FROM FAMILY MAN TO VERSATILE ACTOR: JOSH SEGARRA ON EXPLORING LIFE, LOVE, AND DIVERSE CHARACTERS

BY IRVIN RIVERA

Hollywood actor Josh Segarra, who stars in several projects like SHE-HULK, The Big Door Prize, The Other Two, Scream VI and more, always starts from the inside whenever he plays his roles. He digs deep into each character and asks: “What makes their heart flutter?”

In this interview, A BOOK OF speaks with Josh about various aspects of his life and career. Josh mentions that being a dad and spending time with his three young boys is a top priority for him. He enjoys engaging in activities with them, such as playing video games and reliving childhood experiences through their eyes. He emphasizes the importance of cherishing every moment and being present in his family's life. He also talks about his career and the diversity of roles he has played, expressing gratitude for the opportunities to explore different characters and bring them to life. Josh mentions that he incorporates parts of himself into each role, focusing on what makes the characters human and relatable. He strives to make each portrayal honest and unique. Lastly, when asked about how he wants to be remembered, Josh emphasizes the importance of loving his family, giving his best in his craft, and being someone who spreads love to others.

This interview highlights Josh's dedication to his family, his passion for his career, and his desire to make a positive impact through his work and personal relationships.

Josh, how are you doing today?

Great, man.

So, you have so many things going on with you,.

I do.

A lot of things. Congratulations on that.

Thanks so much.

So, aside from all of these things that you're involved with right now, what else keeps you busy?

I think first and foremost, it's being a dad. I've got three little boys at home, I've got a six-year-old, a three-year-old and a five-month-old. So, it's a lot of wrestling. It's a lot of hide and go-seek. It's a lot of playing with Legos and monster trucks and action figures. And that is everything I wanted to be doing at this point in my life, to be honest with you. And other than that, for fun, me and my wife go see a Broadway show or go get dinner. We're big fans of Top Chef so, we'll Google what restaurants and certain chefs they have that we're fans of, a Tom Colicchio restaurant or a Buddha restaurant and we try to go and just have a nice meal and have a mom and dad night out. I play video games, I know that you do too, bro. I got a PS five at home so, I like to play some FIFA Madden, Rocket League, WWE UFC NBA 2k. I try to stay busy. I got my little boy and I got my six-year-old the Super Nintendo, one of those old-school ones. Now they're coming out with a new school one version where you can have like 50 games on it. So, we play a lot of Super Mario 3, we play a lot of Donkey Kong.

The OGs!

Absolutely. We mess with the F-Zero, we mess with Star Fox and Contra. Just having fun man, I like to do all the things I used to do as a kid, I just get to relive them now through my boys. So, that's what keeps me busy.

Amazing. How do you balance it all out, with everything that's happening- family, life career, wrestling?

You take it moment by moment, honestly. The folks that I love and respect that I look up to- their advice is always just to take it all in, you know, just cherish every moment. And that's what I'm trying to do. I'm just trying to cherish the quiet moments with my family- the bedtimes, the bath times, the walks to school. I want to be a part of all of that, I love being a part of all of that. Those are the moments that I know that this is what makes what I get to do as a career all worth it- it’s because I get to spend it with people that I love immensely, and I know that they love me back. I know that there's no greater feeling in the world than your boys. Their eyes light up when they see you walk into taekwondo or making them laugh or just tickling and wrestling and just all those things. To me, there's nothing that brings more joy than feeling that love from them. It's something that it's hard to even kind of describe, I didn't know about it until I had them. So, it's just one of those things where it's something that's irreplaceable to me now.

And in the same regard though, I love what I get to do as a career, I didn't even know to dream this big when I was a kid. I had these thoughts, I'd be watching Family Matters or Full House or Saved by the Bell. I'm a product of Nickelodeon, you know, all that and Kenan & Kel, and I'd be watching these shows, and I see kids my age and they'd be acting on this show on this multi-cam stage and I'd be asking myself, man, I wonder how they do that, and one thing leads to the next I fall in love with theatre in high school and started to find out, okay, so, you go to acting school, okay, and then you go, and you get an agent and a manager, okay? And just step by step, you know, not thinking too far ahead, and then here we are now where I'm just taking it moment by moment. Just trying to be present in every moment. And I'm looking back and realizing that all the dots have aligned, you can't really place them in front of you, right? You just want to take it all in and be gracious for what comes and put your whole body and your whole heart and your whole mind into everything. I just want to put my whole self into everything that I do. And I'm pretty lucky that it's gotten me here where I'm really proud of my career, I'm really proud of my family and what me and my wife have put together in this short time on Earth and you know, life goes fast, man, so, I'm just trying to take it moment by moment, bit by bit and enjoy it all.

That's so beautiful. Because it seems like right now, you're very present and grounded.

Hmm. Thanks, man. That's very kind of you.

With all of the success that's coming your way, the projects and everything. It's really amazing to see you grow, evolve, and thrive.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate you saying that. Thank you, man.

**LEFT:** Full Look: MOSCHINO, **RIGHT:** Suit: FRANCESCO COTTONE, Shirt: CHARLES TYRWHITT, Boots: DR. MARTENS

So, I'm just curious, is there something that you do every morning, more like a ritual that, no matter where you are, wherever you are, whatever you're doing that you always do?

Hmm. I mean, I guess the morning ritual, like, when I'm home, you're waking up to the babies, you're waking up to the kiddos. And when we're at home, it's getting them ready for school. It's making breakfast. It's watching some cartoons in the morning, whether it be Spidey and Friends, or whether it be Captain Underpants or some Ninja Turtles. I recently got them into Ninja Turtles and that's a big win because I love the Ninja Turtles. But, it's a cup of coffee in the morning with my wife, and just spending the morning with them, getting them ready for school. And then I'll get back, we dropped them all off and we usually sit and honestly me and my wife will just chat, we'll catch up about whatever reality show we watched the night before and then immediately went to sleep after. An episode of Succession that we had watched the night before, and we chat about it and just kind of have some morning time and then I'll go hit the gym. I love getting a sweat in as much as I can.

But when I'm off at work, sometimes I'll be alone while I'm working. I'll be out of town and with my boys in school now, we can't take them out of school as much as we used to. We used to be a travelling circus family and do it all together but now the boys are in school so, if I'm alone, it's waking up, having a cup of coffee, listening to a podcast, I listen to a lot of podcasts, whether it be, Bill Simmons on the Ringer, and I feel like I'm chatting with them talking about whatever game I watched the night before or whatever basketball game happened, whatever playoff game happened, just kind of take in some morning time and just having a cup of coffee relaxing into the day and then getting going. Usually, it's getting ready for school and getting the boys off to school and combing hair and brushing teeth and family time. That's the morning time. It's family time. Absolutely.

Suit: FRANCESCO COTTONE, Shirt: CHARLES TYRWHITT, Boots: DR. MARTENS

I want to commend you for the diversity of characters and roles that you play.

Thanks, bro.

Because they're all very different if you look at it. And you play these roles so effectively, and it really engages the audience. Whenever we watch you in each of these shows, you're so diverse. How do you like that kind of diversity of roles that you've been playing so far?

It's something I cherish. I wish I could tell you that it was all by design, but it's by happenstance and design. When you're starting out, you're scratching and clawing just to be a part of anything, you're taking any role that comes along. And a gift that I had early on was the stuff I was auditioning for sometimes was really far away from what I am, and it was allowing me to try out a bunch of different characters. And I started to find that the characters I played best were the ones that I could put my whole self into, that I didn't feel like I needed to hide behind anything. The actors that I love when you're watching them, it looks like they're enjoying themselves inside the character, right? And that's all I'm doing is that I'm just finding what makes this person human- what makes their heart palpitate, what makes them laugh, what makes them angry. And these parts have found me along the way that I'm so lucky to have played, whether they be in the comic book universe, and I get to read comics as my research and I get to battle up against the Green Arrow and be the wrath to his Batman and I get to be Prometheus to his Green Arrow. Whether it be in She-Hulk and I get to play best buds with Jen Walters, with She-Hulk, and give her the best map for pooping, you know. And then, you know, with Lance on The Other Two, I get to just be in this world. I grew up quoting all of Tommy Boy and all of Billy Madison. My idols were Chris Farley and Adam Sandler and now I get to work with geniuses like Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider who were the head writers of SNL for years, and now they're writing the show, and they're giving me this gift of this script where I get to play a character like Lance. And now leading up to Scream and Big Door Prize and like these..., Scream is an iconic franchise so just to join the likes of David Arquette, Liev Schreiber, these actors that I've just really looked up to in my career, and get to jump into that headfirst. And then with Big Door Prize, just playing a character like Giorgio- all these characters are elements of me. I like to think of it as what would Josh be like if he was raised in these circumstances? What would Josh be like if he ended up being a professional hockey player that played for the Rangers and then you find out that his dad left him early on, so, he's got some insecurities about that. So, you may read Giorgio was one way when you meet him that he might be a little brash, he might be pushing the boundaries, he might be crossing some lines, but I see it as the only reason he does those things because he's just looking for love. He might be looking for them in the wrong places. You know, he might be searching for it the wrong way but he just wants to be told that he's doing okay. He's just a little kid who's trying to do his best and looking for love like all of us are. We just want to be told we're doing okay. So, yes, all these characters, and I've just been really blessed with getting to play in different worlds and I want to try to make them all honest and a little different and find what makes them tick.

**LEFT:** Suit: FRANCESCO COTTONE, Shirt: CHARLES TYRWHITT, Boots: DR. MARTENS, **RIGHT:** Shirt: HOUSE OF DIVINO

It's interesting when you said that there are parts of you in each of these characters.

Of course.

Because sometimes some people would say that their approach is, they want it to be something different away from themselves- total detachment.

Absolutely.

And you saying that there are parts of you in each of these characters makes it seem more genuine and enjoyable.

Absolutely. Absolutely. There are different methodologies for everybody, of course.

Yes, whatever works for you, right?

Whatever works for you, for sure. But for me, man, I always start from the inside. I always start internally. I always start with the heart. What makes their heart flutter? And I always try to put my heart into everything that I do.

Shirt: HOUSE OF DIVINO, Jacket: JNG, Pants: JAGNE

Out of all the characters that you played and are playing currently. Is there any character that resonates with you the most and why?

Hmm, I'd probably say, I try to take as much as I can from Lance because he's such a positive guy. He always sees things glass half full. He always finds a positive light. I wish I was more like him at times, so, I try to take as much as I can from him. But a character like Giorgio, I get Giorgio, you know. I see who he is and I love playing him because the same way that a villain -- they don't think of themselves as villains, right? They think of themselves as the hero of the story, right? So, I think of Giorgio like that. Where he's a little misunderstood, sometimes he talks a little too loud, and sometimes he comes off a little cocky, but I see why he's like that. And I'm obsessed with that narrative. I love in life, like, meeting somebody and then peeling back the layers and realizing like, oh, you're not what I thought you were man, you know, and I love that surprise that I get from people, and I love when I get to surprise some people, and when they think they're going to meet something in me and I get to be something different for them and that's always such a sweet moment. And I think that Giorgio has a lot of those moments. And I hope that that's what they're learning as the show goes on is that they've met them as one thing, but they soon learn that yes, that he's something completely different. I think that's all of us, right? There are a lot of layers to all of us not to be all cliche about it but it's the truth. There are a lot of layers to all of us. And it takes a while to get through those layers sometimes.

**LEFT:** Suit: MOSCHINO, Turtleneck: JACK VICTOR, **RIGHT:** Shirt: HOUSE OF DIVINO, Jacket: JNG, Pants: JAGNE

If it's your last day on earth, what are the three things that you want to be remembered?

Man, I want to be remembered as somebody that loved his family hard. With that, I would love to be thought of as a good dad and a good husband. I love to be remembered as somebody who tried his best at his craft, every time. And I'd love to be remembered as somebody that was full of love, just that loved hard and gave that out. I tell people I love them all the time and I mean it.

That's beautiful. And I feel like if you tell people how much you love them, and you express it, it's not just like the feeling. Of course, there's that good feeling coming from it, right? But it's also sharing that energy to the people that you tell it to, especially if it's coming genuinely from you.

Yes, absolutely.

It's such a beautiful thing.

Agreed, man. Agreed. I agree.

And, a life lesson that you always carry with you?

I have to say, always try your best. Which is, always try your best. If you try your best, you can't have any regrets after. Just always try your best. And it's okay to fail, it's okay to lose. As long as you try your best, you're going to take away something from it for sure. You're always going to take something away from that experience. You know, always try your best.

Final question, If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

I think they would be a collection of John Leguizamo plays. Leguizamo was a big influence on me in high school because that's when I started to learn what plays were. And I learned some monologues from his play Freak, it's a one-man show. So, he had Mambo Mouth, he had Freak he had Sexaholix, now he has Latin History for Morons and he had Spic O Rama. And, I used to watch him just play all these different characters and I was hearing about his upbringing and I was comparing it to my upbringing and my deals and my ideas and my dad and my mom and he was larger than life for me. You know, I saw him in Moulin Rouge and I saw him in To Wong Foo and Super Mario Brothers and he was just a really big influence on me. So, literally, some of those stories that he tells in his plays are definitely things that I've experienced as an artist. He's somebody that I hope to, you know, I just respect him so much. And he's taught me so much as an artist. And, he's had a really big influence on me, so, I think I'm a collection of Leguizamo plays.