Ep 2 - Wiseguy Charming
b"In this episode, I\\u2019m speaking with accomplished standup comedian and actor, Ethan\\xa0Herschenfeld. We talk about his most recent project,\\xa0Thug\\xa0Thug\\xa0Jew, and his experience with often being typecast as the villain. We discuss diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation within the entertainment industry. As a Jewish comedian, Ethan talks about the fine line between producing comedy that is inoffensive while still being relevant \\u2013 which can change quickly based on the political and cultural temperatures. The latter part of the episode features a fictional story written and read by Parker James. Parker\\u2019s story is inspired by Ethan\\u2019s comical experience of playing Prince Charming in a children\\u2019s theater and being called out by a little girl for not meeting her \\u201cprincely\\u201d expectations.\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n Wise Guy Charming - A Fictional Story in Print\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\xa0IN THIS EPISODE:\\xa0\\n\\n[00:01] Ethan\\xa0Herschenfeld\\xa0introduced\\xa0\\xa0\\n\\n[00:59] From Opera Singer to Comedian/Actor\\xa0\\n\\n[02:38]\\xa0Thug\\xa0Thug\\xa0Jew\\xa0\\n\\n[04:10] Typecasting\\xa0\\n\\n[08:09] Diversity in the entertainment industry\\xa0\\n\\n[12:16] Cultural appropriations in entertainment\\xa0\\n\\n[16:40] Addressing cultural issues in comedy\\xa0\\n\\n[20:30] Upcoming projects\\xa0\\n\\n[22:59] Ethan\\u2019s writing prompt\\xa0\\n\\n[26:39] Wiseguy Charming\\xa0\\n\\n[30:09]\\xa0A disinterest in the family business and dream of acting\\xa0\\n\\n[31:06] Acting classes while working for the family business\\xa0\\xa0\\n\\n[32:23] Dream role as Prince Charming\\xa0\\xa0\\n\\n[33:37] A surprise\\xa0confrontation\\xa0\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\nKEY TAKEAWAYS:\\xa0\\n\\nEthan spent the better part of two decades as an opera singer, before transitioning to stand up, where he enjoys the spontaneous laughter and the release of energy from the audience.\\xa0\\n\\nAlthough there has been a push for diversity in theater and TV, racism is still woven in storylines in how villains are written as certain ethnicities. There is still an infinite appetite from audiences for cliche and offensive storylines related to certain ethnicities and religions.\\xa0\\xa0\\n\\nComedy is a different world where you're getting laughs and allowing people to unload baggage around topics that are very charged.\\xa0\\xa0\\n\\nThe beauty of theater and performing arts in general, is it opens up a world of empathy for the audience and for the performer to explore things that they don't get to explore in their real lives. There has to be, however, a push to diversify roles and casting and be\\xa0cognisant\\xa0of cultural appropriation.\\xa0\\n\\n\\xa0\\nBIO:\\xa0\\nEthan\\xa0Herschenfeld: Actor and comedian\\xa0\\nHis album\\xa0Thug\\xa0Thug\\xa0Jew\\xa0was #1 on iTunes and Amazon and the special is on YouTube:\\xa0https://youtu.be/AUA8wel23qI\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0[Text Wrapping Break]High Maintenance (hbo):\\xa0\\xa0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpJ--b-Sd4A[Text Wrapping Break]Boardwalk Empire (hbo):\\xa0https://youtu.be/vqUuys6pJCE\\xa0\\nRed Notice\\xa0on Netflix:\\xa0https://www.netflix.com/watch/81161626?trackId=259607612&tctx=6%2C1%2C5a5fe77d-2b17-41ef-94a4-13a67831e188-448571224%2C6c29447b-cdcd-48f3-afeb-832d0026d654_63186441X101XX1637761873650%2C%2C\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\n2020 reel\\xa0https://youtu.be/a6TXfWrxckk\\xa0\\xa0[Text Wrapping Break]WEBSITE:\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0ethanherschenfeld.com[Text Wrapping Break]TWITTER:\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n@ethanherschenfeld[Text Wrapping Break]INSTAGRAM:\\xa0@eherschenfeld\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\nLINKS:\\xa0\\nHis album\\xa0Thug\\xa0Thug\\xa0Jew\\xa0was #1 on iTunes and Amazon and the special is on YouTube:\\xa0https://youtu.be/AUA8wel23qI\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\nDavid Feldman Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-feldman-show/id321997239\\xa0\\n\\nSupport this podcast at \\u2014 https://redcircle.com/true-fiction-project/donations\\n\\nAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands\\n\\nPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy"