Matty Cardarople 0:00

You're listening to the Staffa Corner Podcast, a Staffatarian look at entertainment and life with your host, Greg Staffa.

Greg Staffa 0:28

My guest this episode is talented actor Matty Cardarople. Maddie will be starring as Kyle, the next Saving Bikini Bottom, the Sandy Cheeks movie. He's probably most familiar to most of you as Keith on Netflix hit series Stranger Things. Maddie, thanks for joining us today.

Matty Cardarople 0:44

Hey, what's up, Greg? How's it going? I love that name, Greg. Such a good name. I love it. One of my best friends is named Greg. So I feel close to you already. And I just realized you saying that. I I Keith, Kyle. I kind of seem to do K names, I guess.

Greg Staffa 1:01

Also in Free Guy. You also have I think you also are accredited to Keith or Kyle? One of those two. I think Keith or Kames. Tell us a little bit about your upbringing.

Matty Cardarople 1:15

I was originally born in Exeter, New Hampshire. I'm an Aquarius. Yeah, I was born in New Hampshire. I was born in a log cabin in Nottingham, New Hampshire, which is uh just outside of Exeter, New Hampshire. I like to joke that that uh Robin Hood lived in my town. But yeah, yeah, I uh I grew up in New Hampshire in a log cabin that my parents built themselves. Oh wow. Yeah.

Greg Staffa 1:43

What was that? What was that like?

Matty Cardarople 1:45

It was amazing because we we had like 40 acres of land. We were on a in a log cabin. All the falls were so beautiful. I remember jumping in the leaves. Yeah, it was a blast to grow up in New Hampshire. Are you able to get back there off into that kind of area or I try to, yeah, at least a couple times a year. I love it out there. I love the East Coast. It's just so much more chill there. The only thing I don't like about the East Coast is the winters. I just I you know I live in California now and I just prefer um prefer not to be cold.

Greg Staffa 2:20

Yeah, I'm in Minnesota, so I can I can relate to that feeling. Oh man, it gets cold there. Yeah, it does. So tell us a little bit about what got you interested in being an actor.

Matty Cardarople 2:32

For sure. What got me interested in being an actor, well, originally I my plan when I was like 12 was like, oh, I'm gonna pitch for the Boston Red Sox. And I tried to get into Little League, and I didn't get into Little League. I guess I was too tall or something. Uh uh No, I think they're afraid of how fast I could pitch, honestly. But yeah, so my plan was I'm gonna be a baseball player, I'm gonna I'm gonna pitch for the Red Sox. And then I didn't get into Little League, and I was super bummed, and to cheer me up, my parents took me to see Ace Ventura in the theaters in like the 90s, and uh it blew my mind how funny Jim Carrey was, and I was like, I want to do what that guy does. And I I had no you know, I'm a small kid, uh small town kid from New Hampshire. I didn't know how I was gonna how I was gonna make that dream come true, but I knew I was like, I want to be an actor, and I have no connections in Hollywood, but I knew that I wanted to act. Um, so that's where the dream kind of started, and I was also really into filmmaking. Uh I worked at Dunkin' Donuts and I saved up money to buy a VHS camera to make little sketches, like because I love SNL and uh Mr. Show, so I'd make little sketches with friends, and I was really into filmmaking too. So I went to film film school at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, and we made films at the Universal Lot, and that was just it was incredible, it was so uh so fun. And so that's so I went to film school and then I acted in in um students' films. I was like, Oh, I really love acting. Like I kind of that that spark of acting was rekin rekindled and was like, oh, I can actually do this. And um, I was a personal assistant for Luke Wilson, and uh uh that he gave me a couple great opportunities at some of his movies, and then his brother Owen got me an audition for Drill but Taylor, and that was a blast. Um, so I was in Drill but Taylor, and then you know, I did a bunch of commercials, and then it was kind of slow for a few years. Just I I was like, you know, when you're when you're an actor, you're like, oh, when I'm in this movie, I'll be set. Like, that's not how it works. Like you have to you have to keep working, and like one role isn't gonna like change everything, like a small role at least. So then I booked Dumb and Number Two, and then that was the leverage that got me. Jurassic World, and uh uh and that's my career since Jurassic World and and uh and Dumb Number Two has really taken off, yeah.

Greg Staffa 5:38

Now your parents were they supportive?

Matty Cardarople 5:41

Um they loved it. They thought it was uh they they've always been very supportive of my dreams, yeah. My my mom is like and my stepfather, they're always really funny growing up and just always making me laugh, and I think that's where I get my humor from. And they they've just always been so supportive, and that's that's really nice to have. And uh yeah. My parents were uh uh you know, I kind of also my my mom was an art teacher, and that was really cool to have that growing up because I had that creative side, and so my parents are the best.

Greg Staffa 6:21

What was it like working for Luke Wilson? Is Remy? I don't want to spill any dirt, but he's always been one of my favorite actors. One of my favorite films of his is uh Henry Poole was here at the end.

Matty Cardarople 6:31

Oh yeah, Henry Poole's here. Yeah, TV movie. Yeah, he was he was great to work with. He gave me a lot of great opportunities, and I got to travel quite a bit. Yeah, he was just you know, it didn't really feel it was a job, but it felt like we were pals, and I was just trying to uh, you know, help uplift him and you know, just being on set that really helped that experience, uh, because I was new to the world kind of a being on set, and that helped help me relax in that sense. So yeah, that was a great, great experience.

Greg Staffa 7:07

Did watching him and how he worked help mold you as an because there's a lot of actors out there that just don't care for you know dealing with people or how they interact is much different than what you see them on screen. But did working with Luke and kind of being in the shadows, but yet being there kind of help mold how you view yourself as an actor and how you carry yourself?

Matty Cardarople 7:30

Yeah, definitely. Like Luke worked very hard with his roles and really put effort into them and he took his job and uh working with people very seriously, and I really appreciated that about him. He was always very kind to everyone, and I I definitely you know that's that's something to admire. And you know, I grew up in New Hampshire, so he grew up in Texas, so yeah, I've always kind of lived by that just to be kind with people, and he was yeah, always really nice to the to the crew and um professional.

Greg Staffa 8:08

And then I mean you've had quite a career just as far as the things that you've you've appeared on. Is there anything genre-wise or any kind of role that you are especially drawn to, or are you still kind of one of those hungry actors that are beating the pavement and trying to looking for anything that they can get, or is has Jurassic World and even uh Stranger Things gotten you to the point where you can be more freedom in your choices?

Matty Cardarople 8:35

Are you are you saying kind of like what roles would I like to play?

Greg Staffa 8:38

Yeah, what roles would you like to play, or is it are you still kind of in that mindset of I need to find work, so I'm kind of open to anything?

Matty Cardarople 8:45

I'm not open to anything because I am open, but there's certain things I won't do. Like I won't I try not to play and I'll be very selective on what characters I do play. Like I won't do any super violent or uh you know characters like that. I won't I won't do anything too too too dark. It's just not me, and I just can't I won't play anyone that's like a you know like a super jerk or anything like that. It's just it's I just don't have it in me. Like it just doesn't like me being mean, like it just it doesn't it doesn't feel mean because I just it doesn't feel truthful to me. Like I can't see or hurt someone else.

Greg Staffa 9:32

Even though you're playing a different character, you just don't want to have to draw that energy into your exactly, exactly.

Matty Cardarople 9:39

Like, yeah. So that but I I I love playing, you know, um you know, I love observational humor or dry humor or buddy, you know, buddy comedies, or playing, you know, clerk service jobs, because a lot of things that I play and I and I like playing those roles. But yeah, it would be nice to I want to I want to branch out and play bigger roles. And that's actually what you know SpongeBob is is I play a I'm the star of that, one of the stars, so that's really cool to be a part of that that that movie that's coming out. Yeah, so I'm really excited about that.

Greg Staffa 10:19

One of the things I noticed and just just in doing research on you, is a lot of your clips you're eating. Is there something behind that, or is it just happens that that you're eating? Like in Stranger Things, we see with uh cheese like cheese puffs in Free Guy, you're nibbling on those red vine things. Red vines, yeah. Is there something behind that? And is there any of those things that you just can no longer stand eating because you spent hours filming it?

Matty Cardarople 10:47

I'm just hungry, man. Uh no, yeah. I think it gives the character a sense of s uh truth and a sense of depth, and it just makes the scene feel real and also funny. So I like if a scene calls for eating, I always want to do it because it just feels natural. Oh, and so yeah, the other question do I ever get tired of eating things? Definitely, for sure. And that's why industry standard is we have spit buckets and or like a spit cup, like after a take, you'll literally it sounds what it what it is, like you'll just chew and then spit out the food. And that helps a lot because you know, you you might have already ate, or like you're just not hungry, or you know, there's so many factors to like or you don't want to get sick, you don't want like too much sugar, or you know, things that maybe when you're younger, you be able to do like eating a pound of sugar when you're younger is fine, but like as an adult, it's just like I want to be able to live, be alive through the next day, you know what I mean.

Greg Staffa 11:58

So you're part of one of probably the one of the most iconic scenes in the last few years you're seeing on Free Guy. What was that like? And did you have any context to what was going on in the film? Because you're looking at a screen and you can't see what's on the screen, or the audience can't see what you're seeing. Was there anything going on, or were you just looking at a screen and how much information were you given for that?

Matty Cardarople 12:25

So, yeah, the screen that I was looking at was blank. I mean, they added that in later. So, yeah, they they just kind of they added that in later uh with effects. So I had to pretend like there was a screen there, and that happens quite a bit uh with filming. Actually, we filmed that on the Fox lot in like an office, like it they made it look like a bedroom, but it was actually like a cubicle office that they transformed to look like uh someone's bedroom.

Greg Staffa 13:00

And is that one of the things that you're I mean, because it's that clip has been played over and over. It's I've watched it.

Matty Cardarople 13:06

Yeah, I get recognized for for free guy quite a bit. Yeah, free guy, Stranger Things, a series of unfortunate events, um, all the commercials I do, um, I get recognized. Um yeah, it's always really fun because I it's why I do what I do. I love I love bringing people joy and that just that sense of um peace. And yeah, that's what I love to do.

Greg Staffa 13:33

Is there a role that you have that you would have loved to, you know, maybe you appeared on one episode that you would have liked to have seen that character evolve more, or is there a particular role that you had that you wish that could have seen more growth from rather than just like an appearance of the episode?

Matty Cardarople 13:49

Oh yeah, I see. Um uh uh yeah, I mean Stranger Things uh would be awesome, but they you know, they had COVID, I was supposed to be in the fourth season, but COVID happened, so they had to re rewrite uh quite a bit of things. So yeah, it'd be nice. I hope I get to come back for uh Stranger Things.

Greg Staffa 14:13

It'll be so nice a few years from now when we can start. I mean, it's almost like you can almost date things now, or all you have to do is say COVID happened, and then everyone's like, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah. We're still just not there yet. So you have Bikini Bottom, the Sandy Cheek movie coming out. What was that like to film? And how much information are you given as a human actor playing against you know animated characters?

Matty Cardarople 14:44

Yeah, that was a blast. Um, yeah, that's coming out Friday, August 2nd on Netflix. That's my little plug there, and yeah, uh uh it was awesome um working with SpongeBob, seeing him work on set. Yeah, very cool. Uh SpongeBob. It's so cool to work with an anime character. He had his own trailer. He really liked Ven Redvines, by the way. No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, uh, he was great. Just that whole that whole experience was really cool. We filmed it in Nevada. And uh no, New Mexico, sorry. We filmed in New Mexico, and yeah, that was uh just a great experience. Um so yeah, there's there's uh Under the Surface and then there's Above the Surface, and I play Above the Surface and Live Action The Real World. I play Kyle, and uh I can't give away too much, but yeah, it's uh it's a really fun movie. It's Wanda Sykes, and uh she's hilarious, and uh yeah, it's uh it's gonna be an incredible movie, incredible, fun, hilarious movie that everyone should watch.

Greg Staffa 15:59

And is it as an actor, is it more challenging to work, you know, partially animated stuff, or is it just you work with what you're given, and as an actor you just kind of incorporate it?

Matty Cardarople 16:12

It's a little challenging uh in the sense that uh you gotta as an actor you have to create the you know, you working with animated characters, um, you have to kind of create imagine that you're working with them and you know, making eye contact and interacting with them. So in that sense, um it is different from working in because with actors you can look them in the eye and you know uh they're actually there. But yeah, animated they do later, so everything's kind of green screen, blue screen, and uh you just it and it's it's fun though, because you get to let your imagination run wild.

Greg Staffa 16:54

And then is the dialogue for the animated characters is that kind of set in stone, or do they say we're gonna have you try a few different lines, a few different ways, and then we're gonna incorporate what the animated person says afterwards based on what one we choose?

Matty Cardarople 17:12

Yeah, they'll they'll try different things definitely, and they have uh um they hire an actor, um the guy they had had was uh his name was Hayes, he was great, and uh yeah, they have him you know off screen and he does kind of all the voices for all the characters, and um he'll you know give you the lines and they'll try different things and uh yeah, so they they like to have someone there to help you uh bounce you know scenes off of and whatnot.

Greg Staffa 17:48

And then again, saving bikini bottom, the Sandy Cheeks movie, uh premieres August 2nd on Netflix. Not only are you an actor, you're a writer too. Uh what got you in writing poetry and writing, correct?

Matty Cardarople 18:02

Yeah, yeah, I love poetry because there's no like painting, there's no real rules. So I I like you know, writing poetry. You can really put the punctuation wherever you want and just kind of let words flow, and it's um very healing and fun. And yeah, I love love writing poetry, and I have a couple books on Amazon. One's called Space Cadet, and the other is called Happy Birthday Every Day. So uh check them out.

Greg Staffa 18:34

Is there anything else you're working on book-wise?

Matty Cardarople 18:36

I am working on my third poetry book that hopefully will come out maybe October, I'm thinking. I need I just need to get on it and get it done. But uh, it's very close to being done. Also, I have a movie that's possibly coming out uh this Halloween on Hulu. I can't really say much more about it. But uh yeah, everyone should look out for that too.

Greg Staffa 18:59

Is there a big difference these days between working for like a streaming store like Netflix and Hulu versus working for a more conventional studio? Or are they all kind of blended together now?

Matty Cardarople 19:10

Yeah, they're kind of they're very kind of similar, yeah. Unless you're working like an independent film, it's quite different. But yeah, there isn't much of a difference, actually.

Greg Staffa 19:21

Does this open up more choices for you as an actor that you're kind of looking for anything out there? I mean it used to be that you had like the major studios, but Netflix and and Hulu and those are really getting a reputation of solid solid productions and stuff like that. Where for a while they're kind of a joke and iffy, but now they're well respected. Apple TV and all those are are coming out. Is that opening the door or do you think that's kind of flooding and saturating everything and saturating writing and kind of diminishing things?

Matty Cardarople 19:54

Yeah, there's definitely um so much opportunity um out there now with all the different streaming services for for sure. Yeah, that just gives actors so much more opportunity, which is awesome. Yeah. I love that there are more streaming services because it gives actors and everyone more work. So yeah, I'm all about it.

Greg Staffa 20:19

Has that impacted the quality of writing for any of these things, or are those people?

Matty Cardarople 20:23

Um no, actually, it's gotten better. Actually, the quality of writing and the things that are getting put out there are just getting better and better, I feel like.

Greg Staffa 20:34

Not only are you an actor and a writer, you also do a lot of charity work.

Matty Cardarople 20:39

I really love uh Make a Wish Foundation, and I love Toby's uh small dog rescue. They're on Instagram. Uh check them out. We uh adopted our puppy from them, and they're just the best. It's called Toby's Small Dog Rescue. And if you're looking for a small dog, they rescue puppies and uh give them homes. So definitely check that out.

Greg Staffa 21:03

And then or what make a wish do you like?

Matty Cardarople 21:05

Oh yeah, make a wish, um, just that they give they give um kids opportunities to live out their dreams when they're struggling, which I really uh appreciate. I actually lost my friend, one of my best friends in high school to cancer. She was 17. Her name is Dana. Oh wow. And uh yeah, so she got to do make a wish, she got to swim with dolphins. So I've always been a real advocate and and and admire what they do for people that are you know really struggling.

Greg Staffa 21:41

So you have the thing on Hulu coming up. You have the Savior Kidding Bottoms coming up on August 2nd. Anything else coming up that you can talk about?

Matty Cardarople 21:49

Uh yeah, well, I have the that Hulu movie possibly coming out this uh fall for Halloween. That would be great. Uh, you know, uh the special Spongebob film, and I'm also uh working on my own film uh my own films. I wrote a film that I'm working on that I'm trying to get made, and I'm acting in my friend's film that he's making in a couple months, and as well, uh I'm doing this uh horror comedy um this summer, and that'll be great. We're filming, I think, in or maybe they push it to the fall, but yeah. Um yeah, definitely have things on my plate that I'm really excited about.

Greg Staffa 22:33

Is there a particular path that you see that you want to take? Eventually you want to become more of a director, you want to do more acting, you want to do more writing. What where is your five-year plan that you're looking at for yourself, or is there one?

Matty Cardarople 22:48

Oh, yeah, definitely. I really like I'd say acting, directing, writing. Those are that's kind of the order that I'd say that I'm most passionate about. I love directing. Uh, I also love writing. I love writing in the sense that I love coming up with ideas and working with other writers to kind of make those ideas come to fruition. Did that answer your question? I think it did. Okay, cool.

Greg Staffa 23:14

Great. I I love seeing when when someone creative is able to expand and do different things. I mean, just looking at a character from like your character from Stranger Things, I don't think many people would say, God, that guy's a poet, and he does a lot of charity work, and so it I love talking to people and finding out how well rounded they are as far as what they do.

Matty Cardarople 23:36

And does that a lot of that come with you know, your mom you said was very kind of yeah, my mom yeah, my mom is super creative, and just and also it just it it's very grounding to do art and poetry because I also paint and draw, and it just it puts you it just grounds you and it feels good, and it's like another form of spreading joy to like making a piece of art and giving it to someone. So it's like an extension of what I do in my acting, and I love directing because I love putting a scene together, like I love one of my favorite things to do as an actor is rehearsing and like blocking, like I love it. It's like it's literally my favorite thing to do. Like, I love when we all just kind of try out and rehearse the scene and figure out what we're gonna do for the scene. Like it's just it's so fun.

Greg Staffa 24:34

If someone producer came to you and says, I want to produce a film, I have a lot of money, but I don't know what I want to do. Here you go, Maddie. Do you have that money, Greg? I don't, but uh if someone came to you with that, what would be you know, what's that creative kind of story in your in your pocket that you're that if you had that that chance that you would want to tell or do?

Matty Cardarople 25:00

Uh I think the story I would want to tell is uh you know, maybe a story about an underdog or um just just kind of in general, just all the dark energy that's out there. Like I'd like to bring light. That's kind of my goal, is to like bring the light. Those are the projects I want to do.

Greg Staffa 25:25

That seems very tender these days. There's a lot of lot of darkness to be no matter who you believe in or who you support, or is it just uh we're in one of those times where it's a rut. And is is some of that kind of why you don't do those kind of roles? Is because there's enough of that crap out there that wow, do I need to be creative and and drop on that?

Matty Cardarople 25:47

Or well, I just feel it like it's I don't want to influence anyone in that sense, and I don't want to I just feel like it's kind of like a sickness, and I don't want to spread that. I I want to like do things that are truthful and that just again try and find the light in things.

Greg Staffa 26:10

Oh, I can appreciate that. I mean I don't I'm not a big horror fan because why would I want to go to a movie? No, I mean I feel scared.

Matty Cardarople 26:17

I act in horror too, like, and I you know it's a form of entertainment and I understand it. Like uh I'm not against it or anything.

Greg Staffa 26:28

Just some choices that you would rather pass on rather than support. Exactly. Well, I appreciate you for taking the time to come on again. Netflix saving bikini bottom. The Sandy Cheek movie comes out on August 2nd on Netflix, and I'll link to your various sites and and journeys and stuff like that that you mentioned. Uh thank you so much for coming on, and I look forward to uh checking you out. You're the best. Thanks, Greg. Thanks, everyone. That does it for this episode. Thank you for listening to the Staffa Corner.