Patrick Renna | From “The Sandlot” to YouTube’s “Dugout Dads” | Major League Storyteller

[00:00:00] Patrick Renna: Marty York, who played Yaya, went up to him while he was resting in the director's chair and said, "Excuse me, um, Mr. Jones, are you Darth Vader?" And James Earl Jones turned to him and said, "No, I'm your father."

[00:00:18] Announcer: Welcome to Story and Craft. Now, here's your host, Marc Preston.

[00:00:23] Marc Preston: All right, here we go. Back again, another episode of Story and Craft.

[00:00:27] Marc Preston: Good to have you back. Uh, welcome if this is your first episode. Thank you so much for stopping by. Uh, today, sitting down with Patrick Renna. It's kind of like catching up with an old friend. Of course, Patrick was in the iconic film The Sandlot. Uh, we've also seen him in Son in Law and, uh, Glow, the, uh, Marc Maron show that was on Netflix a few years back.

[00:00:48] Marc Preston: Uh, he's got a new project out now. It's a YouTube series, got a companion podcast called Dugout Dads. It was a cool catch-up, man. It was great to hear what he's been up to. Uh, it was a nice bit of [00:01:00] nostalgia. Also good to hear about the fun, cool stuff that he's got cooking. Uh, hey, do me a favor if you would.

[00:01:06] Marc Preston: Make sure to follow Story and Craft, all right? Grab that podcast app. Super simple. Just click follow. Subscribe. That way you get notified every time a new episode comes out. Also, uh, make sure to like the show, leave a review, leave stars, whatever have you. Helps people to find the show. Also, uh, you wanna find out about past guests, past episodes.

[00:01:25] Marc Preston: You would like to send me a note maybe. Uh, hey, I, I like those notes. Just go to storyandcraftpod.com, and it's all right there. So, hey, let's jump right into it because today is Patrick Renna Day right here on Story and Craft. I've got a little bit of rain going on today, so if you hear any raindrops, maybe the, for the folks who are listening to this, they can listen to it at nighttime- Oh

[00:01:48] Marc Preston: when they're going to sleep, they can hear the sa- soft sounds of rain. It'll

[00:01:51] Patrick Renna: be super cozy. Put them right to sleep.

[00:01:53] Marc Preston: Yeah. Uh, but our conversation will keep them awake. There's a dichotomy there. Oh. I don't know. Yeah. So-

[00:01:57] Patrick Renna: Get

[00:01:58] Marc Preston: ready ... so where are you joining me from today? [00:02:00]

[00:02:00] Patrick Renna: I am in LA. Yeah, my house in LA.

[00:02:03] Marc Preston: Did you do a little lunch today before you joined up?

[00:02:05] Patrick Renna: You know, I, I kinda eat late, so I, I did my breakfast before we-

[00:02:10] Marc Preston: I'm kinda the same way. Yeah. I kinda, I, I usually have a big breakfast, snack in the middle of the afternoon here and there, and then I have a dinner, you know. So-

[00:02:17] Patrick Renna: Yeah ...

[00:02:17] Marc Preston: uh, anything, anything good for breakfast? Anything tasty?

[00:02:19] Patrick Renna: You know, I had what I pretty much always have, which is, um, like three eggs and then a, uh, little tortilla.

[00:02:29] Patrick Renna: Kinda have like a, an egg taco but with a lot of eggs on it. So I eat some of the eggs, and then I eat the taco.

[00:02:35] Marc Preston: I've been doing that for years. In fact, it's funny, my oldest daughter, who's now 23, when she was little, she, she loved tortillas. And so she... Well, I d- I made this thing for the kids. I called it ch- cheesy eggs.

[00:02:44] Marc Preston: You know, just basically- Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah ... you can imagine. Scrambled eggs, just an unreal amount of cheddar cheese on a tortilla, wrap it up. I give it to her. She unravels it, just like dumps out all the eggs onto the plate. I'm like, "What are you doing, baby?" She's like, "I wanted a tortilla." She didn't really understand how to ask for that individually, [00:03:00] and so she's like, "I know I get one when Daddy makes cheesy eggs," and here we are.

[00:03:04] Marc Preston: So- So

[00:03:04] Patrick Renna: she would

[00:03:04] Marc Preston: ask- Um, but yeah ...

[00:03:05] Patrick Renna: for cheesy eggs, but really just wanted the tortilla.

[00:03:07] Marc Preston: Yeah. And of course, as any good parent does, don't like food going to waste, so of course I ate it. Yeah. You know. Well, that was your breakfast. And that was how the weight I gained w- Exactly. I learned. I learned. So you've got a, uh, new...

[00:03:18] Marc Preston: I don't know. There's, the line is becoming odd. Web series, podcast, what the definition really is, you know. But you've got a new one. It's on, uh, YouTube. Yeah. Is it, The Dugout Dads, is it about just baseball, or is it just about dad life, or k- k- what's it, what's it about?

[00:03:34] Patrick Renna: Yeah, so I- I, you know, it's funny. I think because of the way that YouTube puts content out, it's kind of confused the world a little bit on what I made.

[00:03:45] Patrick Renna: Uh, but the whole intention and what we really made was nine five-minute episodes of a scripted comedy called Dugout Dads. Uh, it's about the world of parents taking baseball [00:04:00] more, too seriously compared to the kids. I was coaching my own son's Little League team, and they made it to the finals, and they lost in the finals.

[00:04:08] Patrick Renna: And I, you know, the parents were hugging each other, crying on each other's shoulders, kicking over water coolers. And I looked out into the outfield, and the kids were playing tag five seconds after they lost. So I thought-

[00:04:19] Marc Preston: So wait, is this something happened on the show? Or this is something-

[00:04:22] Patrick Renna: This is real life

[00:04:22] Marc Preston: that happened in real life.

[00:04:23] Patrick Renna: Yeah.

[00:04:23] Marc Preston: Okay, yeah.

[00:04:24] Patrick Renna: Okay. So that, when I saw that happen, I went, "Oh, gosh. This needs to be a show." Uh, this is so funny how serious we all take it and how the kids at that age just couldn't care less. So I started developing this show, Dugout Dads, and- I then went to an appearance with the other Sandlot guys in, uh, I forget what city I was in.

[00:04:45] Patrick Renna: But when I was hanging out with them, as we do a couple times a year, and we fall right back into it, it's sort of like old, you know, high school buds getting together for a reunion every time we see each other. I realized, wow, I need to make the other [00:05:00] dads of this show I'm developing the Sandlot guys, and that would just make it- Ah, okay

[00:05:05] Patrick Renna: an even better show. So it's not a sequel to Sandlot. It's not, um It's not in the Sandlot universe, as I've heard it called recently. Uh, it, it has nothing to do with Sandlot. The only connection is I brought the guys back to star in this original comedy concept that I developed.

[00:05:25] Marc Preston: Well, it's gotta feel good to know there is such a thing as the Sandlot universe- I know

[00:05:29] Marc Preston: still existing, you know?

[00:05:30] Patrick Renna: Pretty

[00:05:31] Marc Preston: cool. Um, but yeah, I remember my, my youngest daughter, Emma, she was, uh, doing softball when she was... Man, I lose track of the years. I'm gonna ballpark seven or eight years old. And I was in the stands with my ol- my oldest, and, uh, we're just watching the game and, and I asked her, I said, "Do you know what the score is?"

[00:05:46] Marc Preston: Two rows down, I have a mother turn around, "We don't keep score." And I was like, "We don't..." I was like, "Sorry, I, I, I didn't know." I was like, "Did I say something offensive?" And it was in my first introduction into they don't keep score. There's no winners or losers. I'm like, "Well," and, and I [00:06:00] was like, "Is that a healthy thing?"

[00:06:01] Marc Preston: I mean, I understand you're trying to maybe, you know, make a great environment for the kids, but is that counterintuitive? I, I don't know. But yeah, that was-

[00:06:08] Patrick Renna: Well, the kids are

[00:06:09] Marc Preston: keeping score- You're, you're- ...

[00:06:10] Patrick Renna: I'll tell you that

[00:06:11] Marc Preston: They re- they remember because they always come up to you and they ask, "Hey, did you see me do this thing?"

[00:06:15] Marc Preston: Or something. They wanna know if you saw them do it- Yeah ... because they know it's a good thing or, you know. You know, I remember when I was young, I was always looking forward to the snacks and whatever we got after the game, you know. So how many kids do you have?

[00:06:25] Patrick Renna: I have three. I have two boys and then a 15-month-old girl, so nine, six, and

[00:06:30] Marc Preston: 15 months.

[00:06:30] Marc Preston: Oh my goodness.

[00:06:31] Patrick Renna: Yeah.

[00:06:31] Marc Preston: Nine, six, and how old again?

[00:06:33] Patrick Renna: Little over a year.

[00:06:35] Marc Preston: Oh, okay. Still rocking the diaper genie. Okay. Yes, please. That's very cool. So you're saying The Sandlot dads. I'm trying to remember. How long ago did, did Sandlot come out? That was nine- was it '91 or '90? I know I was- Filmed

[00:06:46] Patrick Renna: it in '92 and it came out in '93.

[00:06:48] Marc Preston: Okay. I think I just graduated from high school when I think it came out, but, uh, you know, I was a big fan of James Earl Jones, but, uh- Yeah. I know James ... the, we're going, the dog, was the dog called The, The Beast? Yes. Is that what the dog was called?

[00:06:59] Patrick Renna: [00:07:00] Yeah.

[00:07:00] Marc Preston: Dude, my memory's not as bad as my kids say. Okay. No, you're, you're

[00:07:03] Patrick Renna: killing it.

[00:07:04] Marc Preston: And, uh, it was-- and the dog was James Earl Jones's dog, correct?

[00:07:06] Patrick Renna: Yeah. Mr.

[00:07:07] Marc Preston: Mc- Okay. Okay Yeah. I'm so proud of my memory. I'm patting myself on the back here. Okay. So about how old were you when you did, uh, when you did the film?

[00:07:15] Patrick Renna: I filmed it, I was 13 when I filmed it, and 14 when it came out.

[00:07:19] Marc Preston: You know, for a lot of people, you're sort of trapped in amber, at least that part of your career, and it's, they have real strong memories of that, but we grow up.

[00:07:27] Marc Preston: Yeah. You know. It's just really interesting to me what it's like to step into adulthood and proceed in adulthood, but where some people are still like, "Okay, you're the guy from Sandlot." It's, and they have real s- f- fond memories. It's a, it's a warm thing for them.

[00:07:42] Patrick Renna: Yeah.

[00:07:43] Marc Preston: You know, evolutionarily, you know, what's that, what's that like for you?

[00:07:46] Marc Preston: Is, is it something that's... Just a general question. What's that like for you?

[00:07:49] Patrick Renna: Uh, I think I've gotten so used to it that it, it's kind of, it's just part of my, my everyday, uh, experience with life and [00:08:00] acting. To be part of a movie that- has meant so much to people for now what seems to be almost four generations, it's three generations going on four, is pretty special.

[00:08:12] Patrick Renna: And, you know, that That type of longevity is not something you see in the movies very often. Even A-listers don't necessarily have a title like that.

[00:08:23] Marc Preston: I was thinking the exact same thing. You're in something that people have a fond reference of. It is part of the fabric of a memory. What was the progression when you, immediately thereafter, when you're doing that, I mean, of you're on a set, you're acting, you're doing your thing and, and there was the success of the film.

[00:08:40] Marc Preston: Did the bug really bite you then, or h- were you always wanting to be doing this thing?

[00:08:46] Patrick Renna: I, I did school, I did school plays. Uh, so I, I definitely was always interested in acting as an art. Not until I moved to LA did it really come to fruition as a career, [00:09:00] but I, you know, growing up in, in my, you know, 9, 10, 11, those early years I was, I was acting in a bunch of school plays and I loved it.

[00:09:10] Patrick Renna: Uh, so I think that answers that question. I... It was pretty fast. I, when I moved to LA, "Sandlot" was pretty much my first audition and job. Uh, so I was off filming, you know, a major studio feature as my first experience. Uh, so I didn't sort of know any better. I didn't, you know, I didn't really experience the seedy underbelly of Hollywood until my, you know, late teens, I guess.

[00:09:38] Patrick Renna: Um, but yeah, it definitely was something I was always interested in and it's sort of all I've known as a career.

[00:09:44] Marc Preston: As a kid, would your, would your folks define you as being gregarious or were you, were you more shy, or were you someone who kind of enjoyed being theatrical, if you will?

[00:09:53] Patrick Renna: I was definitely not shy.

[00:09:56] Patrick Renna: I think, I, I don't know that I, [00:10:00] I don't know that I was over the top or, you know, I don't wanna say annoyingly in your face, but I wasn't one of those kids that, you know, would enter the room dressed as Caesar and start reciting something from Shakespeare.

[00:10:15] Marc Preston: What's the word they use for kids like precocious,

[00:10:17] Patrick Renna: you know?

[00:10:17] Patrick Renna: Yeah, I was not precocious. Um. But I, I was for sure a ham. I, I hammed it up a lot and loved to make people laugh, and I've always had that, uh, in my life. I, but I d- I think somewhere in the middle is the answer to that.

[00:10:32] Marc Preston: Where was home base originally for you?

[00:10:34] Patrick Renna: Boston.

[00:10:35] Marc Preston: So that's a big move. That was-

[00:10:36] Patrick Renna: Yeah ...

[00:10:36] Marc Preston: was the move for the work or were your f- did your, one of your folks-

[00:10:40] Patrick Renna: My parents split and my mom had a job opportunity in LA and took it.

[00:10:44] Patrick Renna: I think one of the reasons she took it is knowing that I was interested in acting and knowing, you know, especially back then, New York wasn't as... Y- New York almost splits it with Hollywood now. Uh- Right ... but then [00:11:00] you really needed to go to LA to pursue an acting career. So, uh, she, she took a job and I think- Wanted a change of environment for herself and was excited to see what she could do for me.

[00:11:11] Marc Preston: Was it just you or did you have brothers and sisters who, uh, came along after you?

[00:11:15] Patrick Renna: Child, just me.

[00:11:16] Marc Preston: Real? Okay. Yeah. We're in the only child club. All right.

[00:11:18] Patrick Renna: Yeah.

[00:11:18] Marc Preston: Yeah. I, uh, people say, "When I was in school, w- were you a spoiled kid?" I was like, "Spoiled? No." It's like

[00:11:24] Patrick Renna: No.

[00:11:25] Marc Preston: You, the, the, you kind of, you kind of get all of it all the time and you're...

[00:11:27] Marc Preston: I, I think, I think you learn to be responsible, you know, much faster. I agree. But that's just my opinion.

[00:11:31] Patrick Renna: Yeah. Spoiled is not... You know, there's definitely, there's aspects to being an only child where you're more spoiled, for sure. You don't- Like, you don't have that experience of getting your food stolen, you know?

[00:11:44] Patrick Renna: Which, like my friends that have- ... brothers and sisters are like, you, you would just shove food in your face because you know if you didn't, it was gone. One of your siblings was stealing it. So those sort of things didn't occur. But I agree, I, I don't feel like I was [00:12:00] over-gifted with all of these things. I had to make friends on my own, and I lived, you know- Yeah, yeah

[00:12:05] Patrick Renna: a normal, uh, in exchange life where I did my chores and I, I also essentially supported myself from 16 on.

[00:12:14] Marc Preston: Are you doing the same thing I, I've done, which is you kind of live vicariously through your kids on-

[00:12:19] Patrick Renna: Yeah ...

[00:12:19] Marc Preston: you know, what's it like to have brothers and sisters, you know? 100%. That's... I watch my kids and just like, just kind of how they've grown and how they get along, and eras where they don't get along, and they're back to getting along, and then mine are almost all, you know, my, my youngest gets out of college this year,

[00:12:33] Patrick Renna: so.

[00:12:33] Patrick Renna: Oh, wow. I, I wanted to have m- a lot of kids, you know. I wanted to have at least three just to s- you know, like you said, to live vicariously through them and I, I definitely did- Well, what- ... a good job ...

[00:12:43] Marc Preston: what kind of gigs did your folks have, uh, when you were young?

[00:12:46] Patrick Renna: They were partners in some sort of financial advising company.

[00:12:52] Patrick Renna: I, I, I forget exactly what it was, but I used to go there all the time. So they, they had some partnership and [00:13:00] ownership in a company like that, and then my mom moved out here and did the same thing. She worked in financial advisement. And then my mom actually became a manager for actors, uh, and did that in Hollywood- Really?

[00:13:10] Patrick Renna: for years, yeah, until she retired.

[00:13:13] Marc Preston: Well, having that financial background's probably a, a really good thing because of, you know- Yeah ... just all the mishegoss that goes on and, um-

[00:13:19] Patrick Renna: Yeah, yeah ...

[00:13:20] Marc Preston: when did she kind of- I've always paid my

[00:13:21] Patrick Renna: bills on time ... did she- I've always had good credit, you know, never, uh, spent more than I made.

[00:13:26] Patrick Renna: So yeah, I, I think that kind of, you know, upbringing helped for sure.

[00:13:31] Marc Preston: So when you got to LA, was it a big culture shock for you when you were young? Uh- Mm ... if you can remember back then, was it, were you still, like, living in a suburb or, uh-

[00:13:38] Patrick Renna: Yeah ...

[00:13:38] Marc Preston: maybe you did in Boston or?

[00:13:40] Patrick Renna: I, I did. I was in a suburb, very similar.

[00:13:43] Patrick Renna: I was in Little League. I was in Little League there. It wasn't much of a culture shock for me. I also went to the school before Sandlot, so the culture shock was switching schools, I would say, but then I quickly met new friends and, [00:14:00] and then I did Sandlot and the other movies. So I was still at school doing movies, which I think helped a lot.

[00:14:05] Patrick Renna: Uh, I went to another school for one semester during all of that, and it was awful, and I left quicker than I started to go back to the school where I sort of knew everyone already.

[00:14:16] Marc Preston: What was school like for you after doing The Sandlot? You head back to, you'd be junior high or middle school at that time.

[00:14:21] Marc Preston: Was it a kind of wild experience or the fact you're in LA, it's like, "All right, everybody acts out here," kind of a thing?

[00:14:26] Patrick Renna: No, I don't think... Well, I suppose everyone acts, yes. Uh, but I think because I started at school before Sandlot, I had already made my friends. And I had al- already had my kind of crew at school, and that didn't change because I was now acting.

[00:14:45] Patrick Renna: It just w- it was the same thing for me.

[00:14:47] Marc Preston: Did you have a preference on position, or where did you, where did you ultimately land, or were you a utility player?

[00:14:53] Patrick Renna: Uh, no, I played second base a lot In Little League, I would play second base and left field. Uh, [00:15:00] but if I went into the infield, I played second. I never quite had- Okay

[00:15:03] Patrick Renna: like the arm to make that throw from third or... But I wa- you know, I was good enough to be in the infield most of the time, so that was always my spot.

[00:15:11] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm. When Little League is going on, you have the chance to try out the different positions.

[00:15:15] Patrick Renna: Yeah.

[00:15:15] Marc Preston: And a, a long time ago, I, I, 'cause my kids love baseball, I thought it'd be fun to PA announcing for an AAA team.

[00:15:21] Marc Preston: And when folks really settle into their position, you know, the guys in the outfield are super fast, and the pitchers are these ridiculously tall guys, you know? Yeah. You sort of see commonality.

[00:15:31] Patrick Renna: But that's in AAA. Little League is completely different because it's-

[00:15:35] Marc Preston: Yeah, 'cause you, you're given the opportunity to try different things, see where your, uh, see where your strengths are,

[00:15:40] Patrick Renna: you know?

[00:15:40] Patrick Renna: Yeah, I would say your best player is your pitcher, which is not, you know, that's not necessarily how it... You know, pitching in m- the majors or even minors is so specialized, whereas you take your, your best utility player, and they're your pitcher or your catcher, and I guess that's [00:16:00] pretty consistent. Then from there, shortstop is probably the next best player, and then I would say second base and first are probably equal.

[00:16:09] Patrick Renna: Third base, you almost can put someone that's a little further down the line because very few kids in, you know, eight, nine-year-old Little League are making that throw from third to first. So you almost just go, "Ah, just stop it from going in the outfield, you know, you get a gold star." And then in the outfield, balls rarely go out there, so that's kind of where you put your more developmental kids that need to work on, you know, baseball a little more.

[00:16:34] Marc Preston: I gotta know what team you, you, you, uh, grew up watching. Like, who was your team, or who is your team right now?

[00:16:39] Patrick Renna: I mean, it's kind of a, a terrible answer. You know, I, I left young enough from Boston that... And my, my dad wasn't the biggest sports fan, so I really got into sports more in LA. One of my best friends that I met was a huge basketball fan, and [00:17:00] you know, he had, back then, this, before Shaq even came to the Lakers, he had Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Cedric Ceballos on the, you know, posters on his wall.

[00:17:09] Patrick Renna: And, uh, I came from the, the Larry Bird era of Boston NBA, so obviously I was a, you know, Larry Bird fan as a kid growing up in Boston. But again, I left early enough that LA sort of stole me a little bit, which is terrible to say as a, a Boston native. So I sort of root for both, if that's even possible. The one team that I never abandoned at all was the Patriots, because, I mean, it was easy to not in the late 90s, early 2000s, but also there was no football in LA.

[00:17:44] Patrick Renna: When I was here.

[00:17:45] Marc Preston: Right,

[00:17:45] Patrick Renna: right. Yeah So the Rams and Chargers came, what, four years ago? So I never... I was just always a Patriots fan, and that never changed. And I have not really caught on to being a real Rams or Chargers fan. I haven't even [00:18:00] made it to

[00:18:00] Marc Preston: the- Was Tommy Lasorda still the manager when you got to LA for the Dodgers?

[00:18:03] Patrick Renna: Probably. Yeah. I'm sure.

[00:18:06] Marc Preston: And, and some trade earlier today, and I, I can't remember who it is, somebody was being discussed to play Tommy Lasorda. Oh. Uh, co- um- Oh, sorry.

[00:18:15] Patrick Renna: Wasn't it Mark Wa- Is it Mark Wahlberg? Oh, no, no, no. No. It's Robert De Niro.

[00:18:20] Marc Preston: Robert De Niro. That's... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I can see that. I can see that.

[00:18:23] Patrick Renna: Yeah.

[00:18:31] Marc Preston: What was it that was firing up your interest in acting? Was it the things you were watching? What was it, the bug that was biting you about, uh, wanting to act?

[00:18:39] Patrick Renna: Uh, I think it just was something I loved playing and being able to play another character. Uh, I loved, you know, that sort of pretend aspect to it.

[00:18:53] Patrick Renna: I thought it was something fun and, um, it was something I was good at that not everyone was good [00:19:00] at. You know, you kind of find the things that you can excel at, uh, you know, outside the normal path that humans can take on something. So it, it was something that I did well, and I, I really enjoyed doing it.

[00:19:15] Patrick Renna: And I think that passion grew from school plays at a young age.

[00:19:19] Marc Preston: So what were you watching when you were young? What were, what was your jam? What were your TV shows or the movies that really stood out to you?

[00:19:26] Patrick Renna: Well, The Goonies was, I think, my favorite as a young guy. You know, Godfather, tho- those movies were huge for me in my, uh...

[00:19:37] Patrick Renna: As I, when, as I got a little older, um, Shawshank Redemption, movies like that, uh, really inspired me. I, I, I love, I love that sort of, like, epic movie. I, I really, you know-

[00:19:51] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm ...

[00:19:52] Patrick Renna: whether it's inspirational or The Godfather. Not that The Godfather's not inspirational, but I think, you know, I don't, I don't know that [00:20:00] it's as inspirational as Shawshank is.

[00:20:02] Patrick Renna: So th- those movies, but yeah, as a kid, I, I grew up watching The Goonies and kind of, you know, everything that all, all young guys in the late '80s, early '90s grew up watching. I, I... And, and it's funny though because I, I wasn't really a child actor, you know? I didn't, I... My first movie was Sandlot, and I was 13, so I was more of a teenage actor.

[00:20:25] Patrick Renna: And-

[00:20:25] Marc Preston: True, true ...

[00:20:26] Patrick Renna: a couple years later, I was, I didn't get emancipated, but I got my high school diploma, and if you had a diploma at 16, you could go on your own to sets. So-

[00:20:37] Marc Preston: Right ...

[00:20:37] Patrick Renna: I was off.

[00:20:38] Marc Preston: Yeah, 'cause you didn't have to do the, uh, you didn't have to do, do the breaks for tutoring and stuff like

[00:20:42] Patrick Renna: that. Right.

[00:20:42] Marc Preston: Or not tutoring, but on set school, yeah.

[00:20:44] Patrick Renna: So I only experienced on set school and, you know, being a non-adult actor on sets for three years, 13, 14, 15. At 16, they could work me the ri- the same amount of time. I was there without a guardian, and it was just a [00:21:00] normal acting gig for me. I went to Romania, uh, by myself. I, I brought a buddy of mine just so I had a companion, but I don't think he needed to be there for me.

[00:21:12] Marc Preston: What film was that or what project was that, do you remember?

[00:21:14] Patrick Renna: Oh, yeah. That, that was a, a movie called Johnny Mesto, Boy Wizard. It was a very small independent, like, kids movie.

[00:21:22] Marc Preston: Being young and being able to be on a set, to me seems like so much fun. Not just the acting, but you know, you got craft services you know.

[00:21:29] Marc Preston: Like it's own, like kind of summer camp, if you will. Oh, yeah. I mean, what were some of the most awesome memories from when you were, uh, on a set where you're like, "This I'm gonna remember forever,"

[00:21:38] Patrick Renna: you know, like that? You know, it's funny, people always ask me what my favorite movie is and, and my answer is always twofold.

[00:21:43] Patrick Renna: It's if you're asking what movie I'm most proud of as a result and what has meant the most to other people, nothing has beat Sandlot yet. And I'll keep striving to do that, but I, again, not many movies have beat Sandlot out of all movies in the history of movies. [00:22:00] So it's pretty humbling to be part of something like that.

[00:22:03] Patrick Renna: That said, if you're asking what my favorite experience filming was, uh, I, you know, one of my favorite movies I did is a movie I don't even know that it got released is, um, Ricky 6. It was a movie that I filmed in Canada. I was 18 years old, and Emmanuel Shrikhi starred in it. Um, Vincent Kartheiser, Chad Krist, I think was his last name.

[00:22:26] Patrick Renna: Um- Wait,

[00:22:27] Marc Preston: how, how old were you when you sh- uh, when you did that?

[00:22:29] Patrick Renna: Well, it was '90... It was late '90s, so I had to be 18 to 20, something in there. I, you know, when I was a little younger kid, I was always kind of, you know, I was never, like, a pudgy kid, and then I got onto the movie sets and, uh, I, I actually went to boarding school and had, you know, the, uh, buffets and, and no one watching me, and I gained a bunch of weight.

[00:22:52] Patrick Renna: And then I booked Sandlot. You can watch Sandlot, the first scene of the movie, I'm actually kind of skinny in, and then those craft, you mentioned the craft service [00:23:00] tables. Those were, that was hell for me. Uh, arch enemy number one. So Ricky 6 was the first movie that I, in my late teens, I had lost all my weight, and I was a pretty in shape young guy.

[00:23:12] Patrick Renna: So it was kind of my- Like my college experience. I was with a bunch of younger guys. We were having a good time. Uh, we were on a set. We were making money. There were, you know, all, all the young gals were on the set. It was, it was that sort of first college experience that I, I had never had 'cause I didn't go to college.

[00:23:31] Patrick Renna: So that filming experience was a lot of fun. I was really getting into the craft of acting. I was taking a lot of, I was in a lot of acting classes at that time. So, uh, that behind-the-scenes experience was great. The movie on the other hand, not to trash it, but it, you know, it's not, it's not top 10 of movies that I've done.

[00:23:49] Patrick Renna: It's-

[00:23:49] Marc Preston: Well, you've been around long enough to know it's, uh, when of all the people I've spoken with, it's amazing how you can have a, a wonderful cast, wonderful script, and you think all eight cylinders are just hitting- Yeah ... but [00:24:00] something just doesn't land right. I can't tell you the amount of people I've spoken with who have, uh, projects that look really cool that have just been not released, you know?

[00:24:08] Marc Preston: Totally. And so, but yeah, when you realize what it takes to get into a film, have it be a great film, have it be released, have it be very well-received, you know- Yeah ... that's, that's, you know, lightning in a bottle it seems like. Yeah. You know? You know, you said Emmanuelle Chriqui was in that? Yeah. And like, has she- Well- I didn't realize she was acting for that long.

[00:24:26] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:24:27] Patrick Renna: Yeah. Sh- and I just saw her again after 20 years, and it was, I, you know, we were at a friend, a mutual friend's 50th and, uh, it was great to see her. But, uh, 20 years I hadn't seen her and it kind of reminded me of that.

[00:24:41] Marc Preston: I think, uh, uh, Entourage was my first-

[00:24:43] Patrick Renna: Yeah ...

[00:24:43] Marc Preston: the first time I th- remember seeing. But then again, you know, I could probably go back, it's like, "Oh wait, that's her," in like

[00:24:48] Patrick Renna: an

[00:24:48] Marc Preston: older movie.

[00:24:49] Patrick Renna: Yeah. No, she, she's been acting a long time. And the, you know, the whole, the, the whole entire cast was just a lot of fun, and I just remember like a- all of us bonding a lot and [00:25:00] really enjoying each other's company.

[00:25:01] Marc Preston: Well, when you're moving through your acting training and you're probably refining, you know, what it is you wanna do, uh, what were you finding yourself being drawn to as far as the kind of projects you wanted to work on and be involved with?

[00:25:14] Patrick Renna: I think I love comedy. Uh, I, I, even if it's a serious a movie I like if there's an aspect of humor attached to it. So those were always things that I, I looked for. I was never, um, I never did a lot of TV. That wasn't something... You know, I did guest spots in here and there, but I, I never, uh, excelled in, you know, I, I wasn't on like a, I wasn't a regular on long-running TV show or anything.

[00:25:44] Patrick Renna: So I was pretty much a movie guy. Uh, and yeah, I, I think just if the character was fun, if, if the role was, you know, pivotal to some degree, uh, that was all that was important to me. And like you said, whether the movie made it or not, [00:26:00] that's lightning in a bottle, and a lot of that was out of my hands.

[00:26:03] Marc Preston: Well, I saw you were in, uh, Glow, uh, with Marc Maron and, um, I'm trying to remember where did you factor into that?

[00:26:10] Marc Preston: Because it's been eight years, I think, since like I saw it. Yeah.

[00:26:13] Patrick Renna: I, I had a, a couple episode arc where I was a super fan of, gosh, I forget, Natasha?

[00:26:21] Marc Preston: Oh, so you were like a big fan of one of the wrestlers and you-

[00:26:23] Patrick Renna: I was a-

[00:26:24] Marc Preston: Okay.

[00:26:24] Patrick Renna: Yeah. I was a big fan of One of, one of the wrestlers, Kate Nash, what- wh- whatever.

[00:26:32] Patrick Renna: Ronda, Ronda. Uh, so I was a super fan of Ronda and I asked her, you know, asked her to marry me and do all this stuff, and then we ended up having a, a whole, like, marriage scene in the ring. But Chris, uh, Sebastian Bash was actually in love with her, so there was this whole, like, not feud between him and I, but it just kind of made it, you know, humorous.

[00:26:57] Marc Preston: You know, it's probably time for a rewatch. You ever look [00:27:00] at a show and go, "Yeah, it's time for a rewatch." Sure. I wanna go through that. Of course. That's, you know, that I need to go back and watch. That was a cool show, and it- Yeah ... kind of captured a unique part of, you know, was it, like, l- it was, like, early '80s I think it was trying to...

[00:27:11] Marc Preston: It was set in, up to. Yeah. Um, besides acting, were you like, "Okay, I wanna produce," or, "I wanna write or direct," or was that on the agenda for you at all?

[00:27:20] Patrick Renna: Well, it i- it is now for sure. I don't know that it was on the agenda early on or in, you know, my mid to late teens or early 20s, but it's definitely something that I'm doing now.

[00:27:31] Patrick Renna: And with Dugout Dads, I, my production company produced it and funded it and, um, we, we brought the team together and, uh, we're, we're developing other projects as well and-

[00:27:43] Marc Preston: Do you enjoy writing? Are, are there things that you're finding in the creative process-

[00:27:46] Patrick Renna: Yeah ...

[00:27:46] Marc Preston: you're like, "I wish I'd started doing this earlier"?

[00:27:48] Patrick Renna: Yeah. I, I, you know, I didn't write all of the Dugout Dads. We hired some amazing writers for it. Had a four-person creative team so we, you know, kind of wrote what was [00:28:00] necessary in the beginning of it. But, um, I love the process of making something from beginning to end. It's, it's quite the challenge, and if you get the right team together it can be something special.

[00:28:14] Patrick Renna: And I, you know, that Dugout Dads was that. Like, I'm really proud of the end result of Dugout Dads.

[00:28:20] Marc Preston: Have you been able to get your kids involved in it? I mean, since it, since it is about, I guess, little league ball or-

[00:28:25] Patrick Renna: Yeah. I, I didn't put them in Dugout Dads. My oldest has a little cameo. My middle is a little young for it.

[00:28:32] Patrick Renna: He's the wrong age 'cause this was about nine and 10-year-olds. But I, I didn't s- have my oldest star in it because I did a Hershey's campaign. Hershey's approached me to do a, a pretty s- Oh, the

[00:28:45] Marc Preston: s'mores

[00:28:45] Patrick Renna: thing, right? Yeah. Yeah, okay ... a substantial campaign this past year, and they wanted him to be in it. And so he was in a few of the spots with me, and it was awesome.

[00:28:56] Patrick Renna: Like, I loved- Yeah ... having him there and [00:29:00] so glad he was there. That said, the f- the filming day of it was one of the most stressful days of my life because I was there- Really? Really? Why was that? Well, I was there as an actor and I was there as a, a father to another actor. So, and I have three kids, so my wife was watching the other two.

[00:29:15] Patrick Renna: So I think had she been on set it would've been a little easier, but I was m- so concerned about him That it just made it extra difficult to do. It ended up being great. Yeah. The director was wonderful. The team, Hershey's was incredible. Yeah, I was struggling to separate hats, for sure.

[00:29:33] Marc Preston: What was his experience like?

[00:29:35] Marc Preston: Did he, uh, report to you and let, let you know what he thought?

[00:29:38] Patrick Renna: Yeah, he loved it. He had a great time. Got to stay up late, got to eat s'mores, you know. I, he, he also, I brought him on set every day for Dugout Dads, and he was right there in video village watching the director work. So he definitely has a big appreciation for it.

[00:29:53] Patrick Renna: Uh, I could see him doing it. I would want him to start when I started, in your teens, 'cause I think that [00:30:00] when you get into those teens, you sort of know what you want a bit more. I think before then, who knows? You know, uh, things can change so easily. Just have fun, you know? I don't, I think it's too early to start kids that young, personally.

[00:30:22] Marc Preston: What was it like for you? You, you know, you started when you were a tee-- I think by that age, I mean, when you were a, you know, 13, 14, you know, when you're in that age range, you-- I'm not saying you know who you are, but you've got a, you, a sense of self, let's say. Um, but you're acting around, uh, some folks who had been around since they were very young.

[00:30:39] Marc Preston: What did you notice that was different about your approach or your perception of what's going on compared to the people who were child actors, who were s- who had started when they were very young? Did you notice just a different approach to it?

[00:30:50] Patrick Renna: I don't think I knew too many kids that started too young.

[00:30:56] Patrick Renna: I guess a lot of the Sandlot guys started before me, but only a couple [00:31:00] years. I think the thing that I've noticed from the child actors is that they have a hard time getting out of it, and the sort of horror stories all seem to take place before 13. Uh- Okay. Okay ... it doesn't seem like the horror stories happen to teenagers quite as much.

[00:31:23] Patrick Renna: Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know enough about the, you know, that Nickelodeon documentary or, you know, I, I know, I know some people that were affected by those times. Um, but it seems to be-- and it's not even just, like, the, the horrors of, uh, you know, of, of behind the scenes. It doesn't even have to be that bad.

[00:31:45] Patrick Renna: But just that sort of, like- Getting worked, working so young, it's kind of like baseball. Like, I was talking to Joe Kelly, the Dodger pitcher. I was golfing with him, and I asked him, "How important [00:32:00] is it for a kid at eight or nine to be good at baseball if they wanna make it to the majors?" And he said, "It doesn't matter.

[00:32:06] Patrick Renna: It only ma- like, starts mattering after puberty." You know, um-

[00:32:10] Marc Preston: Right,

[00:32:10] Patrick Renna: right ... teens. And I, I kind of feel the same way about acting personally, and I know you need young actors to do certain things, so someone's gotta do it. But I feel like you don't know what you really want, and you're just supposed to be having fun in those early years.

[00:32:27] Patrick Renna: So if it ever starts coming out of that fun zone, I wouldn't do it. Uh, it can't be work in- at so young, you know? Um, that, that's just kind of my opinion on it. And kindergarten being, it's supposed to be a garden of kids, right? Like, it's- Mm ... they're supposed to be out there, like, getting dirty and having interrelations with other kids and learning to work with their emotions.

[00:32:54] Patrick Renna: They're not supposed to be, you know, behind a textbook in a classroom at [00:33:00] five. So I would say the same thing. You're not supposed to be doing a paid job. You're supposed to be out there learning about life, enjoying, not, not on set.

[00:33:09] Marc Preston: You know, anybody I've spoken with who's, who's done any kind of child acting, they're like, "No, I don't want my kids doing this till they're late teens probably."

[00:33:16] Patrick Renna: Sure.

[00:33:17] Marc Preston: You know? You know, there's that kind of fun thing that you are now gonna have this time capsule with your son on a commercial that he's gonna show, you know, your grandkids and onward. That's, I think, is really cool.

[00:33:26] Patrick Renna: That's also, like, I don't, I, I kind of sound almost like a hypocrite because I put my then eight-year-old in a commercial spot.

[00:33:35] Patrick Renna: I'm not talking about one-offs here or there. I'm talking about- Oh, no, no, no, no. Yeah ... a rigorous audition process, 20 to 40 hours a week. You know, putting them in front of judgmental- groups and giving them failure and, you know, at such an early age. And that's what I would try and avoid is, is that- Absolutely, yeah

[00:33:57] Patrick Renna: much pressure so young. I feel like you're, [00:34:00] you know, it's not gonna help.

[00:34:01] Marc Preston: I've always been intrigued by the... There was that apart- uh, you're gonna know what I'm talking about, that apartment complex in LA where all the kid actors come- Yeah, Oakwood's ... for the, you know, pilot season. And I'm like, I, I'm always intrigued, like what is that ecosystem like, you know?

[00:34:15] Marc Preston: Uh- It's awful ... the, the stage mothers, you know? Yeah. Like, I, you know, I, I coach voiceover and, uh, like a lotta times if the kid really wants to do it, that's a whole different story. But when you have the parents who are pushing, pushing, pushing, that, you start getting into developmental, very odd kind of things.

[00:34:29] Marc Preston: I think that- Like you said, kindergarten, what should you be doing?

[00:34:31] Patrick Renna: I think you nailed it. I think you nailed it. If it has to be the passion of the kid. If they are truly having the time of their lives and this is what they want, I, I'm not here to say they don't know that at eight. They might. Maybe someone does.

[00:34:43] Patrick Renna: But it has to be their fire inside. It can't be being pushed by someone else. But yeah, the, the Oakwood Apartments is... You know, I'm sure a lotta great stuff happened there. You know, I used to go there and hang out with so many people, and we had a great time. And I'm sure some really bad things have happened there.

[00:34:59] Patrick Renna: Uh, you [00:35:00] know, it's a little like Lord of the Flies. Like- ... you're kind of-

[00:35:04] Marc Preston: You're the second person to use that analogy.

[00:35:06] Patrick Renna: Yeah. You're kinda on your own- Um- ... in the crazy world of Hollywood at a young age.

[00:35:11] Marc Preston: What else was interest, uh, interesting to you? Like, uh, were you thinking, "Mm, I wanna be a pilot. I wanna be a doctor.

[00:35:16] Marc Preston: I wanna, I wanna be an..." You know, something. The acting thing was humming for you, but what else was grabbing you at the time? Like, as a potential vocation. I...

[00:35:25] Patrick Renna: The only other thing that really grabbed me was, uh, was building, was like architecture, design, um, construction of building of, you know, of homes or anything like that.

[00:35:39] Patrick Renna: I had some interest there. I never really, um, went there, though I did... My stepdad was a general contractor, so I did, even in my early teens, have a lot of experience with That world and, you know, renovating things on my own and fixing things on my own. And, um, and I did get into [00:36:00] some real estate, uh, and, you know, real estate improvements and things like that in my mid-20s.

[00:36:07] Patrick Renna: Um, so, you know, the, that would be the only other thing, but I never fully went for it.

[00:36:15] Marc Preston: As far as creatively, uh, like what else are you working on? Uh, you know, 'cause of course you got Dugout Dads, but are you, what else are you conceiving of that you would like to be doing here in the near term or that you're already working on?

[00:36:27] Patrick Renna: We have a couple other projects that we're developing. We have a movie concept that we really love, uh, and some unscripted things that we're, we're developing. My business partner's Kyle Howard. Uh, he stayed at the Oakwoods in our early and late years. That was the reason I went to the Oakwoods because of him.

[00:36:46] Patrick Renna: So, uh, he, but he is my now business partner and we're, you know, Dugout Dads is consuming a lot of our time currently just 'cause we're pitching to networks in a week. Um, and we are, the intention is that becomes a, a full-length [00:37:00] show. And that was kind of something I said earlier on and we didn't finish it.

[00:37:04] Patrick Renna: I, uh, you know, it was always intended to be a full-length show. We made nine five-minute episodes. Uh, that, the reason we made that was honestly we funded it, so it was our wallet and what we were able to put together.

[00:37:17] Marc Preston: Kind of a proof of concept kind of

[00:37:19] Patrick Renna: a thing- Exactly ... I

[00:37:19] Marc Preston: guess,

[00:37:20] Patrick Renna: right? So we made a proof of concept, released it on YouTube.

[00:37:23] Patrick Renna: I didn't wanna wait for anyone to say yes. I know it's a good idea. I knew people would love it. People seem to be responding really well to it. So now we partnered with Chris Paul's production company, OH DIP Entertainment, and they are partnering with us to take it to network, make it a full-length series.

[00:37:40] Patrick Renna: So that was kind of always the concept. The podcast that is Dugout Dads is a limited podcast. It's seven episodes and it's just, uh, accompanying content for the show. It's really Danielle Fishel and I interviewing all the other Sandlot guys about their experience filming [00:38:00] Dugout Dads. That's all.

[00:38:01] Marc Preston: The experience of orchestrating a production like this, I mean, I think it's fun.

[00:38:05] Marc Preston: I mean, uh- Yeah ... it's gotta be fun for you. But at the same time, when you talk about all the streamers and networks and the consolidation, it's re- I mean, everybody I'm speaking with lately is, there's this kind of this hum of like, things are changing. You know, the, not necessarily better or worse, it's just it's changing.

[00:38:20] Marc Preston: Uh, what, does this kind of open up some doors for you, you think, as far as being able to create more? Or what are kind of your general thoughts on media and the theatrical stuff, uh, right now?

[00:38:32] Patrick Renna: Yeah, I have seen, my experience this past year is I've, it's, I've been more busy this past year than any other time in my career.

[00:38:40] Patrick Renna: So that's been my personal experience in 2026. 2020 to 2026 was probably the slowest time. Um, you know, I, I do a lot in social media now, so I'll do a lot of brand, brand partnerships, which also keeps me busy. Uh, and that happened over th- some of those [00:39:00] years. But I, now that we've thoroughly distanced ourselves from COVID, it seems that things are coming back, and I have seen that in Hollywood.

[00:39:14] Patrick Renna: I have not seen that in the physical Hollywood, though. Everything is filmed outside of LA. Yeah. I don't know that that's ever-

[00:39:19] Marc Preston: I keep seeing these articles like, you know, how LA is, uh, uh, as a, as a center, you know, it's where the businesses does, where the offices are. Yeah. As far as filming and production and- Nothing

[00:39:29] Patrick Renna: happens

[00:39:29] Marc Preston: here

[00:39:29] Marc Preston: and cr- crew is-

[00:39:30] Patrick Renna: I filmed Dugout Dads here in LA, and I loved it. I hope it does come back because there's not many places like LA where you can have mountains 30 minutes away, you can have the beach the other 30 minutes, snow, um, you know, downtowns, suburbs. Like, there's, there's nowhere like it.

[00:39:48] Marc Preston: You stayed there.

[00:39:49] Marc Preston: You know, you moved there, but y- you, it became your home base. Sure. You know, so is that, is that where your wife's from originally as well?

[00:39:56] Patrick Renna: Yeah, she's from Santa Monica, right by the beach.

[00:39:58] Marc Preston: Okay. Okay. [00:40:00] As far as the Dugout Dads, you said, uh, kind of the big pitch thing as far as turning it into a potential show, that's coming in, it's in the near term.

[00:40:08] Marc Preston: You're gonna start working that, correct?

[00:40:09] Patrick Renna: Yeah, that is.

[00:40:17] Marc Preston: The last thing I do whenever I chitchat with folks, I always do my, what I call my seven questions. Sure. It's a little extra fun for me here, but gotta talk food at least once every episode. Oh, yeah. Let's do it. Uh, and I always ask, what is, in the world, what would you consider to be your favorite comfort food?

[00:40:33] Patrick Renna: Um, rigatoni and meatballs.

[00:40:37] Marc Preston: Well, I gotta ask you, I'm a food nerd. You know, what, what kind of sauce is happening there?

[00:40:40] Patrick Renna: Yeah. It's a m- it's a, a tomato sauce. But I have to make it. I have my grandmother, my Italian grandmother's recipe, and it's... I still to this day, like when I find a good meatball at an Italian restaurant, I'm like, "Oh, you guys know what you're doing."

[00:40:53] Patrick Renna: But very few know it. Um, so I, I would say that's probably my number one, is a, a good red sauce [00:41:00] with meatballs and rigatoni. I just love, I love rigatoni.

[00:41:03] Marc Preston: Uh, now the next question I got for you, if you were to sit down, you're gonna talk story for a few hours, have coffee, you and a few folks, living or not, who would the three people be that you would like to sit down with and, uh- Well-

[00:41:14] Marc Preston: have coffee for an afternoon?

[00:41:16] Patrick Renna: God, I mean, you gotta prepare a guy for this, this one. Um, I think Anthony Hopkins might be one of them. He's, uh, one of my favorite actors. I mean, I'll, I'll just go actors because-

[00:41:34] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm ...

[00:41:34] Patrick Renna: we'll just keep that theme. I think Anthony Hopkins, Marlon Brando, and-

[00:41:44] Patrick Renna: Probably, uh, 'cause, probably, um, Meryl Streep just because I think-

[00:41:51] Marc Preston: Yeah ...

[00:41:51] Patrick Renna: man or woman, she might be the GOAT. Like Meryl Streep, and then probably, yeah, Brando would be, just 'cause I love [00:42:00] Godfather, and then Anthony Hopkins. I just always loved watching him. You know, Silence of the Lambs was so creepy, and, um, just everything he does, it's so effortless.

[00:42:10] Patrick Renna: I feel like that's- Mm ... how, how she is as well. She's like, uh, just effortle- this effortlessly acts and you're, you, you just find yourself mesmerized by her.

[00:42:23] Marc Preston: You, you know what it is, is they're interesting to watch. I, I was gonna watch, uh, the sequel to, uh, The Devil Wears Prada with my daughter, so we went and watched the original one.

[00:42:32] Marc Preston: You watch her physicality. The same thing with Anthony Hopkins. You know, there's- Yeah ... what are they doing physically? And she just, it's just they're interesting to watch even when there are no... You can see them thinking. Well- You know, that

[00:42:43] Patrick Renna: kind of thing ... yeah, one of, that, when, um, ugh, what are their name?

[00:42:46] Patrick Renna: When Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt did the... I, it must have been at the Oscars. They did the Oscar presentation, but they did it as their characters in Devil Wears Prada. And then they cut to, uh, the [00:43:00] audience, and they cut to Meryl Streep, and she was in character- Mm ... for just three seconds and pursed her lips just a, and- It's one of the best-

[00:43:10] Marc Preston: It's

[00:43:11] Patrick Renna: a-

[00:43:11] Patrick Renna: moments in, uh, you know, uh, either Oscar or Emmy history. So whatever it was, it was-

[00:43:17] Marc Preston: When you know there are people out there that got that, they've been touched with some kind of magic you don't, well, you'll never understand. Yeah. It's good to know those people are out there, you know?

[00:43:24] Patrick Renna: It is. It is.

[00:43:25] Marc Preston: Going back to Sandlot, James Earl Jones.

[00:43:26] Marc Preston: Do you have a James Earl Jones story? 'Cause for me, I always loved James.

[00:43:31] Patrick Renna: I don't. They rewrote the scene. I think they originally had him for two days, and they probably, then they only got him for a day. I'll never forget the day he was there. He was larger than life physically and spiritually. Uh, you know, we were all, I don't know, 5' nothing, and I, I think he was a pretty...

[00:43:50] Patrick Renna: I think he was... How tall was he? Tall as heck. Yeah, 6'2".

[00:43:52] Marc Preston: Yeah.

[00:43:53] Patrick Renna: So, you know- We, when he came on set, everyone knew it. And anyway, so he was only there a day, so [00:44:00] he didn't do any scenes. I, I didn't meet him. I only took some photos with the, the cast and him there, and he probably, you know, chuckled a bit and said hi to us and that was it.

[00:44:10] Patrick Renna: Uh, Marty York, who played Yaya, went up to him while he was r- you know, resting in a director's chair and said, "Excuse me, um, Mr. Jones, are you Darth Vader?" And James Earl Jones turned to him and said- ... "No, I'm your father." So that was- ... that was the great James Earl Jones story that any of us got.

[00:44:32] Marc Preston: You know, it's funny, a long time ago, I, back in about '94, a producer got in touch, they needed somebody to be the voice of the h- uh, Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

[00:44:40] Marc Preston: You know, they had a big presentation thing, and he wanted to use me. He said, "Well, the Hall of Fame wants James Earl Jones. They're inducting him for something." And he says, "Yeah, I love James Earl Jones, but the project calls for you." So I didn't r- I didn't beat James Earl Jones for the job, for the voice. I, you know, it's just the producer wanted something different.

[00:44:57] Marc Preston: But I'm, uh, I'm going, "Dude, you know, I beat out [00:45:00] Darth Vader." Yeah. You know? For me was, he was the, he was the GOAT- Oh, yeah. Sure ... as, as VO people go. But it was cool to think that, as I was being considered in the same conversations with him. That is cool. That, that was all I needed. Back end way of getting into the Hall of Fame also, so that made me happy.

[00:45:14] Marc Preston: Now, when you're going back when you were young, uh, f- who was your first celebrity crush when you were a young guy?

[00:45:20] Patrick Renna: Gosh. Um, you know, it might've been Tiffani Amber Thiessen. I think that was probably-

[00:45:27] Marc Preston: Mm-hmm ...

[00:45:27] Patrick Renna: uh, Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell. And then I got to work with her on Son in Law. I'll never forget, you know, Son in Law I did right after Sandlot, and Sandlot was all kids, and then Son in Law I was the only kid- Right

[00:45:40] Patrick Renna: with a bunch of adults. And, you know, it was PG-13, but you know, they're all in their late teens, early 20s, and there's a flirtation that occurs when you start hitting those ages that I was out of my league for, you know? Uh- ... at 14 years old. Anyway, so one of the scenes, she has an [00:46:00] affair with Carlo Gugino's boyfriend, and it's in the...

[00:46:07] Patrick Renna: Or I think that's what it was. Or, or someone set something up. Anyway, it's in the, um, barn, and she's s- sort of laying there sexually after the guy runs off and, uh, in the hay. And I had a scene milking the cow with Pauly Shore in that same barn. I got called to set early on accident, and there she was laying in the hay, and I walked in and went, "Uh, uh-" 14.

[00:46:34] Patrick Renna: I don't know what to do. And she was amazing. She went, my character name was Zach, and probably everyone called me Zach throughout. "Zach," in the middle of the day, and said, "Come here. Come lay down." And I was like, "Ah," and I literally ran. I ran away- ... to my trailer, never to be seen again. Uh, so I mean, I w- had the biggest crush on Kelly Kapowski.

[00:46:55] Marc Preston: Well, that was the height of, uh, Pauly Shore's superpowers- Yeah, that was ... of, of being the '80s. He was, you know, [00:47:00] the Weasel and all that. I was curious, w- he seems like a mensch. Seems like a good dude. That was the era when you had to watch MTV to know what was hip. Totally. And he was, like, kinda like-

[00:47:08] Patrick Renna: He was

[00:47:08] Announcer: the

[00:47:08] Marc Preston: Weasel

[00:47:09] Marc Preston: you know, Spring Break and all that.

[00:47:10] Patrick Renna: Yeah. He was kinda like a big brother to me on that set. That's kinda how I describe it, you know? Only child. Again, I went on set, bunch of adult actors, all very successful, um, all working. I was out of my league. He kinda took me under his wing and, you know, just kinda took care of me.

[00:47:30] Patrick Renna: It was, it was nice.

[00:47:31] Marc Preston: He was the, uh, the master of creating his own... He's the one that introduced, I g- think the world to the whole Valley speak- Sure ... as it were back in the day. Yeah. Um, now last few questions here. Uh, uh, let's say you're gonna live on an exotic island for a year, somewhere you really wanna be.

[00:47:46] Marc Preston: It's nice, it's comfortable, but no streaming. So if you wanna listen to music, you have to bring one CD that you can listen to over and over again. Yeah. And if you wanna watch a movie, you gotta bring one DVD. What would that DVD and CD be for that entire year on the island? [00:48:00]

[00:48:00] Patrick Renna: The movie would be Godfather Part I, and the DVD, oh gosh.

[00:48:08] Patrick Renna: Um, it might be, I'm trying to see. It might be, I think it's All Eyez on Me, that Tupac record. I think that's the one that I... That's, like, my favorite album of all time. Um, oh wait, no, All Eyez on Me, I'm sorry. That's a, that's a movie. I'm just trying to look. What is the... Hold on. Tupac records. It was around that time, though, but it's- Right

[00:48:39] Patrick Renna: it's the one, it, it's the one that had all those hits. Might be Me Against the World, but that might be too early. I think it is All Eyez on Me. Uh, but w- one of those Tupac records, uh, that, you know, has Cha- the one with the Changes in it and all those, uh, super popular hits of his.

[00:48:59] Marc Preston: Very good. [00:49:00] Very good. That would, that would've been, like, late teens, early 20s for you, I think.

[00:49:02] Marc Preston: That's... 'Cause I remember I was in college, I think, when that came out. Yeah. Yeah, that was, uh... Isn't that funny? We're at that age where you're like, "I gotta go back and check some of this stuff out, you

[00:49:09] Patrick Renna: know?" I know. I know. I don't, I don't remember anymore. I, I haven't listened to it in so long, but when it comes on...

[00:49:17] Patrick Renna: Yeah, that, it, that's the one. How Do You Want It?, uh, Life Goes On, California Love. Yeah. Uh, and I think Changes is somewhere in there.

[00:49:29] Marc Preston: I, I don't, I don't have enough Gen X kids on this show. Gotta have more of them

[00:49:32] Patrick Renna: here,

[00:49:33] Marc Preston: you know? You do. You really do. So c- can commiserate. Now, next question, if I was to say, okay, uh, from time you get up to time you go to bed, what would be for you the ingredients, the component parts of a day that you would say, "This was a perfect day for me, because this, this, and this, uh, happened," or, "I was able to do this"?

[00:49:49] Patrick Renna: That's interesting. I, I recently saw something Kobe Bryant said, you know, um, and it, it was that he looks in the mirror at the end of the day and [00:50:00] says, "Did I get better? Did I improve?" And I think that is the one qu- I love that. I think that's the one question you could ask yourself, and that would, that would have to be within a perfect day is, did I improve?

[00:50:14] Patrick Renna: You know, there's multiple perfect days, though, because now that I have young kids, I think, I think it would have to include Did I entertain them or spend time with them in a way that they loved what they did? Did I teach them something? Did I guide them somewhere better? Did I inspire them to be better?

[00:50:37] Patrick Renna: Uh, so I think there's the elements of did I improve? Did I help my kids to improve? And, you know, um, did I create some piece of art that I'm really proud of through what I do, through the art that I do? I think that would be the perfect day. You know, um, creating art, inspiring my children and my wife in that [00:51:00] family unit, and then having done something where I improved.

[00:51:04] Patrick Renna: And maybe, you know, maybe a meatball or two. I'm just saying.

[00:51:08] Marc Preston: I was just about to say, man. Yeah. Cooking for... I, I take it you enjoy, do you enjoy cooking?

[00:51:13] Patrick Renna: I love

[00:51:13] Marc Preston: it. For you, is it kind of

[00:51:14] Patrick Renna: a- I enjoy cooking with my wife. We always joke, we call each other the sous chef, and, like, I- Mm-hmm ... I'm the head chef, she's the sous chef.

[00:51:21] Patrick Renna: But in her eyes, she's the head chef, I'm the sous chef. The truth probably is I'm the sous chef. Uh, but, or, or, it... I think that's the right term, right? For the assistant? Yeah,

[00:51:32] Marc Preston: yeah.

[00:51:33] Patrick Renna: Um, but yes, I love cooking with her because my wife and I are very clean cooks. We're the kind of people that will cook and clean at the same time, and it drives us crazy.

[00:51:42] Patrick Renna: Yeah, you

[00:51:42] Marc Preston: gotta do that, man. You got

[00:51:43] Patrick Renna: to. You try it. My uncle, he's quintessential Italian Bostonian. He comes in, his, his meatballs are better than mine, but my kitchen is leveled when he's done with it. I am cleaning sauce off of the ceilings. I am cleaning... [00:52:00] Sometimes we'll make squid. I'm cleaning squid eyeball juice off of the sink and the floor, and there's just...

[00:52:07] Patrick Renna: It's a disaster.

[00:52:08] Marc Preston: Oh, have you ever seen that film, uh, with Schuyler Fisk? I think... Something, I see, uh, The Feast of the Seven Fishes, I think is what it's called. No. I've heard of it. Oh, God, it w- You gotta see it. You gotta see it. That's, that's your next film you gotta watch. Okay. It, it, it's streaming somewhere.

[00:52:21] Marc Preston: It'll make sense to you to like, "Okay, I'm glad I watched this." But I will say this though. When your kids get a little older, I mean, I always have my kids in the kitchen, teaching them knife technique. You know, it is so much fun- That's cool ... to cook. And they fi- they f- when they finally kinda... Like, my youngest will just kinda take over and just start cooking something.

[00:52:36] Marc Preston: Yep. It's, it's a fun thing to pass along. I think your kids also are healthier that way. Totally. They stay away from eating all the- Yep ... junk. Now, if you weren't doing this for a living, we kinda touched on it a moment ago. Yeah. But if somebody said, "You know, Patrick, acting, creating, this artistic thing, it's just not available to you anymore," what would be career number two that would, that you believe would bring you joy?

[00:52:56] Patrick Renna: I think, um, real estate, but not, I don't mean real estate [00:53:00] agent. I mean- Um, building, designing and building homes or office building, you know, or commercial or, or, you know. I think, um, that would be a path that I, I would love to be part of.

[00:53:14] Marc Preston: To me it's still, uh, art. It's still creation- Yeah ... in a way, you know?

[00:53:16] Marc Preston: Sure. It's like, you know, something that came from your imagination, you know? Um, now last question. If you had a DeLorean that you could jump into and head back to when you were 16 years old, and you get a piece of advice to take that moment of your life and somehow make it better or, or to put yourself on a little different trajectory.

[00:53:33] Marc Preston: You have a few minutes with 16-year-old you, what piece of wisdom are you imparting upon yourself?

[00:53:38] Patrick Renna: Bitcoin. Buy it. Buy it-

[00:53:42] Marc Preston: Yeah,

[00:53:42] Patrick Renna: that's, that- ... buy as much as you can. Oh. I think the piece of advice that I would, I would give is Bryan Cranston said some- something great about the audition process in acting, which is put everything into it.

[00:53:55] Patrick Renna: Go into that room, give it your all. The second the door closes, leave it behind, [00:54:00] forget it. And I would just say do that- Yeah ... more on both sides. Give it more your all or don't do it, and the second it closes, move on, dude, 'cause it has nothing to do with you. I'd give myself that advice about women back then.

[00:54:12] Patrick Renna: Like, bro, move on. Like, if, if it's not, if you're not for them in, in any relationship, it's, it's amazing advice in, in any area because-

[00:54:24] Marc Preston: Yeah ...

[00:54:24] Patrick Renna: it's about them. And I've been on the other side of auditions, and we have hired a lesser actor because they fit the role more, and it, you, you just can't... And that's the same in relationships.

[00:54:38] Patrick Renna: Some- sometimes it just works better. It's what they need then. Like, don't, don't beat yourself up so hard. Um, and, and, and I don't even just mean in like, you know, man and woman relationships, but like even friendships. Like, move on. There, i- if it's not for that moment, it's not for that moment.

[00:54:56] Marc Preston: But I never thought about that, how that correlates to dating and women.

[00:54:59] Marc Preston: I wish [00:55:00] 20-year-old me knew that.

[00:55:01] Patrick Renna: Uh, you know, one of the, one of the reasons I think I got through Hollywood so well, or, you know, at least with my head slightly on my shoulders, is because of the friends that I had. You know, I, I had two particular friends that have been my friends for 30 years, and one of them's my business partner, and we really had each other's back.

[00:55:20] Patrick Renna: So I think that too, like, you know, if you're... I don't know, if, i- if- If, if there's no point in having that friendship or continuing it on, don't do it. It's the same thing. And it, it applies to everything. It's great advice.

[00:55:36] Marc Preston: And as you get older, haven't you found that as you got a little bit older, you go, "You know what?

[00:55:40] Marc Preston: I only have so many years on this earth, and I would like to spend them doing the things I think bring me joy and help me bring other people joy. And, and if it doesn't do that, then, you know, I c- I'm happy letting it go," you know?

[00:55:50] Patrick Renna: 100%. 100%.

[00:55:51] Marc Preston: Um, my friend, I appreciate you greatly, but, uh, best of luck, uh, with Dugout Dads.

[00:55:56] Marc Preston: Uh, I'm keepin' my fingers crossed for you that I'm gonna be seeing, uh, I'm gonna be seein' that [00:56:00] pop up on Amazon or NBC or somewhere here soon. Yeah. But, but, uh, go enjoy, uh, you know, uh, maybe a meatball tonight. Uh, get a cookbook out there. You know, there are those of us- I will ... who would like a good meatball recipe, you know?

[00:56:12] Patrick Renna: You got it.

[00:56:13] Marc Preston: But, uh, I appreciate you greatly, my friend, and, uh, have yourself a great one, and, and best of luck to you.

[00:56:18] Patrick Renna: Thank you. Take care, Marc.

[00:56:21] Marc Preston: Well, there you go, Patrick Renna. That was cool. What a great catch-up. A cool dude. Really enjoyed the conversation. Plus, I mean, you're killing me, Smalls. He's the guy.

[00:56:31] Marc Preston: The Sandlot. I mean, he's been busy ever since then. He's been doing a lot of cool stuff, and now he's got Dugout Dads goin' on. So, uh, check it out. Make sure to jump over to YouTube. Uh, he's got that companion podcast. If you need the links, just go to storyandcraftpod.com. Uh, click on the episode. You'll see Patrick's picture right there.

[00:56:50] Marc Preston: You'll find all of his links to check out all the good stuff he's got goin' on right now. Uh, do me a favor also. Uh, make sure to follow Story and Craft on your podcast app. [00:57:00] Super simple. Just click follow. Subscribe. That way you get notified every time a new episode comes out. Also, uh, make sure to like the show, leave a review, leave stars, whatever have you.

[00:57:10] Marc Preston: Helps people to find the show, and I appreciate it. And I'm gonna get on out of here, because it is time to fire up a little bit of weekending, uh, because it's Friday, and, uh, and I hope you have an amazing weekend. Uh, thank you again for stopping by. It always means a lot that you make what I got goin' on part of whatever you've got going on.

[00:57:27] Marc Preston: Thank you very much. Uh, go have a safe one. We'll be back in a few days, and man, do we have some great episodes coming up. So, uh, check back in, and, uh, we'll see you in a few days right here on Story and Craft.

[00:57:39] Announcer: That's it for this episode of Story and Craft. Join Marc next week for more conversation right here on Story and Craft.

[00:57:46] Announcer: Story and Craft is a presentation of Marc Preston Productions, LLC. Executive producer is Marc Preston. Associate producer is Zachary Holden. Please rate and review Story and Craft on [00:58:00] 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.

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