not just listening, you're looking at it as a dancing kind of a thing. Yeah. Yeah, okay. I [00:55:00]

[00:55:00] Danay Garcia: cannot be sad. It can't be a, uh, something I can't sing or, like, lyrics. It needs to have lyrics and it needs to be, like, movement.

[00:55:08] Marc Preston: Uh-huh.

[00:55:08] Danay Garcia: So definitely any salsa. Uh, Celia Cruz would be ideal, like Carnaval. Uh, life is a carnival. That's an amazing thing to be stuck on an island with.

[00:55:17] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[00:55:18] Danay Garcia: Um, yeah. And gosh, you know, I love 007 movies, like the classics. Any, you know, I would take a few 007 movies and just watch James Bond just kick ass and Sean Connery like just- What a good...

[00:55:33] Marc Preston: Okay, that would be a good- that would be a great box set. And I gotta say, I, next to Sean Connery, I gotta say Daniel Craig was my favorite, uh, Bond.

[00:55:40] Danay Garcia: Daniel Craig was epic. He

[00:55:42] Marc Preston: was- Casino Royale,

[00:55:43] Danay Garcia: right?

[00:55:44] Marc Preston: Daniel Craig's era was more, not gritty, it was more real, you know? It was more like you could- Real. Yeah. And yeah, uh, the, the- You

[00:55:50] Danay Garcia: understood his pain and, and his, his charm and, and, and the, the whole orphan thing, how he turned it around and made it, like, just [00:56:00] posh and fun.

[00:56:01] Marc Preston: Oh, yeah. So I think I would- That la- that, that last one though, that last film though ... um- That was the perfect way to wrap his, you know-

[00:56:07] Danay Garcia: Yeah ... arc. His journey. I think, I, I think I would get Daniel Craig's, like, trilogy or I don't know how many he did, like four. He did four?

[00:56:14] Marc Preston: I'm not s- I'm not su- uh, that sounds about right.

[00:56:17] Marc Preston: That sounds about right. Um, but

[00:56:19] Danay Garcia: yeah. Yeah. So any, any 007, like, tril- yeah, just chunk. It's, I think it's like, oh, it's just because it's beautiful, fun, beautiful, you know, it's just good stories and you c- I, I don't

[00:56:31] Marc Preston: want to cry. I'm not- And you get to travel. Yeah, you get to, you j- I always liked James Bond because you went places.

[00:56:35] Marc Preston: It was a jour- kind of same thing, like- Yeah ... about, uh, Indiana Jones. You, there was a journey he went on, you know.

[00:56:40] Danay Garcia: I love Indiana Jones too, yeah.

[00:56:41] Marc Preston: So the next question I got, if you were to say from the time you get up to the time you go to bed, if you look at the ingredients of a perfect day for you, what would the recipe for a perfect day be, uh, from the time you get up to the time you go to bed?

[00:56:56] Danay Garcia: I love to read, so definitely would like to spend 30 minutes [00:57:00] reading a good book. I love reading. Um, I love eating, so definitely I will cook something delicious for me. I love my dog, so I love w- giving him a walk or just have some quality of time.

[00:57:14] Marc Preston: What kind of dog?

[00:57:16] Danay Garcia: I have an Austie Doodle, Australian shepherd and poodle

[00:57:19] Marc Preston: Uh, ooh, there's a lot going on there.

[00:57:20] Marc Preston: Okay. Uh-

[00:57:21] Danay Garcia: It's a pandemic dog that, you know, he came during the pandemic. I'm like, "He lit up my day." Um, I love foo- uh, cooking something, reading, spending time, just g- just a nice walk in nature. Um, gosh, if I'm working, definitely go to set.

[00:57:40] Announcer: Mm-hmm.

[00:57:40] Danay Garcia: I love people. I love being part of a community. I love when you go in and just deliver something special and give people hugs goodbye and see you next time.

[00:57:52] Danay Garcia: It's just such a good feeling to, to be around people- Yeah ... and then read a good book after that, right? Exactly.

[00:57:58] Marc Preston: It's so fun. I like the thing about the dog, is [00:58:00] that dogs, dogs, they start and they complete our day. You know? If, if you have a dog, then,

[00:58:03] Danay Garcia: uh- They

[00:58:04] Marc Preston: do ... yeah, my, my dog has his- Yeah. I think- I have a two-year-old golden retriever who's got his own routine.

[00:58:08] Marc Preston: Like, he, like, um- Oh ... he'll wait for me to brush my teeth, and then when I'm done getting ready, he'll then jump up in bed, you know? And he'll be sitting- Oh, yeah ... watches me, making su- I don't know what he's watching. But, uh- But he, he sits there and, like, I, I gu- I guess brushing your teeth looks a little weird to a dog, I gue- I don't know.

[00:58:25] Marc Preston: But he'll sit there and watch- I mean, they

[00:58:27] Danay Garcia: don't get that part ...

[00:58:28] Marc Preston: he's an adolescent, you know? He's, he's a very honor- But, uh, the next question, hey, if you, if somebody said, "Danay, y- y- you can't do this anymore," you know, acting, the cr- this creative thing that you, you're used to is not available to you anymore.

[00:58:40] Marc Preston: What would be the other vocation, other job that you would love to do besides acting?

[00:58:46] Danay Garcia: I would love, if I couldn't do it, I would, still would love to be attached to it, so I think I would teach it. I would love- Te- okay ... to be, yeah, I think I would love to be around children- Introduce them the [00:59:00] power of the arts.

[00:59:01] Danay Garcia: I think I will just go to the beginning of humanity. How can I instill that? I think it's so important 'cause it's a way to also feel connected as kids. Uh, I was just about to

[00:59:09] Marc Preston: say, it's a connection. It's, it's, it- It's connected ... when you realize that somebody else is... That's, I think, where this medium, you know, podcasting, I mean, I think it gives people r- f- opportunity to go, "Oh, you know, I'm not the only one who feels or thinks or reacts or, you know, whatever, the way, you know, other people do.

[00:59:28] Marc Preston: Other people do, are the same," you know? And so it's- We're so similar ... yeah, and, and in a very- We're so similar ... do you think we're g- like, in an isolated world, kind of. You know, the digital thing has kind of bred a l- especially COVID just poured gasoline on the fire, but where people are kind of isolated in their own space, you know, in their own head in a way, you know?

[00:59:44] Marc Preston: So yeah, I think acting is a, is a, is a great thing to learn because it kind of forces you to listen, right? You know, so there you go. You could be- Yeah ... you could be, uh, an acting teacher. So that would be choice number two. So, uh, the last question though I got is, if you were to [01:00:00] jump into a DeLorean, we took you back in time to when you were 16 years old and you got a piece of advice, you got a couple minutes to spend with yourself, you have a piece of advice to 16-year-old you to make that moment in your life maybe a little bit better or to put yourself on a little different trajectory, what, what would that advice be for you?

[01:00:17] Danay Garcia: Gosh, you see, I don't regret anything that has happened to me. So I think what I would have told m- myself, younger self, is trust the process and have fun. Trust it. Trust it. Mm-hmm. Uh, no- don't... I mean, I did anyway, but it would've been nice to, to know that trust- To,

[01:00:36] Marc Preston: to know that you were making the decision that works.

[01:00:38] Marc Preston: Yeah ... it will work. Yeah.

[01:00:40] Danay Garcia: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, because, you know, there's a time that you have no choice but to trust it. You're like, "Uh, okay. I'm in." So I already said yes, so what am I gonna do with my yes is up to me. I'm gonna trust that, the, how I, what, what I say yes to. But hearing that, knowing that at 16, like, hey, what's about to happen, trust it.

[01:00:59] Danay Garcia: The [01:01:00] good, the bad, the, the rejection, the love, the, the yes and the nos, trust it. It's, it's gonna be better in the long run. And I mean, it happened that way, but it would've been really nice.

[01:01:11] Marc Preston: No, that's-

[01:01:12] Danay Garcia: Really nice ...

[01:01:13] Marc Preston: it certainly sounds like it worked out wonderfully. I mean, you ended up in Austin. I mean, come on.

[01:01:17] Marc Preston: That, you, you did well. Uh Trust

[01:01:19] Danay Garcia: the process. Trust it. Yeah. And I love it here. I love- I love Austin. It's a great place to reconnect

[01:01:26] Marc Preston: with yourself Well, hey, if, if you ever head south, you know, send up a flare or say, "I'm heading that way." We'll have some, you know, tostones and, you know, the good stuff, you know.

[01:01:34] Marc Preston: But, uh- You

[01:01:34] Danay Garcia: bet on it, Marc

[01:01:35] Marc Preston: Well, Danay, I, I, I so appreciate you sharing your time with me today. It's, uh, been more than a pleasure and really enjoyed just spending some time with you. And, uh, you know, it's, your, M.I.A. is gonna be on- It was really fun Well, M.I.A., is it on NBC or NBC and Peacock or just Peacock?

[01:01:50] Marc Preston: So- You know, it's, uh-

[01:01:51] Danay Garcia: It starts on Peacock May 7th, but it will be air on NBC May 14th. Oh. And then it will be weekly. What I can tell you from the show is that [01:02:00] this is one of, this is one of the s- um, experiences that I had the most fun, like in every shape or form. I really, I think you're gonna enjoy it, it,

[01:02:09] Marc Preston: um, because- Uh, and you, you, and you used to hang out with zombies during a pandemic-

[01:02:12] Marc Preston: so I trust your assessment here, you know? If you say it's fun, I'm gonna trust, trust you. Oh, yeah. Plus Edward James Olmos and, you know, c- can't, can't beat that. But- Yeah ... you know, I'm gonna go, uh, I'm gonna go grab some lunch now because you've made me way too hungry right now.

[01:02:26] Danay Garcia: Thank you,

[01:02:28] Marc. There you go, Danay Garcia.

[01:02:32] Marc Preston: fun. I enjoy this conversation so much. Uh, the new show, don't forget, it is called M.I.A. It is on NBC and Peacock. And don't forget to check out her podcast. Where do you find that? Just go to storyandcraftpod.com. Everything about, of course, Danay, as well as all of our past guests. Also go to, uh, Substack.

[01:02:54] Marc Preston: Just go to storyandcraft.substack.com. And, uh, don't forget to like Story and Craft on your favorite [01:03:00] podcast app. We're on all of them. And follow the show. You get notified every time a new episode comes out. Uh, leave a comment, the thumbs up, ring the bell, do all the jazz on every one of the platforms.

[01:03:09] Marc Preston: Why not? Let, help people to find the show. And of course, great episodes to come. In fact, if you're a big fan of all things Taylor Sheridan, the Taylor Sheridan universe, the new show, Dutton Ranch, you probably know it's coming out. I'm not gonna say, uh, whether I have or have not seen the first few episodes, but I'm just gonna say it's a great show.

[01:03:29] Marc Preston: That's all I'm gonna say. And one of the fine actors in Dutton Ranch gonna be coming up- Here in just a few weeks. All right, so hey, do me a favor. You have yourself a wonderful rest of your day. And as I always say, thank you very, very much for making what I got going on here part of whatever you've got going on.

[01:03:46] Marc Preston: It means a lot. So you have a good one. Be safe, and we will see you next time right here on Story and

[01:03:53] Announcer: Craft. That's it for this episode of Story and Craft. Join Marc next week for more conversation right here on Story and [01:04:00] Craft. Story and Craft is a presentation of Marc Preston Productions, LLC. Executive producer is Marc Preston.

[01:04:08] Announcer: Associate producer is Zachary Holden. Please rate and review Story and Craft on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. You can subscribe to show updates and stay in the know. Just head to storyandcraftpod.com and sign up for the newsletter.

[01:04:28] Announcer: I'm Emma Dylan. See you next time, and remember, keep telling your story.