EP 22 | THE PARKOUR KING: BRIAN A PRINCE
Episode Summary
Brian A. Prince is our incredible guest this week!
He came over to the HINESIGHTS Podcast to share his life philosophy and how parkour has taken him places. He knows that persevering and breaking down challenges are two ways of achieving things in life. Brain walks us through his path in life, how he’s had anxious and depressive moments and how a sport like parkour has helped him navigate through them. He reflects on his career, imposter syndrome, being diagnosed with ADHD, and much more.
He’s still on his journey and he has several opportunities laying before him. Take the time to listen to Brian and where he is right now!
About the Guest - Brian A Prince
Brian A. Prince is a 6'10" actor, stunt performer, parkour athlete, part-time model, and visual designer currently living in Seattle, WA.
He has appeared in various film/tv productions such as The Walking Dead, Black Panther, and as The Predator himself in the 2018 film "The Predator".
As the world's tallest parkour athlete, Brian uses his movement background to specialize in various types of movement-based expression while performing in his roles. As a trained illustrator he's spent decades studying the human form, visual storytelling, and emotional expression. His artistic pursuits have led him down a path to an interest in behavioral psychology and trans-generational trauma.
Coming from a place of diversity, Brian hopes to use his work to connect with people who feel that they don't feel a sense of "belonging" in the modern world and communicate that although we are all different, we all matter.
When not working, Brian likes having connecting conversations, dancing, biking, overthinking everything, and enjoying a nice sunset.
Key Take-Aways
Breaking down challenges is a great way to tackle them.
Some sports can be a meditative activity.
Parkour requires you to be present or else it can be really dangerous.
Meet people where they are at.
Not talking about things can make them worse.
Successful people have uncomfortable conversations.
Resources
Ep 22_BRIAN A PRINCE_THE PARKOUR KING: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix
Ep 22_BRIAN A PRINCE_THE PARKOUR KING: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Kevin Hines:
My name is Kevin Hines. I jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. I believe that I had to die, but I lived. Today, I travel the world with my lovely wife, Margaret, sharing stories of people who have triumphed over incredible adversity. Now, we help people be here tomorrow. Welcome to the HINESIGHTS podcast.
Kevin Hines:
What is cracking, Hope Nation? It's your friendly neighbor, Kevin Hines. Let's check it out, today we were with Brian A. Prince, formerly the predator in 2018, currently Parkour champion of the Globe. If you ask, an amazing human being, the things this man can do while jumping on top of other things is bananas. And that's to put it mildly. Let's get right into it. Do me a favor, everybody. Go online, search Brian A Prince or go to Instagram. What's your Instagram handle, Brian?
Brian A Prince:
It's a TallTrainings. One word.
Kevin Hines:
Go to TallTrainings on Instagram and watch this man destroy, jumping over around, under, and through everything and anything. It's amazing. Watching your videos, man. I couldn't stop picking on, going to the next video because it was so mind-blowing. And you are 6'10. You are, how do you do it?
Brian A Prince:
Yeah.
Kevin Hines:
I do those things. So.
Brian A Prince:
Oh man, thank you. That's so kind. That's the nicest intro I've had. Yeah, thanks, so, parkour is, it's my life. Like it's a big, big part of my life and it has been for the last 12, almost 13 years now.
Kevin Hines:
Yeah.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah, it's been, it's been a crazy journey because I think, yeah, I started when I was 19, and so I've been around the same height the entire time, a little heavier when I started to. And yeah, I didn't think that I could really do it, when I first started, I just got really amped one summer, it was like the first summer of college and I saw a handful of parkour videos on YouTube and I was like, oh, I want to do this. But I had, at the time, and we'll probably get into this like I definitely had like more like a fixed mindset about myself. I was very much of the like, I can do these things, I can't do these things and I don't know what happened, but something happened where I was just like, no, I'm going to, I'm going to do this. And I just felt really like, almost arrogantly confident, like, no, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do this. And I remember going out and just trying to learn, and it was so fun and I couldn't stop. And then from that point on, I just kept going and going. And it was really funny because I'm so tall that I would meet other people that do parkour, and at the time it was like 2008, so there weren't a lot of people out and about, but I would meet people at gatherings and they'd be like, I don't know, like, I don't know, and ... keep doing this, I'm just like.
Kevin Hines:
You have to have a low center of gravity to do this.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah, like, there are all these things. I'm like, no, you can, I don't know. And I was like.
Kevin Hines:
You're the true definition of a disruptor.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah, yeah, it felt like it was. It was, it was interesting. Like you like, I really had to have a lot of faith and belief in myself because I did not have it from around me and like not disparaging anybody, just like nobody was really next to me being like, oh yeah, you got this, like, you're going to break in half, and I was like, no, I want to do this, I just was so adamant about it. And then it just over the years, it just became a whole thing for me. Like most of the friends that I have, the career opportunities that I've had, the travels I've been on, like the way I look at the world, like my philosophy, like everything it's been, it's been everything and I never could have expected that at all. So it's been.
Kevin Hines:
And it wouldn't have come to you without parkour and that being such an integral part of your life, right?
Brian A Prince:
A hundred percent, like one hundred percent like even The Predator, that all goes back to completely at parkour.
Kevin Hines:
Oh, you can, you can see it in the movie because it's just, you're all over the place, your mastery of your own body and your ability to move and in certain ways that are necessary for those shots, it's mind-blowing. It's absolutely mind-blowing. You know, it's funny having watched that film, not knowing that you were the actor playing the Predator and watching, watching the character move in and leap and just do all these extraordinary things is like, how much of that was you and how much was, I don't know, CGI or whatever, you know? Tell me, tell me about that experience. Well, first, first of all, let's go back for a moment.
Brian A Prince:
OK.
Kevin Hines:
You said you said that parkour helped you build your life philosophy. What? What is your life philosophy? What is your motto? What do you live by?
Brian A Prince:
Before parkour, I kind of just had a, I would look at a challenge, and I think, oh, that's, that's hard. I can't do that. I don't want to do that. But parkour really helped me be like, oh no, I can break this down. Like a big thing of parkour is it's a very challenge-based activity. There's still debate whether it's a sport or not, but it's like it's a challenge-based discipline and we tend to look at challenges and think, how can I do this? And it blew my mind in the early days how we'd be looking at a challenge with a group of people like, oh, land here, jump here or jump over this, and it seemed impossible, like, like, no, no, we can't do that. And after just trying and trying and trying and trying, somebody would get close and then the rest of us. But oh, it's good to go. And then and then suddenly everybody's achieving this challenge together. So it kind of put me in this headspace of almost anything can be achieved with like perseverance and the right amount of just like breaking it down and not look to a naive way of like anything's possible, but like in a way of like, you know, choose to be a little naive to be like, let's say, let's see what can happen. And I think before parkour, I definitely like would sell myself short on things. But since that, I'll look at a challenge and be like ok, like how can, like if this is possible, how can I do it? Like what? What do I have to do? Like, what do I have to do? How can I? It's almost like a responsibility to take an idea. And so that's, that's the way I think that parkour is really impacted my, like the way I look at life.
Kevin Hines:
It's amazing. It's really, it's really changed your perspective. It's changed the way you view the world, which is just phenomenal and you build a camaraderie with people that are in your life now from parkour. It's a select group of people around the world that that can do these things and manipulate their bodies and their ability to launch themselves and connect with the ground and with the Earth and with buildings and leap tall buildings in a single bound, you know, it's mind-blowing. Where does parkour come from? What is the, I guess, the what's the origin of parkour, do you know?
Brian A Prince:
Yeah, more or less. It might botch it a bit, but it's more, it originally came from France. There's like a suburb of Paris called Lisse, and there's a group of individuals that call themselves the Kamikaze. And they started training parkour as a discipline together. And so it started there around Paris, mostly because of the like, the urban environment. And so and then from there kind of spread to England from there kind of spread to the rest of Europe, eventually to U.S. and the whole world. And yeah, so even like one of the most popular parkour scenes, I think that a lot of people are familiar with is the opening chasing from Casino Royale, the James Bond movie, where they're chasing after the bomb maker. And so that's actually one of the Kamikaze's, his name is Sebastian Foucan. He still does stuff today. Yeah, that definitely, for me was an early thing where I saw him and I was like, what is that guy doing? I want to be able to do that. And so, yeah, that's kind of like the origin of parkour. And then from there, it just kind of spread, spread. And then and then at the same time, like this is when Facebook was getting more popular, YouTube was getting more popular. So it's a really interesting sport because it completely grew online, like it wouldn't have grown as fast as it did if it wasn't for the internet, but being able to connect with people online, especially because like I mean, I lived in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time, and I think at the time there was like five people in the state like did parkour that I knew of and we knew each other because of these forums and such. And then we would travel or go to Florida or Alabama to train with other people who did parkour. And yeah, so it was slow-growing at first. But now it's very popular. It's still fringe. But like if you go to, you can go to almost any country, any city and you'll find people that do parkour there. But because of that, it can be tight-knit at the same time, like, you know, one person, you know, everybody kind of thing.
Kevin Hines:
Well, it's fascinating to see your journey within it. And once again, they go to @TallTrainings.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah.
Kevin Hines:
On Instagram.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah.
Kevin Hines:
It's just you do it so well. It's fantastic.
Brian A Prince:
Thank you so much.
Kevin Hines:
Well, I'm guessing that discipline is, it is a bit of a sport, I think, there's a great deal of movement involved, great stability and balance that's necessary and needed for you to get on top of those thin ledges and all that good stuff. I would break every bone in my body, I think, if I tried doing all of that, I don't think I can handle it. But my next question would be because I am a mental health advocate, my brain health advocate, and you know, I live with bipolar disorder. Well, let me be clear, that's the label they've given me as we go, the labels, human beings need to give labels to things so they can understand them. I get it.
Brian A Prince:
Right.
Kevin Hines:
I accept that I have this diagnosis. My biological parents, as I'm adopted, both had manic depression, what I call bipolar disorder, the same brain disease I have. You know, I take medications, I have a routine of wellness that I stick by, I stay stable with the best of my ability, I still struggle, but I get through most stages pretty well these days. In the year 2000, I attempted to take my life in a very drastic way. You see that bridge behind me? That's the Golden Gate Bridge. I jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge to try to end my life. I survived the fall, one of, one of, less than two percent to do so in the last eighty four years, meaning that ninety eight percent of those who've attempted to off the Golden Gate Bridge never again get to tell their stories. So very lucky to be here. I'm very lucky to be here with you. And I guess in that vein of my mental story, I want to know how has parkour or rather has parkour put words in your mouth? Has parkour helped your mental health and your well-being?
Brian A Prince:
Yeah. Oh, definitely. I had two recent therapists that think that I might have bipolar too. So that's been that's been eye-opening, because looking into the research of that, I've been like, OK, I can see areas where that, I identify with that for sure, like, it's still not positive. I've had like a history of depression and anxiety kind of runs in my family for sure, and that's been something I talked to my uncle a lot about it, unfortunately lost him this year to COVID or last year to COVID. That was really hard. But yeah, like it's, it's interesting because like going kind of back like I'm an artist, art school, so I always had this feeling of like, I want to achieve and make great things. And it's like I, there was always a struggle where I kind of felt like I was fighting myself a lot, so I'm not sure how to put words to it, but there's definitely a history of depressive moments and like a lot of anxiety, a lot of like thinking about the future, a lot of, a lot of overthinking, I like definitely identify as an overthinker, very often where I will get stuck in a cycle of constantly being like, but what if this happens? What if that, this happens? And try to play chess with my, with my, with my calendar? And that's been more than I can remember, more often than I can remember. But whereas parkour is going to come in, is parkour, so these days I meditate actively like I'll sit down and make time for meditation. But before I really understood meditation or actively tried to meditate, parkour has always been kind of meditative for me. It's been something where I could go do it and and I don't really have a choice but to only think about what I'm doing at that exact moment. Like, it puts me in the present immediately. Because, like what? Because it's just like really puts you in your body. Like you're thinking about what's, where is this arm going? Where is this foot going? How's my breathing? Am I activating my glutes properly so I can impact this landing correctly? But also it's just, it's, it's very dangerous if you're not present, if you're doing like a series of movements where you're jumping from one wall to a rail to another wall and you're thinking about that rail before you're thinking about that first wall, you're going to miss that first wall. And a lot of us learn that the hard way. So it's all about like, you've got to stay present, you've got to stay right here, right here, right here, here right now, here right now. And so parkour is definitely been something that I've noticed in the most stressful times for me, I tend to forget it, like I tend to like, leave it behind or I convince myself I don't have time to like, train or do parkour or keep up with it. And then but the same time, I think it's the thing I need the most in those times where I need to just like, take some time away and go into my like, take my own time and go into training and really like, get present again. See, I'm not sure if that answers your question.
Kevin Hines:
No, it does. And I think that you can utilize that being in the present during the parkour and take that into the rest of your life, where you can try to diminish the anxiety you're experiencing by taking the stability of the parkour present mind thinking into your everyday rest of your life. But let's go back for a moment to your, I guess, your childhood and growing up, you were undiagnosed with ADHD.
Brian A Prince:
Yes.
Kevin Hines:
For those who don't know attention deficit disorder, right?
Brian A Prince:
Yeah, yeah.
Kevin Hines:
Hypertension disorder. So you say you went most of your life feeling like you were stupid, feeling like you were not intelligent enough to, I guess, I would say, cope with life and kids around you. Kids are mean, right? So they don't understand they're neurologically different. And I'm guessing that that was not an easy situation for you from other people and their reaction to you and your struggles. What was that experience like growing up? How have you or have you come over, overcome it?
Brian A Prince:
That's a that's a great question. Thanks for asking that. It's such an interesting thing to look back at from where I'm at now because I'm 31 now and dive back into these memories of my 14, 13 year-old self. And yeah, I didn't start getting treated for ADHD or even just counseling for it until until about two years ago. So very recently. And it wasn't because, it wasn't until I just came across like the right YouTube content, and I started like accidentally finding some talks about people talking about this is what it's like living with ADHD. And I was like, what? Like, this isn't how everybody just feels all of the time?
Kevin Hines:
Oh, wow.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah. And that was like a mixture of very cathartic, but also like, oh oh, and then that's when I started going to like doctors and being like, hey, this thing, which that was tough, too, because that was when I was still in Atlanta. And like, I can't tell you how many doctors I went to, where I was like, I think I have ADHD. And they were like, no, you're just trying to get Adderall from me. And I was like, I'm just looking for help. It was very shaming experience. It was rough. But I eventually did like, talk to the right like mental health professionals who were like, oh yeah, let's dig into this. Let's let's talk about it. And that really helped. But yeah, like looking way back when I was a kid, I just thought I was stupid because I couldn't, it was like a mix of things like, I couldn't focus. I was always like, my brain was just zapping somewhere else, I wanted to talk a lot, and so because of that, I was kind of told to shut up a lot. So even to this day, I love talking and I have this thing that like I unpacked recently with a therapist where if I get too excited, I'll just start apologizing and the people I'll be hanging out with will be like, why are you apologizing? Or like, even my boyfriend will be like, why are you apologizing? I'm like, oh, I got too excited. And he'll be like, what? what? What does that mean? And it's just this old memory of being a kid. When I got too excited, people were like, shut up. And so that's, I'm still unpacking that, school was so hard because school is memory-based and memory is focused attributed. And so it was strange, like knowing things like, I would know the answers to these things, but the moment I get put in a test, all this anxiety would come up, and I just couldn't, like it felt like a fight-flight kind of thing, and I just couldn't calm myself to just think through the answer. Reading was really difficult for me because I would just kind of jump, and it's not that I can't read, but like even to this day, like on a non-medicated day, this will happen. I'll read through an email of like if you give me a block of text, it's like torture. Like, I can't, I'll read backwards or something because like, I'll get three. I'll get halfway through a paragraph and then I'll just start thinking about something completely different while still reading. And then I'll get to the end of the page and go, oh, I didn't get any of that, and I'll have to reread it. Audio books are my best friend. I go on walks and listen to some audio books. But yeah, like, I just really judge myself for it because I think the thing, the I think the toughest thing for kids with mental health abilities is that like, we don't know that we're different. We just think, oh, I'm not working because society system kind of works to where it tries to fit everybody into the same mold. So if you don't fit that mold and you're young, you just assume like, oh, I'm not, I'm wrong because I'm not fitting into this thing that everyone else seems to be fitting into so well or so it seems. And so like one thing, because I work with a lot of kids like doing parkour, I would teach parkour classes with kids and such, and I want to tell the other coaches or even just parents like, like meet people where they're at. Like, if you see someone struggling with someone something, I think we have this like societally, we have this idea of like, oh, that person's not getting it, what's wrong with them? Instead of being like, oh, they're not getting it, what's going on? Like, What's, what? What aren't they? What aren't you getting here? Because there's no one's choosing to like, not get something, you know, no one's choosing to make reading hard. So if reading is hard for someone like, you know, if you can like, empathize with them and be like, oh, why is this difficult for you? Talk to me. And I think that's the other thing. It's like being a kid, you don't feel like you have the agency or I didn't feel like I have the agency to talk. I'll tell these stories to my parents now or to other people now, and they'll be like, why don't you say something? And I'm like, I did. And like, when, when I did, I was like in trouble, or I would try to share my feelings, and it would be it would feel like I was, it's like I was, everyone thought I was talking back or making excuses. Yeah, it was, oh, it was difficult. I attribute the ADHD for why sports were so difficult for me because like you put me on the court in basketball and I just couldn't, I couldn't see straight. I was like, there's ten players, a ball, lines on the floor, hundreds of people in an audience, loud noises, and my brain is just like too much information, too much information. And I was just kind of shut down.
Kevin Hines:
You talk about that, how you're 6'10, you've been 6'10 for a while and you've played a lot of basketball, but you never found a true love for it. And people told you that you felt you were wrong or not, you're doing what you're supposed to do, people told you that you were a waste of height for not playing. That alone is a stigma and a shame in itself. Like, just because you're tall, you have to play? That, it's ridiculous, it's ludicrous.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah.
Kevin Hines:
For someone who doesn't have a passion for it, the people that did that, that's that's a form of bullying and a form of shame. And it's not cool. And for those doctors to tell you that you don't need Adderall, you just want drugs to get high when you're really trying to solve a problem, those two things must have been a bit devastating, don't you think?
Brian A Prince:
Oh yeah, it was. It was awful because it's, it's this like, I'm trying to get better, I'm trying to do right, and then it's still this resistance, this like shameful societal resistance. And it's really I don't think people really take into consideration how hard that is. Like, I don't know how many people out there have, like had, tried to like find a therapist through their insurance. It's like that where you're like calling like, oh, are you? Are you seeing new clients? And they're like, no, and I'm out of network and like just that one rejection, that's enough for someone to be like, well, I'm not going to try anymore. And I think that's one of the hardest things about someone on a journey of trying to become mentally healthy is there's a lot of pushback and you really got to stay like consistently, you've got to you've got to keep going, you've got to keep going and just keep, know that was the goal that you're trying to achieve is worth it. Yeah. And like the basketball thing was nuts because it's, it's like I like basketball a lot more now as an adult than I did as a teenager. And I really think the reason I didn't like it as a teenager is there was so much going on in my head that no one could see that I couldn't really vocalize. And all that was that I was perceiving was just this strange judgment of people like looking at me and being like based on how you look, I imagine your skill level to be here. And then it wasn't. And then immediately they'd be like, oh, I'm disappointed. It's an interesting, it was an interesting life because I've had this story with therapists before where I'd be like, oh, I don't want to disappoint people. And they would be like, oh, well, that's probably a story you're making, so like, how often do people tell you that they're disappointed? And I was like, very often it used to happen very often, and I know it wasn't malicious. Like, I know no one meant it maliciously, but very often from, as like a teenager, like in public, I'd be like somewhere with friends or like out getting food or something. And some random stranger would just be like, wow, you're so tall, do you play basketball? In the years where I had stopped playing, I was like, oh, no, I don't play. And they would just be like, what? Oh, like, wow, what a waste. Like, why aren't you? And I was just like, oh, OK. And it was like, seriously, like ten years of that. And what I didn't realize was how much I kind of took each of those moments and just like internalized it and just like stuffed it down. Like, it's like a file cabinet. And every time someone says something like that, I'm putting it in the file without realizing it instead of just throwing it away. And so it kind of blows my mind how this works, how you have all this stuff that happens to you when you're a teenager or a young twenties and then you kind of go through your twenties and you're more or less fine. But then, like late twenties, thirties, it all just starts like the file cabinet gets overstuffed and it all just starts coming out and coming out in different ways. And it's, it's a mind blowing experience. And that's kind of what I'm still going through right now is just really looking into the past that a lot of these moments and taking that paper out and going, oh, I don't need this, why did I keep this? I don't need this. Like a lot of judgments from people who don't matter and stories that I told myself that aren't really true. So, yeah, the basketball thing was tough because it's like a sport that my dad loves. So it's something that, like I like, try to connect with him over. And he definitely feels like kind of guilty that I have. This experience happened, and I don't blame him for it. It's just kind of the way that it felt. And it's also a big thing that brought me to parkour was because I wanted to kind of do something for myself that like kind of going full circle, one of the most freeing things about doing parkour as a 6'10 person is I have no one to compare myself to, and it's like I had no expectations. No one was like, oh, you should be good at this, and it made it so freeing to just do what I wanted to do with it because I didn't feel like I was trying to live up to something.
Kevin Hines:
Well, that's another amazing way, that's another amazing way that it helped benefit your mental health, for sure. I know the part of your story in 2016, you lived in Seattle and you got a call out of nowhere to audition for this movie. So for those who don't know, tell us what the movie was called and what role you played. I know, we spoke about this earlier, but just go over it again and tell me about how it was both an amazing but torturous experience.
Brian A Prince:
Oh man, OK, yeah. So in 2016, I got a call out of nowhere to audition for the Predator for the role of the Predator. And like what I say out of nowhere, it really was. I was like one week I was just working my job. I was the front desk at a parkour gym in Seattle. And then the next week I'm in LA at this audition and I was like, oh, this is weird, with like four other guys who are like actors and stunt people, and I'm just like, I'm just here. And like, I had done some stunt work before in Atlanta, but like, like a hand like for like three or four days of work kind of thing.
Kevin Hines:
How did you get on the radar?
Brian A Prince:
It was like somebody, someone in Hollywood in the production was like, we need a tall, agile person. And then somebody asked a good friend of mine now, Paul Darnell is a very prominent parkour and stunt person in L.A.. He talked to a really good friend of mine, Rudy Scabbington in Vancouver, and was like, who's the tallest parkour guy, you know? And Renee was like, oh, Brian. And so that made its way back to production. And then they just they just called me one morning and I was like, Yeah, I'm free. Yes. And so then they like, fly me to L.A. and I do this audition and I nailed it, which I really think the only reason I nailed it is because I genuinely didn't think I was going to get it. And so I just had fun with it. And it's not that I was like negative. I just didn't think, oh yeah, I'm going to make. I don't know, I'm like that's not how these things work, but I got it. And then and then the next day, they're molding my body. And over the next six months, it was like fittings and tests for the suit. And then we started filming in February in Vancouver, and it was like February through June. And it was it was something else like, I can't. It was something else because there was this like equal full throttle of this is the coolest thing ever. I get to play the frickin Predator and like, wear the suit and walk around and be terrifying. But then on the other side, it was like, don't mess this up. And it was, I could write a book about imposter syndrome from this experience because I didn't feel like an actor, I didn't feel like, I didn't feel ready or like I deserved it, so to speak. And yet here I was working with these other actors and stuff, and I had no idea what I was doing. And it was, it was just like for someone with, like already has mental health struggles, it was so hard to like, not just crumble most of those days under the weight of the anxiety of this experience. And then what made it really tough is, well, besides the physical nature of it, I'm wearing like 80 pounds. So in the movie, there's two Predators is a really, really tall one that's like, that's all CG. And there's a smaller one which is still tall, and that's the one that I play like breaks out of the lab, it's running around, it's full practical. So I'm wearing like a bodysuit, a costume, animatronics. I'm wearing all of this plastic and rubber, and it's just fully encased my body. I can't, I can barely breathe, I can't feel anything, I'm covered in sweat and like on days where we did stunts, where I had to wear the stunt vest, it was like squeezing the life out of me. But I had to pretend like it wasn't. And just like, run around and people can't see you, they just see the Predators. No one sees me inside straining and struggling and then also like stunts culture. So you don't want to like, be like, oh, this is bad. So I'm just like putting up with it and just like kind of stuffing it all down and trying to find my happy place. Like so the physical nature of it was excruciating and not to say I didn't enjoy it, but it was, it was difficult, you know? And so that was one thing. But what I really think I wouldn't even say, that's what made it to the hardest because that stuff was hard. But anyone who I think is an advocate of mental health can attest to this, it was not getting to talk about it, that was difficult for me. So even though I, like I had friends, I had family, you know, to, to talk to. But there was this kind of thing that seemed to happen where, where whenever I would try to talk about the experience and this is like, I attribute this to like toxic positivity culture is that people would be like, oh, how is it? And I'd be like, oh, like, I'm having kind of a hard time, and it's almost like the immediate thing would be like, oh, well, what do you? You shouldn't be upset. What do you have to be upset about? You get to be in this movie, you should be happy, you should be happy, you should be grateful, you should be happy. You should be happy. Like, I got told that so many times I just stopped talking to people. And so I just locked it up. I just like stayed to myself and there were all these things that I needed to like talk about. Like, I had contractual issues that I didn't, that I felt like I was like, to be frank, that I felt like I was treated a little unfairly on. I had physical things that were just difficult and hard, I had like emotional and mental issues where like it was just like I was very lonely because I was just like in this hotel room by myself for four months and, and there was a lot to it. And it is a tough thing to talk about because a lot of times when people are like, you were the Predator, tell me about it, they just want to hear the good stuff. So even then, I'm just kind of like, yeah, it's good. But just to be honest, it's like, yeah, it was great. And it was also very difficult. It's not a yeah, but it's a yeah and. And just being locked in that suit all day with my thoughts, you know, like it was just like there was there was I'd be 6-10 hours at a time just in that in that armor, in that suit. And the only person there is me. I ain't got no music. I can't use an iPhone because I got, I got big plastic fingernails on and I'm just I'm just sitting there just in this suit, like trapped, like like I tell people like put a put a bucket over your head or put your hands over your face like this, do that for 10 hours, and it was, it was that and I just went somewhere, dude. And I don't know, I, it was some and there were there are a few times I had like a full emotional breakdown on set a couple of times and it was really embarrassing, but it had to happen. I learned so much about emotional intelligence on this shoot because I kind of learned how my emotions work in that regard, where I was like, oh, if I just like stuff them down too much, they're going to come out one way or another. So it's better to just let them out a little bit over time, I learned that on this, on this production, but it's just tough because it's like a lot of pressure. And yeah, I just had to like, oh man, it beat me up in ways, and that was difficult because I really just wanted to be like, I wanted to be like, this was the coolest thing ever, I love this, this was great. But like coming out of that experience, I was a little messed up. Like, I was a little, like for lack of a better word, I was just like a little off. And it took a while to get back to, to me, or I don't even know if that happened, I think I think I just caused like a complete shift of who I was as a person, to be honest.
Kevin Hines:
Can I ask you a question? Do you regret doing the role?
Brian A Prince:
No, it's such a good question.
Kevin Hines:
Because of how you described it, it's like there was no one to empathize with what you were going through.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah.
Kevin Hines:
And even, even your I'm guessing your family and friends or whoever you would, you would confide in about having a hard time and they would say, you should be happy, you should be grateful, you're in the movie, you should be appreciative of that. You were appreciative. You were grateful.
Brian A Prince:
Yes.
Kevin Hines:
You were thankful for that opportunity. It wasn't that you weren't. It was that it's a really hard thing to do. And here you are as the only actual Predator and everybody else has gets to wear clothes and, you know, some kind of gear. But they're not, they're not sitting there in a 60-pound suit, drenched in sweat for six hours a day. Well, like as you described with a bucket over their face that they can't see through or you or you hear properly through. So one of the things that I find intriguing about your story is that you weren't able to find someone to talk to. How did you, after the Predator was over, after that experience was done, how and when did you find the inner ability to be open about your struggles? I guess my question is, when were you free to be open and honest about what you were going to? And maybe a therapist or maybe that's family or friends? What did that look like?
Brian A Prince:
Oh, that's such a good question. It took like a year and a half because I got off production and I was just kind of free to do my own thing for a bit. And I had like a book deal. So I have some work to do that I was stoked about because it's something I wrote and was drawing this a graphic novel and, and I had stuff to do. But then I just noticed that after the film I like, I couldn't, I don't know, I had a hard time doing stuff like even playing video games. Just sitting still was difficult. I couldn't describe it. I just, I felt fidgety. I traveled a lot and I wouldn't even like, enjoy myself when I traveled. I like go to a different city to hang out with a friend. But even then, I just kind of like in that headspace the whole time. So like I was, I didn't feel like I was traveling. I just felt like I was constantly not, I didn't feel present, I felt like not in my body. I would later learn symptoms of like PTSD or things where we dissociate ourselves, and what I think later happened is I, I had spent so much time in that suit dissociating like I'd be in the super 10-12 hours, and I would just try to not be in the suit, which was me being like, I don't want to be in my body. And so I spent so long not being in my body I almost had to remember how to come back to it, which I still am. But, but back to the question, yeah. So I went like a year like that trying to draw, not really being able to, traveling a bit, and I just remember feeling like lonely because of kind of what I was saying, I had no one to talk to. So I was like, OK, I'm going to start dating because that'd be cool. Like, I'll have like a girlfriend to talk to, and that'll be great. And so I start dating, and that was going pretty well. And but it's just like something was wrong. Something felt off. And I think, like almost jokingly, like one of my friends is like, oh, maybe you should date dudes. And I was like, yeah, why not? And then I did.
Kevin Hines:
Yeah.
Brian A Prince:
And then that was the whole thing. I was like, oh, it turns out I'm gay. That's that's interesting, or like gayer than straight, for sure. And so that was something which that ended up just adding on to the pile of like, oh, I already have all this going on. Now there's this, how did I not know this? Oh, maybe and then so I just like led to a whole bunch of other introspective thinking. So now I have this on top of that and I'm just in my head all of the time, and I felt like I had nobody to talk to. And when I did talk to people, I was like putting on this show like, oh yeah, the Predator was great, it was super awesome, it was great. That's what I thought people wanted to hear. And then I, I got, I don't know, I don't want to get too into it in terms of like, I don't want to like name names or anything like that, but basically, this thing kind of happened where I was working on another show and I was working like three weeks on another film, and I got into this like like pseudo-long distance relationship with somebody. At least that's what it kind of felt like to me. And it just wasn't like I could go into it, but it just like I basically got my heart smashed, essentially. I got my heart broken in a way that felt, it felt like a little bit like I got gaslit, but it also felt a little bit like I did it to myself. It's one of those strange situations that I think a lot of people have been through in love where you don't want to blame the other person, but like psychologically, I think we end up blaming ourselves. And so that's kind of where I went with it.
Kevin Hines:
Yeah.
Brian A Prince:
So that happened at the same time on this shoot that I was working on, I got injured. It was a wire stunt that didn't go great and I got like, basically slammed into the ground a bunch of times. So I injured my shoulder, back, neck, it was like a complex series of injuries, but it wasn't like an injury injury. Like, I wasn't like out. I was like, oh, I'm fine. And then over the next month, I was like, I don't think I'm fine. And then on top of that, and this might sound weird, but like I, I wasn't, it's like the first time I said this publicly, but like, I wasn't invited to be the Predator premiere. Yeah, like I didn't, I was not invited. I wasn't invited.
Kevin Hines:
Predator wasn't invited to the Predator premiere?
Brian A Prince:
No.
Kevin Hines:
Did you ... what their reasoning was.
Brian A Prince:
No, I just think it was like a Hollywood thing where, you know, it was a big ensemble movie with like a bunch of like really big name actors and stuff. And they were kind of the important like marketing bases, and I just wasn't one of them. And so like it was at like the Toronto International Film Festival or something. And it's like, in the funny thing is like, I talked to some of the actors and some of the production about it and they're like, you know, that's just how it is. And like, logically, you know, we got our logical brain and our feeling brain, and my logical brain was like, I totally get it, like, I totally understand, I'm not going to sell any tickets, no one knows who I am, but like feeling brain is like for someone who already has like abandonment issues and that hurts so bad. Like, that hurts so bad because I felt like I had given this movie everything I already felt like I, there was some contractual things that I was like upset about, but I was like choosing not to be. I was just trying to be like, grateful for the experience, which I am, which I am grateful for the experience. But then like that happened and I just felt so like unimportant or something, even though like my character was like on the billboard and in the trailer. But it's like everybody loved the character. But then I'm like inside the character. So I almost felt like unseen in a way which if there's one thing we know about people and people want to be seen and heard. And I just felt invisible. And then that heartbreak thing happened, and then this injury thing happened and nobody was close enough to me where they could tell, like that was the hardest thing about this whole combination of events. It seemed like nobody was close enough to me, and this might have been, this was probably of my own making of like keeping people kind of distant, no one was close enough to me that could be like, what's wrong? Like, something's up. And it was, I felt so alone, like so alone in my head. And this like led into the deepest depression I've ever experienced in my life. I just was like, I just felt like lower than dirt. And I couldn't work, I couldn't draw, like no other movies or anything was coming in. And then the movie didn't perform as well as it was, we were hoping for it too. So then like, I didn't have any work because I was supposed to, I was hoping on getting work from that experience and then that didn't come through. So it's this weird thing where, like, this super great thing had happened to me, no doubt, like, loved it, I'm super proud of it, and then afterwards, I just felt like I, I didn't know what was next or who I was. And everyone kept addressing me like I was on top, like, oh, you must be so happy. And I was just like internally screaming. And so it was it was bleh because I definitely hit this moment where, where like, yeah, I don't see, I'm, I'm trying to cover it up, but like I've already said everything else, it's just like, I just didn't want to be alive anymore, like I didn't, and it's not that I felt any kind of hatred towards myself. I just, I just felt so invisible that I was like, maybe I am, you know, like everybody sees me, but I feel like people don't see me. And I think it was like, finally then where I just started talking to people and I would be with close friends and they'd be like, how are you? And I'd be like, this is how I am, and I would just start being super honest and candid and people, some people liked it that some people didn't like it. But when people did, they were like, whoa, I didn't know that, tell me more. And it was this like, amazing thing where I really got to see who my friends were and who, who, who the important people in my life were. And I really got into the work of Brené Brown, her work really carried me through this period. Like if I, if I met her, I would definitely become very unprofessional. But her work really carried me because it's a lot about shame and vulnerability. And I think finding the way to be vulnerable is what really kind of saved me through this period. It was like learning how to just open up to people and say, like, this is how I feel, even when they were like, but you should feel this. I'm like, cool, great. This is how I feel right now. Yeah. And then it was just like another year of just really like, like I made, so this is around 2019 new years and I made 2019 the year of uncomfortable conversations for me, where I just learned, like I heard the quote from like Tim Ferriss, I think, where you said like a common trait of successful people is the ability to have an uncomfortable conversation. And I just leaned into every uncomfortable conversation I could, like if I was having a disagreement, if I needed to like be vulnerable and share something that was uncomfortable, if I needed to come out to people like I just leaned in and it hurt and it was uncomfortable the whole time. But over time it became less and less and less so. And yeah, it was, it was in that year of really figuring out who I was and how I felt that I kind of learned how to like just, I started seeing things differently. And the way that I think I see things differently than most people I talk to, is that I see a common trait in people where they're like, oh, that's uncomfortable, I don't want to do it. And I'm like, oh, that's the only way, because the feeling of being vulnerable is such its own reward that even when it feels, like even right now, like I said a lot of things on this podcast that I've never said before about the production, and there's this fear that's like, oh, someone's going to be mad or some, somebody from Hollywood is going to be like, oh, don't say that, how dare you? But at the same time, I just know that like in sharing it, I will feel better about myself and I'll like me more. And I think at the end of the day, that's that's more important.
Kevin Hines:
That was very descriptive and, and very emotionally well-learned information that was really powerful.
Brian A Prince:
Thank you.
Kevin Hines:
And I think that people hearing that who are in the stunt world, who are in the film industry and who know that kind of pain all too well, especially men who are thought to buck up, pull themselves up by the bootstraps, be quiet in your pain, silence your pain, stunt work is painful, ghat's why you do it, you do it because you have a training and an ability that most people don't have. And I believe in Hollywood, they're almost in a sense required to be quiet about it. Because who's going to? Because it's almost looked at as, oh, you're complaining? Oh, you want to complain about it? And it's not, it's not a complaint. These are facts that you went through. These are real life situations you dealt with, then that other stunt people deal with and that they're not unpacking, when you don't unpack these things because human beings have physical limitations. You push beyond the physical limitations and you're hurt, you can be hurt mentally. And I know that in stunt work, there's a high rate of people who have PTSD from the stunt work they've done, but nobody is talking about it. And you just mentioned that, that's huge and so important, I really appreciate that on the show. You know, you spent years pressuring yourself into getting this book deal done, this graphic novel done. And you said that because COVID hit and the BLM stress that was occurring an overwhelming, you had to let it go. Can you describe a little bit about that?
Brian A Prince:
Yeah. So I have this book deal that I kind of got right after the Predator ended with like, I have an amazing agent. She's awesome. And she, you know, I made the pitch for it and she sold it. And it's this project I had been working on all throughout art school. I went to Savannah College of Art Design, and my major was visual storytelling. My degree is sequential art, but I tell people visual storytelling because that's what the degree should have been called, in my opinion. But yeah, so I had written this whole story, and it meant a lot, still means a lot to me, and this strange thing happened. And I don't know if because of everything else I just talked about. But like, I remember getting the book deal in like 2018, and she calls me and like, we sold the book, you have this deal and I was like, awesome. And everybody like being like, why am I not excited? Like, I should be excited, but it kind of immediately became this thing of like, oh, I have to do this, expectation, right? I have a scary relationship with expectation, and I kept thinking like, oh, it's going to get done, it's going to get done, and it just kept not getting done. I would sit down to work and I was like, I don't know if it was the injury or the fear or the pressure or everything else, I just couldn't deliver like I'd be drawing and nothing would be happening or the work would be, it's this thing I tell people where like people see artists and they think so I draw, my medium, when I say artist, I mean drawing. And I think the movie Soul goes into this really well, the recent Pixar movie because of this extremely well. But I don't want to ruin the movie. But like, there's this thing where the place I have to go to, to do good creative work is like the same place that is terrifying to get to if I'm mentally unwell, it's like there's this meditation metaphor of like, oh, the ocean, the surface of the ocean is super turbulent and there's a lightning storm. But, but the bottom of the sea is calm and so meditating, it's like dropping down to the bottom of the sea. But the way I would describe to people is at this time, between the surface and the bottom of the sea was like trash and sharks and like an awful sight. I was like, nah, I'm going to stay up here on the surface, because like, I don't want to go through that. And so it was like, really like so with the graphic novel the, my editor, my agent, we're kind of like, why aren't you getting it done? And my friends were like, why aren't you getting it done? But in my head, I was like, oh man, I can't go in there like, I can't go in there right now. It's turbulent and it kind of just persisted. So once 2020 came around, I felt like I was finally ready. I was OK. Like, I got all the stuff out of the way I can finally sit down. I was over a deadline, but I was like, I'm going to do this, and I sit down and work on this thing. And then like COVID hit and that was stressful. So then I'm stuck at home and I'm a coffee shop worker, for sure. So that was hard, but I was like, whatever I'm like, now, I have no choice but to do this thing. And then all the BLM protests hit, and that was like, I don't think a lot of people realize how stressful that was for black people. I mean, obviously, like that sounds like a stupid thing to say. Like, obviously it was stressful for black people, but like in the way that I can't just go back to work like it was on my mind all of the time. And there were a lot of things that I had put away in my life, like racially that I was like, I'm just not going to think about this anymore. Like, there's this me, my, my friend, we jokingly call called it black stasis, where you learn to just put it on a shelf where you're like, yeah, this thing kind of sucks in the world, but I'm going to put it on the shelf because I have to work. And I felt like when all that happened, it's just the shelf broke and it was all over the floor and I was like, oh man, like, now I'm dealing with this. But like not even blaming that or COVID, it just like I became more and more aware over the year that I just wasn't working on the book, like it wasn't happening and I wanted it to happen and I wished it was happening. But I wasn't doing it. And I remember at one time I had an audition to play a really big role in a TV show. I didn't, I didn't get it, but it was an amazing experience where like they, they called me and they're like, can you do a self tape? And I like, move to the earth to do it, like found someone to do the reading, I found someone with a camera, I was out of town, I was like visiting Seattle, but I found like a whole, I found like a mini crew of people to help me do this thing, and we put together an amazing video. And then I had like a callback where I got to Skype with the director and that went well, didn't get it, but it was awesome. They loved me, we had a great time. And so I was looking at that experience and I was like, and I was looking at parkour where like in parkour, when I wanted to achieve something, I figured out how to do it. At the end of the day, I looked at this book and I was just like, I am just not, I don't think I want this, and that was, that was weird because I think we're used to this whole like, oh, it's a great opportunity, you should want this, it will lead to money or fame or whatever. You should want this. And I just was like, I don't think I do. And I think there's something about after Predator, where my relationship with like fame and greatness has been severely altered after that experience. Like the movie Soul goes into this too. Like this, this whole idea that we think like, oh, once I achieve X, I'll be happy and I'm not saying, you know, Predator was a great experience, it was an amazing experience. And like, I remember finishing that and being like, oh, that didn't fix anything. If anything, that just gave me the time to really start fixing the things. And those things can only be fixed by like therapy, meditation, self-reflection, journaling, self-love, self-care. And so I think my, my driver for this graphic novel before Predator was like, once I finished this thing, I'll be happy and what I do, this thing, I will have succeeded and it will fix all of my problems. And then here I was trying to work on it, and it was kind of like torturous because of the mental state I was in, but also just like trying as hard, trying as hard. So it was just like, not, like, I want to use the word fun, but it wasn't enjoyable. And then I had spent three years of my life telling myself every day that I need to do this thing, I need to do this thing. And looking back, I'm almost a little resentful because I didn't enjoy the time. And then now that COVID hit and I'm stuck inside and I can't go anywhere else, and I don't want to do the thing, I was like, oh, this is telling, and so I just kind of swallowed it, and I just, I just told them I was like, hey, I don't think I'm going to do this. And, you know, I had to give the money back and cancel the deal. And a lot of people think I'm insane. Why would you do that? I would kill for a deal like that. I'm like, man, I'm not you. Like, I'm not you. Like, I thought it would make me happy, but then like, if it's anything I've learned in the six months, last six months, like working on that book didn't make me as happy as like looking at the sunset with somebody I love. So why would I do that?
Kevin Hines:
Why would you do that? It's time to make you happy, and you had to do what made you happy made you feel whole.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah.
Kevin Hines:
Well, at this point today that you've told me the Predator money is all gone, nothing else has come through, the book is gone, you're taking a break from your art, and you're trying to change careers and you have to reevaluate who you are.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah.
Kevin Hines:
But you do have an amazingly supportive partner, and more than most people, so you're incredibly grateful for what you have today. Can you talk about what it's like to pause on the art and focus on you?
Brian A Prince:
Yes, I'm trying to take a break from art because I still have some good projects for some clients that are like, oh, do this thing? And I'm like, cool, but it's still, it's still a little rough. And I think because my like, my baseline relationship with art is, is me like, it's like, it's like ego-based where like, there was this, I've taken a long look at art or my art, and I like my art. I like my art. But for the longest time, I was doing it from this place of kind of what I explained earlier, like, oh, if I do good art, people will love me, very intrinsically motivated or externally motivated, and I kind of just want to like, let that go for a little bit because I miss doing art for me. I used to do art for me all the time where I would just be this thing I did under the lamp light at like 11 p.m. I'd just be drawing something while music was playing. And these days it's all like client base, client base, what does the client need? When's the deadline? And I'm just like, man, I don't want to do it anymore. So, yeah, so I'm taking a break from that. I think COVID is making us all like, kind of look at our lives, and I'm definitely in that with everybody. And for me, it's just kind of figuring out like who I am and like what? What makes me happy, and then in terms of career, like what can I do with the gifts that I have that can impact somebody or other people? And so I'm looking at a few different things right now. One of them is UX design, actually. But.
Kevin Hines:
What is UX design? I don't even know what that is.
Brian A Prince:
Yeah, it's a user experience design. And so it's very prominent in tech, but basically it's like the human part, so that you have your users, like your people that use Instagram and then you have the developers, the people that create the algorithms and the develop the code. But then you have user experience right in between. It's like, hey, people like it when things work like this or this isn't working for people. And so using like empathy and like psychology to kind of work with the users and connect them to the developers and be like, oh, this isn't like, this is what people are saying isn't working, this is what people love about this thing. And that's in the tech area. But you can also have user experience in other fields like even just from the design of a grocery store of someone being like this is uncomfortable to have everything jumbled. So we should make the experience more like this. And that's something I've always enjoyed. It's like kind of facilitating an experience for people. So I'm looking at that right now. I'm looking at other things like public speaking or potentially going back to school to become a therapist. It's something I'm really passionate about. That's more of a long game because I can't go back to school. Yeah, just like learning, I think for the longest time I looked at, like I started, art kind of turned into this thing of like, I have to do it because without this, I have nothing. And now I'm like, oh BS. Like, that's not true, what else can I do? And so I'm trying to, like, broaden the horizons and see what else is out there for me.
Kevin Hines:
That's fantastic. You're doing great finding out who you are and, and changing your perspective and your outlook on life. You've, you've had a powerful experience with the Predator, both amazing and torturous that we are grateful that you shared with us the truth behind that pain you had because that part of the story is really going to help people who are feeling the same way. And I can really appreciate that. Brian, thank you so much for joining us here. We really appreciate your time, your energy and your words of wisdom. Wishing you all the best moving forward. And I'll just give a shout out to my friends, family and folks, be kind to yourself, be kind, compassionate, loving, caring, empathetic, and non-judgmental to every single person you ever come into contact with because you never know what they're going through, what they've gone through. And be forgiving of yourself and others and be well. And finally, be here tomorrow and every day after that. This is Kevin Hines, signing off. Brian Prince, it's been wonderful.
Brian A Prince:
Thank you.
Kevin Hines:
Thank you very much.
Brian A Prince:
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Kevin Hines:
Margaret and I love sharing stories of people who have triumphed over incredible adversity. For more content and inspiration, go to KevinHinesStory.com or visit us on all social media at KevinHinesStory or on youtube.com/KevinHines.
Sonix is the world’s most advanced automated transcription, translation, and subtitling platform. Fast, accurate, and affordable.
Automatically convert your mp3 files to text (txt file), Microsoft Word (docx file), and SubRip Subtitle (srt file) in minutes.
Sonix has many features that you'd love including share transcripts, advanced search, world-class support, powerful integrations and APIs, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.