The Staffa Corner | Celebrity Interviews & Entertainment Insights
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The Staffa Corner | Celebrity Interviews & Entertainment Insights
Falk Hentschel on Acting Career and Hollywood Journey | Exclusive Celebrity Interview
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On this episode of The Staffa Corner Podcast, a celebrity interview and actor interview explore Hollywood, acting, and the film and television industry as Falk Hentschel Henlee shares a relaxed, honest conversation about his journey as a working actor.
Falk reflects on his role as Hawkman in the CW/DC universe and how that experience shaped his path in Hollywood filmmaking and television. He also discusses his evolving creative work, including his new project The Zen Cowboy Experience and his latest festival film Recollection, highlighting his continued growth across film and independent storytelling.
Beyond his acting career, Falk opens up about balancing life and work, including welcoming a second child, offering a grounded perspective on navigating family life while staying active in the entertainment industry.
This conversation provides an authentic look at career evolution, creativity, and balance in Hollywood, film, and television, making it valuable for aspiring actors and creatives.
Tune in to The Staffa Corner Podcast for more celebrity interviews with Hollywood actors, filmmakers, and entertainment industry insiders, featuring real, behind-the-scenes conversations from across film, TV, and streaming media.
Side note correction. I was mistaken, It was Black Atom not the Flash that had the Hawkman character.
I also will confess I was coming down with a cold and stuffed up and because of that my audio settings were slightly off.
For more on Recollection click here
For more on The Zen Cowboy Experience click here
Check out his new podcast click here
Celebrity Interview | Entertainment & Film Industry - Finding Freedom Beyond the Screen: A Friendly Conversation with Falk Hentschel Henlee
Greg StaffaMy guest this episode is talented actor and humanitarian and friend of the show, falk Henschel Henley. Thanks for coming back on, thanks for having me. It's been a minute. It has been a minute and I wanted to catch up. I've seen a lot of things going on in your life in the last few months and I figured now is the best time to have my first reoccurring guest, and so I'm happy that it was you. Seeing a lot going on in your life, professional and personal, so I wanted to touch base on things and seeing how things are going and promote some things that you got coming up and, uh, talk to you again.
Falk Hentschel Henleethat sounds awesome yeah, I mean since we lost. So do you remember what year that was? I think it was about three years ago, so it was after it was after covid.
Greg Staffayep, you had just done the series, yeah that's right.
Falk Hentschel HenleeOkay so that was 2020, like right in the beginning of COVID. Yeah, I mean, I feel like we need about 10 hours to catch up. Yeah, life took a turn. Covid. I feel like just like put the world upside down and changed everybody's lives.
Taking a Stand During COVID
Greg StaffaIt did For you. It really did because you kind of took a stand on the whole vaccine thing, which had an impact on your roles, didn't?
Falk Hentschel Henleeit. I mean, it's so interesting when people say that, right, I took a stand. I don't see it as such, I just saw it as I just made a choice and I wasn't willing to sacrifice my authenticity over, you know, threats, I guess, or whatever. Whatever that phase was, I don't, I don't know what to call it. But yeah, I just didn't get vaccinated, uh, that's all. And I, uh, I didn't.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou know, I wasn't pushing for the government not to vaccinate people. I was like you guys do whatever you want. That's a free country. I I'm just not a big fan of pharmaceuticals unless they're absolutely needed. I felt like this vaccine was absolutely not needed for me. And funny thing is, you know, in hindsight now we all know actually that was true.
Falk Hentschel HenleeRegardless, at that time, that just kind of put me out of the race for auditioning and meaningful roles. Is there regret from that? Meaningful roles? Is there regret from that? No, like, I really think that was yeah. No, I don't, I will not bow to a system, no system, government, hollywood, like, like, if it doesn't align with my values, you know, then I'm just not going to play ball at that point. So, no, no, not at all. It was actually great. You know it set me on this journey where I got the experience again what it's like to only have 26 in my bank account with two kids. And you know I know your history. I'm sure your, your audience, knows it, but I didn't get that far. But you know, if I didn't have a beautiful family that helped us out tremendously, I got really close to knowing what it's like to not know what to do. You know you feed your family and that was very humbling and I wouldn't want to miss that.
Greg StaffaI think one of the things that I learned from my own experience is you know, you can dwell on the past of what you're missing out on or what injustice that you face or what wrong was done, but at the same time, like for me, you know, I had a good career.
Greg StaffaI was working for the airline industry for 10 years. I got injured and lost everything, but I never thought I'd be interviewing celebrities. I never thought I'd be doing this and talking to famous people and being on red carpets, and so I could choose to focus on the bad that happened to me or I could look at the focus on the good that came out of it Exactly and how much it changed the path that I was on. Because the path I was on then and the path I'm on now, had it
Finding Purpose Beyond Acting
Greg Staffanot happened for some tragic stuff, would be completely different, and I think your career path might be completely different. You might be doing more of these roles, but you know the things like the cowboy Zen experience might never have happened, and I think, knowing you, those things are more important Way more important and it just kind of put a lens on what I needed to change.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI'm somebody. I think the most important thing for me in life is to remain free to be myself and to authentically follow that which filled my heart. And you know Hollywood. For a while I started to notice that I'm not that free, you know you don't you? You, at my level where I was at, you know you get offers and you it's not like you pick amongst 10 scripts that are all brilliant. You just choose the one that your heart really wants to be a part of.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou know, there's this whole thing of like, well, you got to work your way up and you gotta become someone with power first before you can choose the script, like a leonardo dicaprio can and all that stuff. And yeah, it's a bunch of nonsense. I mean, no, I'm not saying it's not true, that is that is true, that that's how it worked. But the truth is you don't have to abide by that, you know, and so kind of getting a time out on the bench from hollywood was phenomenal, you know it got me to like, look at, what do I really want to do as an actor? Because a I had done a lot of what I wanted to achieve. I've worked with a lot of my you know childhood idols and everything I wanted to do. And so then it was like, well, now what? And it was like, well, you want to tell stories that really move you.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou know, number one, number two, because there was no work for two I mean almost three years. I had time to go. What else do you want to do? Like, even if you were super successful as an actor, that's not going to take up your whole year. Like, what else do you want to do? Like, even if you were super successful as an actor, that's not going to take up your whole year. Like, what else do you want to do? And I had a very big calling to be more of service, like directly of service, to my peers and my community and and offer something other than my presence on the screen. And I started this journey with wrangling and cowboying and the horses. And you know, with that, combine that with my lump or consciousness expansion and the idea that you control your own narrative and that one can consciously change their narrative if it's not a very positive one. I created the Zen Cowboy experience. You know, it's this trip into the mountains where I help guide people to just tell the story they really want to tell.
Greg StaffaTell us a little bit more
The Zen Cowboy Experience
Greg Staffaabout that. You're in Oregon, right yeah, houston, oregon Mountains. Now is this your property that you're doing this on.
Falk Hentschel HenleeNo, no. It's funny. A lot of people always say, man, we love your new ranch, and I was like, no, no, that's not fair yet. No, it's an outfitter that I'm teaming up with that has the horses and has been doing this for a long time. He's one of the best horsemen that I've ever worked with and he is actually an inspiration for the Zen Cowboy the name Zen Cowboy because I I was a tourist and I took a trip with him into the mountains on horseback, um, with one of his wranglers, and then got to meet barry cox, the uh, the owner of del sol wilderness, and I was like man, what a grounded man kind there, just so zen, you know, like very centered and not fazed by anything, and so therefore always very gentle and kind and present, and I was like, oh, I want some of that, you know but tell us a little bit more about what you get out of the experience.
Greg StaffaSomeone to sign up or someone wants to sign up? No, the person that signs up.
Falk Hentschel HenleeUh, you know it's for people who are it are. It's a variety of people that come up, you know from. I'm just burned out from work. I need a reset. I want a full electronic detox because we're living in the wilderness, no phones work and I need to reconnect with nature and I love horses and I want to have a good time. You know, that's like sort of like the, the lower end of intentions why people show up. You know, just just some refresher from life.
Falk Hentschel HenleeUh, all the way to you know I work. I'm just been stuck in this job. I don't like that doesn't pay enough and I, you know I'm. I'm got tension at the house with my lady or with my husband and I wish I was a calmer parent. I want to come to the mountains with you and have you help me guide to become that person. You know the philosophy is I there's like a few sessions with me as a, as a guide, before we even go in the mountains by zoom, where I will ask what is that story that you want to tell from your heart? We should do this right now. What's the story for you, greg? What's your heart story? If you had no bounds, what kind of life. Would you like to live until the end of your days? Just shoot from the hip, there's nothing.
Greg StaffaI would like to do more traveling uh, I had.
Falk Hentschel HenleeSo you, I want to be a man that travels around the world, okay I want to be a little bit more free and independent.
Greg StaffaYou know, I had a job before covid that allowed me to do a lot of things that I loved and, um, when covid hit, that changed a lot of things, but I liked being able to travel. I love being able to see the country.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI think it makes me a better, better citizen in the country to be able to travel the country and so when you said I just want to like get more, a bit more in-dependent, does that mean financially?
Greg StaffaI've been financially struggling for so long that I've gotten used to not having to, to being able to get by with what I have. It's always nice to have a little bit more financial. I mean, I think we all would want a little bit more financial freedom.
Falk Hentschel HenleeBut I've gotten used to making do with what I have. Um, I'm not but. But remember, this is your perfect story. Do you want to keep it this way, or would you? Would you like to, like you know, be really wealthy from your?
Greg Staffapodcast or like just. I guess the easiest answer would be to be more successful in the podcast, which would allow me to do a little bit more traveling, a little bit more going to premieres at certain places or or film festivals, not just. You know, I usually go like south by southwest, but I like to do a little bit more than just that, uh, so to be able to comfortably get around I love that, I love.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYeah, this was great. Thanks for doing the experiment with me. Like you know, it's we're so conditioned and I'm including myself that it's sometimes even just hard. Did you notice how you said I'd like to get a little bit more time for premiere? Yeah, so, in your dream world and I'm the same way right in our dream world, even when it's like, hey, you could have whatever we're like humble, or scared, or whatever it is even to be like, yeah, I want to go to every premiere, I want to be super independent, I want to, you know, whatever it is, but, um, so, so we would take that story and just work on that, you know, and and and bridge the gap between the story that we're currently telling. And I'll give you an example of myself, because you were so lovely and vulnerable sharing yours with me.
Falk Hentschel HenleeBut you know, I want to be just like you. I want to be very sustainable as an artist, you know, only working with things that I'm passionate about, with people that I'm passionate about, with stories that I'm passionate about, having a flow of abundance from that, so that then I can offer this help to people and take people into the mountains at no cost to them and sort of create that program and I'd like to be a really calm father and enjoying my time off because, you know, I know I've earned it. That's the story I want to tell, right, but the story and I'm going to go a little further in the past that I have been telling is, you know it's, it's, yeah, I'm a man who, like, works hard because it's tough to be an actor and it's very, very difficult and unlikely to be sustainable, and you know, I'm and I'm struggling like so you know, the the day-to-day story doesn't match up with the story that you want to actually tell. Does that make sense? And so, in the mountains, we bridge that gap.
Falk Hentschel HenleeWe do exercises, we talk about it, we do journaling, we just sort of go. It's all programming. We are, just as an analogy, we are algorithms. You do something long enough and repeat it, even if it's just self-talk or making your coffee in the morning or getting up at a certain time, it becomes a pattern and it becomes you right, yeah, and yeah, the goal is to help people identify, you know, the dream story, the now story, and bridge the gap.
Greg StaffaMake any sense. Yeah, and do you think it's made you a better father, a better?
Falk Hentschel Henleepartner. I'm working on it. I think it's a process. I don't think that we at the Zen Campo Experience will offer the like come with us and you'll come back a millionaire. You'll never have problems again. I just don't think that's how life works. I think we offer a mindset, a perspective and tools to have more fun with the growth pattern of life. Growth pattern is contraction. There's pressure, From pressure comes release, and from that release you expand, become bigger, just like a flower. You know, see this first there's pressure around the seed and then it cracks open so that and then it can grow up and then it has pressure to come through the soils. It's just. That's just life circle.
Falk Hentschel HenleeBut yes, I am doing this work for myself and using my own tools. It's made me much more graceful with these pressure moments in life and with these loads. I don't think I would have survived the last four years without this work. Oh, wow. And I mean that you know. I mean that you know I'm not a suicidal person, but I do believe in you know, if we're not running well, we are capable to manifest cancers and car accidents and all that kind of stuff. And I think that one of those things would have come my way, had I not done this work.
Greg StaffaOh, wow. That's a strong thing to say because I mean, I know, I know Kim, your partner, and you know you have a strong support network. But to still say that you know, even despite all that.
Falk Hentschel HenleeWell, because in that time, when you, you know, like after COVID, when I made the choice not to get vaccinated, when I saw my career stop and I went from, like you know, six figure income to zero and from living in a house to living in a bus, having no fucking clue where I'm going,
Welcoming a New Family Member
Falk Hentschel Henleejust having had a child, feeling like I've destroyed his future, and, more importantly, what really got me is that I was like, oh, dreams don't come true anymore. What do I teach my son? Right, like my own belief system was so shit. I was really hurt that people would let this happen, let somebody get ostracized for making that medical choice. There's so much stuff.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI think the support system made it I'm trying to find the right words made it worse in a way, because you feel like you've let them down. Yeah, I can see that it's my wife and my child. Yes, she's amazing and yes, she is the reason I pushed through, and so is my kid. You know, my kid was a big reason. And they, they got me to do the work and say, no, I'm not going to get into this despair, I'm not going to give into this. Uh, you know, woe is me. I'm want to get up and fight, but at the same time it was also like made it harder, you know like, yeah, both sides hit strongly.
Greg StaffaNo, I get it. I felt the same way where everything I've gone through. I'm thankful that I wasn't in a relationship or didn't have kids Yet at the same time I can also wish that I had the relationship and had the kids, because that might have helped get me through sometimes, because when it's just yourself it's a little bit harder to kind of find that bright spot.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI say that. Thank you for saying that, because I will say that in my case, yes, the work that I did was crucial and it was one of the reasons I got through, but without having a kid at this time, and I love my wife, but I think the family, my wife and the kid I don't know that I would have known why to go on no, it's important to find that light yeah, I don't understand the world anymore seems weird.
Falk Hentschel HenleeWe seem to go away from loving one another. No, it's important to find that light. Yeah, I don't understand the world anymore. It seems weird. We seem to go away from loving one another. I feel like I can't do anything. So yeah, working in the mountains for the last two years has really kept me grounded and my sanity in place.
Greg StaffaWell, that whole area is beautiful, but some of the shots that are used on your publications and everything is just breathtaking.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYeah, it's so cool. I love showing that to people.
Greg StaffaSo the other thing that happened is you recently had your second child. How was that? Without getting too personal, but how was that all going?
Falk Hentschel HenleeIt was great. The birth was fantastic. My wife is just such a rock star. You know we posted this but it was happening and I had made her a playlist and we started to, like you know, get a little funny, like actors do with the playlist. So we had like Push it from Salt-N-Tap to have some comedy in there, from Salt and Tap to have some comedy in there. We used Lose it, lose Yourself, by Eminem as our like. When this starts, let's listen to that. I just started to hear that. You know that instrumental which told me that it's time to go until birth has started, and there's my wife rocking out with this big belly just dancing to the music and this was a home birth.
Falk Hentschel Henleetoo right, it was a home birth yeah, both of our kids were home birth. Yeah, she makes it so fun. We've heard a lot of very difficult birth stories in our circles and we've been so blessed she pops them out in under four hours. This one was like two hours into the tub and I get to be there and at the home and it's with, like the community. And then we are in this small town, you know small town America. So you know you get a food train where, like your loved ones, your community comes and just brings you food for like two weeks. You know it's back to the roots.
Falk Hentschel HenleeAnd I'm another thing I I would have never gotten without this, uh, momentary disconnect from my industry, you know, and having to having to look for something else to. You know, put all your I put a lot of my career, my, my career was everything, my moods, everything were connected to how well I was doing or not. I was a pretty shitty person. I was always a nice guy but I was very unbalanced. That's what I should say.
Falk Hentschel HenleeCommunity, what service am I doing to the community? And this kind of just set that right? It's like, yeah, why don't you find people that you connect with, no matter what? Why don't you find people that you do something for no matter what and they do something for you no matter what, just because you're you and they are them and you decide that you're a community, you know neighbor, find a you know like, really build your friends, like during COVID we had the bus and we just drove from friend to friend to friend. I really liked building that. This was always important to me, but I just never had the luxury to put time and space into it other than phone calls.
Falk Hentschel HenleeBecause you've got to be industry, you've got to be available, you've got to be flaky to the rest of the world, because this freaking, you know, this game called hollywood is just so important so, as someone with a big belly himself, I was envious of some of the pictures that kim posted on her and your instagram, uh, showing off her belly uh prior to giving best belly Prior to giving birth.
Greg StaffaI'd never seen someone look so good that pregnant before.
Falk Hentschel HenleeShe's so beautiful.
Greg StaffaQuite envious.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI don't know if she's post-natal. She just had the kid and she looks so radiant and so happy. She's my angel on earth. So, yeah, everything's going well. And our second kid is a calm one, which we're welcoming. It's a little bit of balance. Our first one is a Duracell battery. We love him and he is always moving, and this one seems to be a bit more chill. Nice, yeah, we got a balance of a boy and a girl and an energizer and a chill. Nice, yeah, we got a balance of a boy and a girl and an energizer and a chill Nice.
Greg StaffaSo far, so good. So even with the cowboy and even with the new baby, you did
Recollection: New Film Project
Greg Staffahave time to film a new movie. It did come out and it is making its rounds on the festival circuit and just won an award for the festival. Tell us a little bit about Recollection, because it looks. I saw the trailer. It looks fascinating.
Falk Hentschel HenleeRecollection yeah, we shot it in 2022, I believe. So right during the pandemic and it's a small indie film with a filmmaker who directed the film that I did right at the start of the pandemic Swap Me Baby our raunchy comedy for adults body swap comedy and Caden Butera came on to direct that film. He was 23 when he did it Super, super talented and so he had this script that I got involved in early on and we developed together, and you know, I got heavily involved in shaping my character and its arc and helping wherever I could, and out of it came Recollection, this beautiful story about a world where you can erase your trauma you know whether that's PTSD or events that led to PTSD in a war or a fight, you know, with your husband. You can basically wipe out any memory and target it to just not deal with the trauma from that. So so it pitches eternal. Center of the spotless mind meets uh, you know, an action thriller minority.
Falk Hentschel HenleeBut then in doing that, from what I understand, erasing your memories can have impacts on other people who rely on your memory of an event to help them through something Correct, correct correct, correct, and yeah, in the movie it focuses on kate who is working for the company vitality, who is offering the memory wipes behind the whole technology, and as she goes to wipe she's a you know, she's a cleanser, as they're called in the movie.
Falk Hentschel HenleeShe just kind of, anytime something gets hard, she kind of wipes it out. So she's a bit of a you know, a bit of a zombie when we first meet her. But then in one of her wipes, when she goes into the booth, something goes wrong and it seems like suddenly she got some memories back, and memories of a son and a husband she had no idea of and the fact that they might have been killed. And at the same time my character, teddy, comes in and he's the one that gave her back the memories because he is on to possibly a big conspiracy that vitality might be not the good guys after all and that they, you know, are doing other things with the memories than they should and that there may be behind, uh, the death of innocent people.
Falk Hentschel HenleeOh well in Kate's family. So and we go on that journey with Kate and and Teddy, and and I discovered, discovered more of the world of vitality and memory cleansing.
Greg StaffaSo right now it's making the film festival circuit. Is there any plans on it getting a wider release or just going to wait and see?
Falk Hentschel HenleeYeah, I think we are going here to find distribution. As we speak, we did the kickoff at Spiff's International Film Festival. Shout out to them. They were really wonderful and won there, and now they're trying to find the right home and see how it hits, and I'd encourage everybody to go to recollectionmoviecom and you will see the trailer and get all the updates on where you can see the movie.
Greg StaffaYeah, it looks interesting. One of the things I wanted to base with you on is you were kind of the OG Hawkman for the CW Arrowverse series and lately in the Flash.
From Hawkman to New Horizons
Falk Hentschel HenleeI'm the OG now.
Greg StaffaYou're what.
Falk Hentschel HenleeLike before. Do you say the OG Hawkman, or what did you say?
Greg StaffaThe OG.
Falk Hentschel HenleeHawkman yeah, I love that, because before it was the guy from Smallville.
Greg StaffaYeah, I love that, because Ford was the guy from Smallville, no one remembered him Really. I don't know. You were one of the OG. Let's just say you were one of the OG Hawkmen. But now you see Hawk people coming back in the Flash and now they're coming back in the new Superman movie. Do you watch those things with nostalgia or reverence of part of that group? Or is it just more superheroes that just happen to be similar characters to what you played?
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou know I didn't see any of them. You know I check in. So the only ones that, for example, I didn't know there was one in Flash because I didn't see or hear anything of the Flash, I do know there was one in Black Adam, and all I ever do when I hear that there's a Hawkman is I ask did they give him a good story? Did they care, Like, do you care about him? And so far the answer is always like no, not beyond his time, it's just like a little cameo or like that, and that is all I care about. I am excited to see somebody take that story and go deeper because I think it's one of the coolest backstories of a superhero.
Greg StaffaI think you might have been right. I think I might have screwed up Flash with Black Adam. Oh, there you go, One of the things in your right. One of you might have been right. I think I might have screwed up Flash with Black Adam.
Falk Hentschel HenleeOh, there you go. It wasn't Black Adam.
Greg StaffaOne of the things and you're right, one of the things I think the Arrowverse did is they really gave you and your female counterpart a backstory. You had a big history flashbacks of filling that in.
Falk Hentschel HenleeAnd even that I wanted to go deeper. That is when you say nostalgia or do you know that that is what you're saying, nostalgia, or or do you have any feelings? I still think or hope that somebody will take that, especially the, the 206 lifetime story, the reincarnation story, and really investigate that and do a cool ass movie out of that. I've been thinking about just doing it myself, like just take out the, the franchise, and just go with the immortality and uh and what comes with it and the curse of these powers, um and uh. Just tell a story because it's just amazing, it's so rich and what you can tell with it. But I don't know, I don't think that anybody has even begun to do that.
Greg StaffaThat's one of the things I miss or wish Hollywood did better. Recently, a couple of the actors from Graceland, which is a series on the USA Network. They'd made their own little short movie about what happened after the series ended. It was completely kind of independent of everything, but they pulled their resources together and were able to tell a story using the characters that they had created, but they didn't necessarily. I don't know how they got around some of the rights and everything like that, but I wish Hollywood was more creative in that, like you, couldn't produce your own Hawkman backstory.
Falk Hentschel HenleeAs long as you just, you know, as long as you stay away from the, you know, like ripping off the, the brand and the franchise, you know, like can't do the same costume and all that, but the story you can. I mean, there's only seven stories to tell, you know, and and I think that's that's what's going to happen too. I think that's what's going to happen too. I think you know, I had a meeting with Angel Studios. I want to give them a big shout out here and there. It was incredible. It was one of the most incredible meetings I've had in the industry. Well, I've been with the Meccas, and the reason why is because right away, in the first few minutes of the meeting, it was very clear that the studio existed because they love good stories that give people hope and that inspire people. It was not about money you know money, the part of it that comes for them but it wasn't their motivator Very genuine, very authentic and very driven to be connected to the artists and to connect the artists with their audience, and anybody that knows anything about Angel Studios is they've. You know their success has been building rapidly, and so their model of connecting the artists early on with the audience and to be so supportive and to really look for, you know, powerful stories that can impact their audience on a deeper level is making them very successful.
Falk Hentschel HenleeAnd my, my prediction is that the next level of success they have that like that movie that will take 500 million at the box office or something like that. That's the moment. Netflix, amazon, everyone else will copy this model. They all have the infrastructure for it. But why not let an audience in and see a trailer from, let's say, me I gotta, you know, I gotta film idea and I'm like, hey, I'll shoot the, the concept, and then the audience decides whether they really want to see it and if they do, then the studio knows there's a bit of a guarantee on money or on success, because the audience said so before we even made the movie Mm-hmm, you know, and I think the audience right now wants that too. I mean what you just said. I hear everybody say, oh, I wish I hope Hollywood just kind of made better stories again you know, I think that was the hope when netflix and amazon started producing their own stuff.
Greg StaffaIs that? I think the hope was it would allow smaller, more independent, creative people to make stuff and put it on a platform like a netflix. But instead I think they got so big budgeted that all you're seeing is, you know, the rock, rock and other leading actors in these Netflix movies that I think originally was designed to be for smaller outlets to be able to put it on Netflix, versus going through the studio route.
Falk Hentschel HenleeIt's only a matter of time, you know, because the Rock and all his years are getting older. Let's even say like 10 more years, like then, that's over. They didn't invest any money to create new the rocks and they're hoping now to find influencers or to like find that person, but I think we neglected to like create the brett pitts of 2025. You know the actors and storytellers that have a real good sense for what stories they pick so that the audience trusts them when they go see that movie. And the Rock isn't even that to me.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI love the Rock, but I'm not I wouldn't say he picks, you know, the most influential stories. But, yeah, I'm super hopeful because hollywood is crashing right now, whatever that means, or re-offending itself, and it's in the the pain time right now and everybody's really, really freaked out. But I'm really hopeful. I think, just like what's happening to the country, I think we're seeing
Hollywood's Evolution and Future
Falk Hentschel Henleethis breaking apart and after breaking apart, there's always new growth and new, new ways. Yeah, well, people just buckle up and get through the discomfort and trust, trust, trust and be excited that this is a chance for something new.
Greg Staffayeah, it just seems like hollywood is struggling to adapt. I mean, I remember where a movie came out and and it was, you know, nine months before it would come out on video, and now it's like four weeks and it's available on digital.
Falk Hentschel HenleeThey're just. I mean, look, hollywood was taken over by money people and people say that with disdain. I do not. It's just what it was and it worked really well for a while. I remember when algorithms started to just be a whisper in Hollywood. Oh, algorithms are going to decide who is the next star, and agents are now all about algorithms, and that's OK. We went through that phase. But give Hollywood a little bit of time, because the money people are freaked out and they're focused on money Not in a bad way, but that's what they know and they're trying to figure out the numbers and algorithms. How can they save it until they let that go and go? Yes, money is really important, but Hollywood was never. That's never where it started.
Falk Hentschel HenleeIt was gamblers who supported artists that they felt were cool and had something to say, and we don't need that anymore. We can meet in the middle like go back to supporting artists, tell their stories, have faith, have trust and find out a way to support them financially in a way that you minimize the risk of blowing all your money all of a sudden. One thing is yeah, so I, I think it's just a matter of time. And then same for the artists.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou know, I think artists I go back to you know the good thing right now is because there's so little work and hollywood pays such little money. Unless you're like the rock or the big people, I think a lot of artists are going well. Well, hollywood is so fun and offers so little positive that I'm just going to focus on what I really want and make it happen somehow. You know, we're going to see a huge upswing in indie films and that will be successful, and then I think Hollywood will see the indie films and they'll partner up and we'll find the natal ground again and everything will be great.
Greg StaffaNice. So not only do you have the new film, you have the new baby, you have the cowboy experience.
Falk Hentschel HenleeNew experience.
Greg StaffaYou also have. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Falk Hentschel HenleeYeah, it's called the Last Cowboy and it's very much inspired by my community here and the work that I'm doing. It's about a backcountry outfitter who lost his wife tragically and just kind of down the spot. It's about grief, you know. It's about a man grieving and not allowing himself to grieve and kind of destroy his life, his life bit by bit through that until the inciting incident of the movie. He's about to take his life and he is saved by a 10-year-old, precocious girl who shows up on his property. She's like a renter. She rents, her and her mother this regular cabin on his property. And, you know, bring him back to life and show him why.
Falk Hentschel HenleeWhy we deal with tragedy in life, because on the other side of any tragedy trauma, hardship, is also appreciation, you know, gratitude for what you do have. And I started this during COVID, when I felt like audiences were really wanting to grieve. Covid took something from all of us, an illusion from me. I had to wake up to this. What am I doing with my life? What is Hollywood to? Literally people lost loved ones, lost, livelihoods, lost so much loss. And so I wanted to create a movie. Just, you know, gives people a chance to grieve with the protagonist and find their strength, you know, find their grit to be like and I'm still going to continue and show them the beauty of life with the mountains and the horses and that sort of epic feel to sort of be like this right here is why you're continuing.
Falk Hentschel HenleeSure you know, so yeah, we have that in the works.
Greg StaffaHave you ever heard? Have you ever heard, kevin Costner tell his story about the guy that stayed with him for a while?
Falk Hentschel HenleeThe guy that stayed with him for a while? No, I have not. Please tell me. Well, there's a story about the guy that stayed with him for a while. The guy that stayed with him for a while? No, I have not. Please tell me.
Greg StaffaThe story is on the gram. I'll send you the clip. It's just amazing.
Greg StaffaKevin Costner had a friend and his friend was kind of a moocher and he was a writer at the time. This was many, many years ago and Kevin was making it big as an actor, you know, just starting off big as an actor. And he would send his friend to to these, you know, not auditions, because it was for a writer, but these writing, you know, thing a chance to write for this or a chance to write for that. And the guy just had a real negative view of Hollywood and Kevin's like I keep on setting these great places and you're just looking down and being judgmental and kind of being a dick. And they got into kind of a scuffle over it and he thought then and there that his friendship was going to be over with this guy. And the guy called him a couple of months later and says I have no place to live, can I stay with you? A while?
Greg StaffaAnd Kevin invited him back and he's like he's this guy that just couldn't find his way, couldn't find his way and I kept on giving him chances and he just wouldn't take it and he was really pissing me off and I wasn't getting anywhere with him and he was staying with us and he overstayed his welcome, staying with my family and I. And
The Last Cowboy and Upcoming Projects
Greg Staffawhile he was with us, he was reading. He's like you want, you want, to read what I've written? He's like no, I don't want to read what you've written, I don't care, because I'm I'm sick of you. And so he ended up reading to his daughter. The guy ended up reading what he'd write to his daughter and and finally one day he, uh, he moved out and they thought the friendship was over. And he reached out. He's like I sent you something, I want you to read it. And Kevin was like, fine, and you know, and it turned out to be dances with wolves.
Greg StaffaAnd so it it the tough love that Kevin gave him, because he kept on pushing him to, you know, be a better writer, be a better person and and whatnot. But it kind of reminded me of what you were talking about the lone cowboy that that't know where you're at when you're in the middle of it all and people are pushing you and trying to help and sometimes it just takes a matter of time before you can find out what your true calling is.
Falk Hentschel HenleeWell, you've got to go through the process and that's another thing that I think we've made that so difficult right now. I think, for some strange reason, we've created a world where, like, all we're yelling about is change, but we're also yelling and are angry about allowing the process of change. Yeah, like, everybody's held to a standard that's ridiculous. Nobody's allowed to make any failures without getting crucified over them and nobody is allowed to to redeem themselves. You know, we're like in a really weird time when it comes to that. Thank god for kevin costa to hold that space, for that person to go through that. You know, sometimes you need to bend it.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou know, I've had that phase too, like I was like I fuck hollywood. You know that was a phase and also there was some truth to it. I do think hollywood needs to change. Like, not not all of that was just you know, me or that guy being angry. I'm sure there was some truth, you know. But you can say truth very angry and bitter and then it does nothing. Or you can say truth with a lot of confidence, from a place of love and compassion. Yeah, you know, and I think that is the key difference and that's the process I I want to move into when I, when I go through challenges is, you know, find, find the confidence and the the love to, to be loving to your environment, while you're going through something very different.
Greg StaffaSure. So not only do you have all that going on, you're also launching a podcast. Tell us a little bit about that.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou know you make me sad, I didn't even realize this. But, yeah, a lot of shit. Yeah, that was another just fun. Everything I'm doing since this COVID thing is just my purpose. You know, like it's just, I was just like let's just focus on what I love doing, and so this podcast was. I love chatting with friends that are open-minded, that enjoy to be triggered, and what I mean by that is have conversations where you don't see eye to eye or where you have a unique perspective, or, you know, I love friends that play devil's advocate. I'm like that too. Like if I'm talking to a democrat, I would probably take trump's side. If I'm talking to a trump there, I would take this. Like I just enjoy tickling like people's perspective out of this the athlete, right.
Falk Hentschel HenleeSo this this fellow European friend of mine told us uh, from Denmark, also an actor. Uh, we just decided to start reporting on conversations. It's called immigrant tea and we pick a subject matter. There's something kind of on our mind. Our first podcast was about I think it was our first yeah, yeah, it was about masculinity and it's how do we feel about that in our current society? Where is it? What's going on with that?
Falk Hentschel HenleeUm, and yeah, so we released one weekly um just chatting about having having honest, authentic conversations about
Immigrant Tea Podcast Launch
Falk Hentschel Henleewhatever interests us A lot of times hot button topics and encourage the audience to share their feelings, their experience, their opinions and to hold space to have those conversations with other people and focus on how can we be better. You know how can we? Oh, my god, it's so ballistic. I hope he doesn't recording and all messed up. Yeah, so shooting the shit and trying to be very honest about things and not shy away from opinions. You know we talk about some stuff that you know is trigger warnings in hopes to get people more comfortable again, to just talk.
Greg StaffaYeah, we need a little bit more of that. I think one of the things that has sucked about the political debate is we used to have our differences but you would talk about it, and now there's such a fine line that the idea of talking about it just won't happen, and so there's no communication.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI think, when there's no communication. I think that's why I've been out of politics Once. I realized right now that and I hate to say this but I the political environment is like a high school. You know, yard environment, there's a bunch of children. None of them are leaders. They are, you know. None of them can set an example of compassion and sitting down for a conversation without getting into, you know, being emotionally overwhelmed.
Greg StaffaWell, I think the good news is, I think the public is starting to realize that more than they.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI hope so. You're a word of God leader. I hope to realize that more than they like your word.
Greg StaffaI mean. Well, you look at the recent speech that trump gave, where they had the little boy that survived cancer and you had all the republicans you know clapping that he had, you know, overcome cancer and the democrats sitting on their hands and it's like we've become that it's really sad and and that's when I said to a friend of mine.
Falk Hentschel HenleeI was like listen, I did not vote for trump, I did not vote for kamal. I, I just didn't vote because I'm kind of on russell brand's thing. 10 years ago, when he said don't vote, um, I was just like I'm out of this, like this isn't, this isn't where our salvation is going to come from. However, and I'm not'm not a fan of Trump, just as a man, but I'm not saying I dislike him. I don't know him. I'm not going to make a judgment about somebody that I haven't interacted with. However, I fully agreed with him. I was like dude, trump could literally solve all our problems and the other side would pout and just not acknowledge it.
Greg StaffaThe fact that cheering on a kid that has derived cancer.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou would have pulled me to your side, whoever that is on the Democratic side, had you been the only one to get up and be like you know, nod and just applaud, without any madness, without any like, maybe sarcasm, but just, yeah, applaud for this kid man. This is not about you. Yes, even Trump might have used it for his purposes, but that's not the point. Be the bigger man, be the bigger woman, be the bigger person. And yeah, I'm glad that you think we're seeing that and you know.
Falk Hentschel HenleeLook at Joe Rogan, and what I love about Joe is he has everybody on. When you see him get emotional and like firing up against it, he has the capacity to just go. Well, tell me more about that. Why do you think that? You know, if he doesn't agree, what he will do is he will amp up the depth of questions he asks. He won't amp up his anger or his emotionality with the person. He amps up the debate and I think that's what we need Curiosity about the other person, really wanting to understand them and the openness to say you know what, if I feel like it's true and if I feel like it's right, or if I see the facts, I'm going to have an open mind to maybe change. I'm going to forgive myself and the other person for whatever was before, because we change. That's what we do every day, hopefully.
Greg StaffaHopefully. Well, falk, it's been great talking to you again. I will put a link to the film and the podcast and I hope it's not another four years or whatever. That I have you on sure. I also want to get Kim on. She's been busy, but she's also in Recollection also she's also in Recollection.
Falk Hentschel HenleeWe got to beat the shit out of each other in that movie, which which is hilarious. We just had our kid and we were enemies. We have a few fights, which is so fun.
Greg StaffaI really want to see it.
Falk Hentschel HenleeYou should talk to her. She's got a lot of exciting stuff going on. She's currently creating a play cafe here in our community for the moms and the children of the community to come together. She's just wonderful. She talked about the motherhood. She's just incredible.
Greg StaffaI haven't talked to her. I went and visited her you were off shooting something and I visited her before COVID. I haven't talked to her much since. I'll have to do that. Thank you for coming on and I look forward to talking again.
Falk Hentschel HenleeAnytime you be well. Okay, my friend, Thank you.
