INTERVIEW BY IRVIN RIVERA

Genera+ion and Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s SYDNEY MAE DIAZ knows where he is going and we’re excited to see the places he would go to.

Hailing from Queens, New York, Diaz is an actor who also sings and writes for the band Anxioushum. In Genera+ion, created by Zelda Barnes, Diaz plays the character of J, one of the contemporary high school teenagers navigating the highs and lows of friendships, social responsibilities, sexuality, love and family. Ghostbusters: Afterlife will be Diaz’s first movie. In the film, he plays Swayze, one of the characters exploring this new narrative that’s still connected to Ghostbuster’s past.

In this exclusive interview, Sydney Mae spoke to us about his character J in Genera+ion, Ghostbusters, acting, music, music-making and acting, why he likes maps and what’s in store for the future.  

Congratulations on Genera+ion. 

Thank you.

It's such a fun show. You all did a great job! 

Thank you. Thank you so much. 

Now let's dive into your character J, how would you describe J's character to those who haven't seen the show yet?

He's a fun guy, but also a very reliable friend. He’s the guy you want to have as a friend, he's the guy that I wish I had as a friend in high school. 

What drew you into his character? 

The character at the top was very like, upon getting the audition to where the character is now. The character has changed a bunch, and was tailored to me in casting purposes.They changed a bunch between me being cast and shooting the rest of the show.

It evolved.

Yes. But I remember doing the initial audition as a self-tape in my room. And what really drew me was the writing. I thought the writing was really unlike anything I had auditioned for previously. 

And what are the highs of playing this character? 

Man, I love getting to be in character playing with other cast members.

It's like that whole dynamic energy among characters. 

Yes, the whole dynamic between us as the characters interacting with each other, to me is my favorite part about shooting the show.

What are the challenges that you experienced and how were you able to rise above these challenges?

I'd say the challenge with playing J is trying to portray this fully fleshed out person with the little time given, because I understand where he lies in the friend group. I'd say my challenge is with the little one liners I get here and there and interjections and the group conversations. It’s a challenge to figure out a way how to play that as a person rather than a caricature, or just to be funny. I just want people to see that yes, it's funny, but that character is also a human being.

Gotcha. Because watching the show, even if you have one liners here and there, I felt you as a character. Especially during the episode when there's the baby and then you all have to bring the baby to the fire station. How did that scene feel like?

It was a little crazy doing it because we had tapes that we had a fake baby and then we had tapes where we had a real baby. So, once the real baby was brought in the entire energy of the room changes because it's like, holy shit, there's a real baby. And we have to get this done because the baby can only work for so long. 

Absolutely.

So we should be able to hit it as accurately as we can, as fast as we can, make sure the baby's not crying. There was one take we were doing where the babies were not having a good time. And they were crying non-stop and it was like okay, we’re trying to get it done as soon as I could. Okay, number one baby is puking on me so we got pictures... we work with twins. So, it's like, okay, this one's out, bring in the other one. Okay, let's do it. It was very stressful but I think that added to it- the stress and the fright. Because it's a very heightened scene especially for young kids to go through; something like that it's all very heightened. So I think the stress of having actual babies in the room though maybe very scary, contributed to the scene.

For sure. I feel like it made it more real and added a lot of layers to it. 

Yes. 

What is the most memorable moment for you throughout this whole experience?

That, I have so many. I will always quote shooting the hotel and the pool scene stuff. We had so much fun as a cast shooting that stuff. Especially like in the pool, we're having the time of our lives. I also, my very first day on set was the billboard shooting from the top of the building hanging off the sign. That was my first day on set and first day meeting people... They were like, so, you have a stunt double or are cool with this? And I was like, yes, that sounds sick. I would love to do that. And the view of Los Angeles while the sun is setting from 13, 14 floors up was insane. It was so cool. I will never forget that.

That's nice. I mean, LA skyline is beautiful. 

Yes.

Okay. Yes, so let's talk about Ghostbusters. Tell us a bit about your character, Swayze?

Swayze is one of the kids who work at the car pop, where a couple of the main characters are involved with. The experience of shooting that was, again another thing that I will never forget because it was so much fun and so crazy.

Did you guys shot during pandemic or prior?

It was previous. I think they shot from July to maybe October of 2019. I shot two weeks in July and then two weeks in August.

So, no crazy pandemic filming experience yet. 

No, It was a group of kids, all of us relatively within the same eight-year age range. And, I mean, I still hang out and talk with some of them. Like I hung out and had lunch with a couple of them the other day. For my first movie, I'd say Ghostbusters is a fucking crazy first movie to be a part of.

How so? 

Shamefully, I had never seen Ghostbusters until I got cast. But everyone knows the words to the Ghostbusters song. Everyone knows what Ghostbuster's is. You know what the logo mean? You know the words to the song because it was played at every Halloween party growing up. So booking it is still crazy, and because it hasn't come out yet, it’s so insanely surreal.

What do you think the fans of the franchise could expect from this film?

I haven't seen it yet. But I've talked to a couple of my friends in the movie who I've seen it and they say it's a good tie between a sequel and a reboot. 

That’s great!

So a lot of new fans will be happy and a lot of the old fans I think it'd be happy as well. 

It's kind of like paying tributes here and there.

Yes, just tying it all in as nicely as I can. From what I've heard, we did a great job with it. I haven't seen it personally yet. 

Now let's talk about your music and Anxioushum. 

Its two words we've put together. 

So how's Anxioushum doing and what's next for Anxioushum?

Yes, so we put out a single in February. I got pretty good reception which I'm very happy with. And then I was just in New York visiting family but also we were recording an EP out there. 

Sweet. 

So that should be, oh, I want to say before the end, I don't know exactly when it'll be out but we’re totally like done recording. We have some new songs coming out that I'm very excited about. 

How would you sum up your music? 

We're like an emo-band. I like blush a little saying it but I don't have shame with it. I love emo music

No shame in emo. Come on.

I have no shame in it.

I feel like every person, have that emo phase at some point. 

Yes. I never grew out of it. No. My emo phase never ended and I just want to make music that 14 year old me would hear and be like, yes, this is great.

How would you relate, creating music to acting? I mean, I know they're two very different things, but also kind of similar.

They are. I'd say creating music definitely informs my acting, and my acting definitely informs writing my music. And I wouldn't be able to do one without the other. Like, I always loved music. Music is something I always wanted to do, but I never had the confidence to do it until I started acting. Being an actor gave myself the confidence to be able to write and create, and perform music. So, yes, they're completely different art forms that I don't think I can compare in the way of, like, how I approach both. But they definitely inform each other, and they definitely, like I couldn't do one without the other. I hold them both equally. When people always ask me like, oh, which one do you like more? Which do you want to do? I'm like both, I don't have any... Like, I'm not going to do one without the other. 

Exactly. Because why not if you can do both?

Yes. I'm trying the best I can. 

It’s interesting because whenever I interview actors, for some reason, music will always be involved. Whenever I asked them about their process, they're like, oh, yes, I need to have a playlist.

Yes, the character playlist. I typically do the same.

I will go to this place. I will find a specific song and just go into that world...

It evokes a certain feeling and emotion for you and that's what you're listening for before your scene. I totally agree. 

Music is always involved and that makes sense. How did acting for you and was it something that you really wanted from when you were super young?

Not super. I think growing up I always saw and knew I wanted to act. My parents are very supportive of me. But as a kid, I've always looked at acting as impractical. Like, it's not going to happen, like, don't even think about it. And I remember thinking that as a young person, so I've never thought of it like, oh, that's a possibility growing up. And I was always so obsessed with, like, from like pre-teen years, obsessed with music that was going to be my path but once I realized I wanted to act, like nothing could stop me. Once I got it in my head that was it. Like, this is what I'm going to do and make a living off. And I didn't have like the connections... You know, my dad is not a producer or a director or anything. I don't have industry ties like that. I just wanted to do it. So I looked at what I had at my disposal and how I can get to that point to get there.

And here you are...

Somehow. 

You're doing it, you’re getting stuff.  Now, if you were a book, what book would you be and why? It could be a genre, it could be an existing title, it could be a made up anything.

A book of maps, doesn't that have like an actual word - a book of maps? 

Atlas

Yes, like an Atlas. I like maps. I don't know why, I always like to know where I'm going. You can always catch me on the Google Maps app trying to figure out where I am. My friends are always like, don't worry about where, but I'm like, no, I just want to know where I am just in case I got to go home. Not even that. I just like to know where I'm at. Especially being in LA, I don't know this city, as well as I know New York. So I'm always looking at the map. I'm like, okay, now I know where I'm at. To me, it's like when I'm in new areas of a new city. It's like, when you're playing a video game and like, oh, the new part of the map is unlocked. You'll be like, okay, it's unlocked. I know where Silver Lake is now. Stuff like that. So yes, I'd be an Atlas.

I like to know where I'm going.

The full season episodes of Genera+ion is now streaming on HBO MAX