WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 Today, we are undertaking a deep dive into a 00:00:02.660 --> 00:00:06.259 figure who is, well, instantly recognizable, 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:08.800 yet maybe surprisingly misunderstood sometimes. 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:12.220 When you hear that voice, you immediately think 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:15.759 of the, uh... Slightly aggravated, perpetually 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:19.000 tired family man. We are talking about Ray Romano. 00:00:19.100 --> 00:00:20.640 And that familiarity, you know, that's exactly 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.620 why this deep dive feels necessary. Most people, 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:25.320 like you said, they know him as Raymond Barone, 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:27.100 right? The Queen's sports writer from Everybody 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:29.219 Loves Raymond. Of course. But our mission today 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:31.960 really is to show you how the man who made his 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:34.960 name and frankly. billions of dollars in observational 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:37.799 comedy has actually evolved. He's become one 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:39.820 of Hollywood's most versatile talents. Yeah, 00:00:39.939 --> 00:00:42.520 it's quite a list. It is. An acclaimed dramatic 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:46.679 actor, a successful writer, a star in a massive 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:49.119 voice franchise, and now even a feature film 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:51.219 director working with, you know, the absolute 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:54.000 top tier. We're talking Martin Scorsese level. 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:56.560 It really is a remarkable path and a complex 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:59.179 one. We've got a huge stack of sources here covering 00:00:59.179 --> 00:01:02.320 basically every phase. The blue collar queen's 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:04.900 origin. the absolutely record -breaking financial 00:01:04.900 --> 00:01:07.260 success of his sitcom. Which we have to get into. 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:09.620 Oh, definitely. Then the strategic pivot into 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:12.299 voice acting, that critical move toward dramedy, 00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:15.159 and then the surprising dramatic validation in 00:01:15.159 --> 00:01:17.500 films like The Irishman. So our goal, really, 00:01:17.620 --> 00:01:20.579 is to quickly unpack these decades of, well, 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:23.859 continuous career shifts. We want you, the listener, 00:01:24.019 --> 00:01:26.159 to walk away pretty well informed, understanding 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:29.540 that Romano's professional ambition, his scope... 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.560 It extends far, far beyond the confines of that 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.299 fictional Long Island living room. OK, so where 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:36.939 do we start? We need to begin at the literal 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:39.700 starting line. Let's unpack this. Where did this 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:42.239 signature brand of comedic frustration actually 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:44.480 begin? Right. We have to go back to Queens, Forest 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:46.719 Hills, Queens specifically. That's where Raymond 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:49.480 Albert Romano was born in 1957. And his family 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:51.680 background, it really speaks directly to the 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:55.000 reality he later mined for all that comedy gold, 00:01:55.140 --> 00:01:57.530 doesn't it? Absolutely. It's classic New York, 00:01:57.629 --> 00:02:00.170 Italian -American and, you know, fiercely focused 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:03.329 on middle class necessity. His mother, Luciana 00:02:03.329 --> 00:02:06.090 Lucy, they called her, was a piano teacher. And 00:02:06.090 --> 00:02:08.090 his father, Albert, he kind of split his time 00:02:08.090 --> 00:02:10.110 between being a real estate agent and an engineer. 00:02:10.409 --> 00:02:13.449 That backdrop feels crucial. It gives him that 00:02:13.449 --> 00:02:15.810 authentic voice, right? The voice of the working 00:02:15.810 --> 00:02:19.069 or maybe aspiring middle class. Exactly. And 00:02:19.069 --> 00:02:21.469 here's maybe the first genuinely surprising detail 00:02:21.469 --> 00:02:23.689 that really contradicts his eventual career path. 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:27.539 Ray Romano, the voice of the perpetually flustered 00:02:27.539 --> 00:02:30.939 comic, he was initially pursuing stability, like 00:02:30.939 --> 00:02:33.379 real stability. That's right. Before committing 00:02:33.379 --> 00:02:36.580 to the, let's face it, wildly unpredictable world 00:02:36.580 --> 00:02:39.300 of show business, our sources confirm he briefly 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:42.080 studied accounting at Queens College, New York. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:45.159 Accounting, yeah. You have to imagine that pragmatic 00:02:45.159 --> 00:02:47.379 streak, you know, the need for a reliable job. 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:49.699 That must have been a very real expectation for 00:02:49.699 --> 00:02:52.180 him back then. Comedy eventually won out, obviously. 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:54.960 But that period, it shows a kind of foundational 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:57.960 caution, practicality maybe, before he just embraced 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:00.400 the chaos of the stage. Yeah, it really speaks 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:02.719 volumes about that New York mindset, doesn't 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:04.979 it? You always need a backup plan, just in case. 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.240 Right. He also finished high school at Hillcrest 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:09.979 High back in 1975, which, this is a great little 00:03:09.979 --> 00:03:11.960 detail, offers a delightful coincidence. Oh, 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:14.349 yeah. He graduated in the exact same class as 00:03:14.349 --> 00:03:18.110 Fran Drescher. No way. The nanny. The very same. 00:03:18.250 --> 00:03:22.289 Two incredibly unique Queen's comedic voices 00:03:22.289 --> 00:03:25.430 emerging from the same academic cohort. Must 00:03:25.430 --> 00:03:27.129 have been something in the water there, you know? 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:30.439 Oh, yeah. Maybe so. Okay, so moving from practical 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.300 necessities to the often punishing realities 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:37.180 of starting a comedy career. The stand -up crucible. 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:39.840 Right. He officially launched his stand -up career 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:43.759 around 1989. And the sources, they categorize 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.139 his early work mainly as observational comedy. 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:49.419 Material drawn directly from his, like, domestic 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:51.639 life, his family experiences. The stuff we know 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:55.080 him for. Exactly. But also, interestingly, sometimes 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.979 delving into blue comedy and even some slapstick. 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:00.479 Huh. Slapstick. That's interesting. Yeah, a bit 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.379 surprising maybe. But the stand -up scene back 00:04:02.379 --> 00:04:04.900 then, late 80s, early 90s, it was brutal. This 00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:06.699 wasn't like today, you know, instant internet 00:04:06.699 --> 00:04:09.180 fame. This was grinding it out night after night, 00:04:09.259 --> 00:04:11.819 trying to find his unique voice. And he was actively 00:04:11.819 --> 00:04:14.379 competing too, right? Showing that innate competitive 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:16.730 nature we'll definitely talk about later. Totally. 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:19.230 He entered the Johnny Walker comedy search in 00:04:19.230 --> 00:04:21.569 89. He was a contestant on Star Search. This 00:04:21.569 --> 00:04:25.290 was years, literally years of incremental development 00:04:25.290 --> 00:04:27.689 of that very specific, self -deprecating, kind 00:04:27.689 --> 00:04:30.170 of aggravated style. And crucially, during this 00:04:30.170 --> 00:04:33.370 period, he found a pretty unique creative outlet, 00:04:33.569 --> 00:04:36.529 one that helped define his voice for a wider, 00:04:36.649 --> 00:04:40.129 maybe more discerning audience. that HBO animated 00:04:40.129 --> 00:04:43.009 show Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. Exactly. 00:04:43.009 --> 00:04:45.750 From about 95 to 97, he was a recurring guest 00:04:45.750 --> 00:04:48.430 voice, just playing Ray. Right. And this was 00:04:48.430 --> 00:04:50.189 significant because the whole premise of that 00:04:50.189 --> 00:04:52.550 show, it featured comedians basically performing 00:04:52.550 --> 00:04:55.009 their stand -up material, but framed as these 00:04:55.009 --> 00:04:57.550 therapeutic monologues. It let the material feel 00:04:57.550 --> 00:04:59.529 more intimate, more character -driven. It was 00:04:59.529 --> 00:05:01.189 kind of the perfect rehearsal space, really, 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:03.509 to refine the persona that would eventually become 00:05:03.509 --> 00:05:06.050 Raymond Barone. Okay, so here's where the narrative 00:05:06.050 --> 00:05:09.250 takes a, well, pretty dramatic turn. A crucial 00:05:09.250 --> 00:05:12.490 career setback that, ironically, was the direct 00:05:12.490 --> 00:05:15.490 catalyst for his biggest success. He was initially 00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:18.769 cast in a major network sitcom, NewsRadio. Yes, 00:05:18.769 --> 00:05:21.170 this is one of the most important like footnotes 00:05:21.170 --> 00:05:24.930 in his whole biography. He was cast to play the 00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:27.009 character Joe. Originally, the character was 00:05:27.009 --> 00:05:30.250 named Rick, I think, on this new sitcom, News 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:33.149 Radio. Which is a hot show. Great cast. Huge 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:36.110 potential. But the producers apparently quickly 00:05:36.110 --> 00:05:39.269 realized his style, which is, you know. Slower, 00:05:39.269 --> 00:05:41.910 more character driven, relies on that internal 00:05:41.910 --> 00:05:44.589 monologue that sustained frustration. It just 00:05:44.589 --> 00:05:46.910 wasn't a match for the show's really high energy, 00:05:47.029 --> 00:05:50.050 rapid fire, almost absurdist tone. Yeah. Different 00:05:50.050 --> 00:05:52.649 vibes completely. And the sources confirm he 00:05:52.649 --> 00:05:55.470 was fired. replaced first by Greg Lee and then 00:05:55.470 --> 00:05:58.550 permanently by Joe Rogan. Ouch! Yeah, that must 00:05:58.550 --> 00:06:00.410 have been an absolute psychological blow for 00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:02.870 a comedian who just spent, what, six years grinding 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:05.009 it out the cubs. Definitely. You get the gig, 00:06:05.189 --> 00:06:07.709 you secure the job, and then you lose it before 00:06:07.709 --> 00:06:09.670 it even premieres. It's the kind of rejection 00:06:09.670 --> 00:06:12.589 that, honestly, makes a lot of people just quit 00:06:12.589 --> 00:06:15.829 the industry. For sure. However, the timing here 00:06:15.829 --> 00:06:18.750 was, well... Almost providential. The sources 00:06:18.750 --> 00:06:21.569 really emphasize this. Almost immediately after 00:06:21.569 --> 00:06:24.329 this deeply personal setback, he did a stand 00:06:24.329 --> 00:06:26.350 -up set on The Leach Show with David Letterman. 00:06:26.550 --> 00:06:29.850 And that appearance solidified his career fate. 00:06:30.029 --> 00:06:31.970 Letterman himself? Letterman himself, yeah. It 00:06:31.970 --> 00:06:34.329 was a production company, Worldwide Pants. They 00:06:34.329 --> 00:06:37.149 were actively looking for sitcom talent. Letterman 00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:39.850 saw the potential right there on his stage. Wow. 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:42.250 What a reversal of fortune. So the rejection 00:06:42.250 --> 00:06:45.339 from news radio... was actually the spark that 00:06:45.339 --> 00:06:47.779 ignited the relationship with CBS and Letterman's 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:50.699 team. Pretty much. They realized that Romano's 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:52.939 humor didn't need to fit into some existing mold. 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.060 It needed its own vehicle. Right. The creation 00:06:55.060 --> 00:06:57.199 of Everybody Loves Raymond was the direct result 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:00.180 of what felt like a catastrophic failure. It 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:01.800 just proves that sometimes, you know, getting 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:04.019 fired is just realignment, pushing you toward 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:06.000 where you truly belong. And the result was, well, 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:08.220 television history. Let's jump into the Everybody 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:10.519 Loves Raymond phenomenon itself. The show ran 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:13.819 for nine seasons, right? 96 to 2005. Nine years, 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:16.600 yeah. It was the absolute centerpiece of the 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:19.100 CBS lineup, starring him as Raymond Ray Barone, 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:21.379 the Queen's sports writer, caught between his 00:07:21.379 --> 00:07:24.639 wife, Debra, and his highly involved parents 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.060 living right across the street. Phenomenon is 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:28.740 really the right word, especially when you look 00:07:28.740 --> 00:07:30.759 at the financial documentation in our sources. 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:33.620 The sheer scale of the show's revenue is just 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:37.259 mind -boggling. It really is. In 2004, Romano 00:07:37.259 --> 00:07:39.699 became officially the highest paid television 00:07:39.699 --> 00:07:42.079 actor in history for his role on that show. Highest 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:45.689 paid ever. At the time, yeah. And that status, 00:07:45.709 --> 00:07:47.990 it wasn't just achieved through his weekly salary, 00:07:48.050 --> 00:07:50.790 you know. It was the back -end deal. The show 00:07:50.790 --> 00:07:53.449 itself broke industry records by generating a 00:07:53.449 --> 00:07:56.850 staggering, wait for it, $3 .9 billion in revenue. 00:07:57.069 --> 00:08:00.149 Billion, with a B. 3 .9 billion. And to put that 00:08:00.149 --> 00:08:02.209 figure in context for you, that revenue figure, 00:08:02.389 --> 00:08:04.610 it's primarily generated through domestic and 00:08:04.610 --> 00:08:06.889 international syndication. The ability to sell 00:08:06.889 --> 00:08:10.149 those 210 episodes to just rerun endlessly on 00:08:10.149 --> 00:08:13.490 cable and local stations globally. Wow. So he 00:08:13.490 --> 00:08:15.290 wasn't just getting paid for the initial broadcast. 00:08:15.610 --> 00:08:18.910 His deal was structured so he'd receive massive 00:08:18.910 --> 00:08:21.089 payouts based on the long -term profitability 00:08:21.089 --> 00:08:24.730 of the content itself. Exactly. This deal secured 00:08:24.730 --> 00:08:27.949 during like a peak era of network television 00:08:27.949 --> 00:08:31.009 when syndication value is through the roof. It 00:08:31.009 --> 00:08:33.610 basically made him financially secure for multiple 00:08:33.610 --> 00:08:36.230 lifetimes. It really cements his legacy, not 00:08:36.230 --> 00:08:38.570 just as a comedic force, but as one of the most 00:08:38.570 --> 00:08:40.450 successful business figures in entertainment 00:08:40.450 --> 00:08:43.779 history. And what often gets overlooked, I think, 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:45.759 in the discussion of those enormous figures is 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:47.820 that he wasn't just an actor delivering lines 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:50.159 written for him. Not at all. He was an executive 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:52.779 producer and a really significant creative force 00:08:52.779 --> 00:08:55.139 behind the scenes. Now, this wasn't just a gig 00:08:55.139 --> 00:08:57.320 for him. It was, in many ways, his intellectual 00:08:57.320 --> 00:08:59.740 property. That raises a critical point about 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:01.779 creative control. Yeah. How much of the show's 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:04.519 quality and its enduring popularity can we actually 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:06.879 attribute to him stepping up as a producer and 00:09:06.879 --> 00:09:09.750 a writer? A substantial amount, I'd argue. As 00:09:09.750 --> 00:09:12.289 executive producer, he shared two primetime Emmy 00:09:12.289 --> 00:09:14.669 Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. That was 00:09:14.669 --> 00:09:17.950 in 2003 and again in 2005. So the industry recognized 00:09:17.950 --> 00:09:21.210 him. Right. The industry recognized him as a 00:09:21.210 --> 00:09:24.389 leader in creating the top comedy of its time, 00:09:24.429 --> 00:09:26.289 not just performing in it. And of course, the 00:09:26.289 --> 00:09:28.029 acting accolades eventually came through, too. 00:09:28.149 --> 00:09:30.509 Yeah. After being nominated, what, six times? 00:09:30.570 --> 00:09:33.250 He finally won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead 00:09:33.250 --> 00:09:36.190 Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002. Yep. Finally 00:09:36.190 --> 00:09:38.909 got that statue. But let's dig a little deeper 00:09:38.909 --> 00:09:41.889 into his direct writing involvement because the 00:09:41.889 --> 00:09:44.289 sources highlight this with some specific detail. 00:09:44.490 --> 00:09:47.269 Okay. He was really instrumental in shaping the 00:09:47.269 --> 00:09:50.429 narratives. He co -wrote 14 episodes across all 00:09:50.429 --> 00:09:53.629 nine seasons. So this wasn't just some obligatory 00:09:53.629 --> 00:09:56.750 producer credit. This was him embedding his specific 00:09:56.750 --> 00:09:59.389 comedic voice directly into the narrative structure 00:09:59.389 --> 00:10:01.710 of the show. And the episodes he co -wrote, they 00:10:01.710 --> 00:10:04.190 often delved into the most specific, relatable, 00:10:04.470 --> 00:10:06.519 and let's be be honest, sometimes painfully funny 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:08.419 areas of married life, right? Totally. We see 00:10:08.419 --> 00:10:10.480 that specifically in titles like Golf, which 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:13.320 clearly speaks to his own personal obsession, 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:16.820 and The Wedding. But also, two episodes that 00:10:16.820 --> 00:10:18.759 show his willingness to tackle some delicate 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:21.679 domestic humor, Debra's Workout, which deals 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:25.080 with relationship expectations, and hilariously, 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:28.909 that Season 9 entry. Angry sex. Angry sex. Wow. 00:10:29.110 --> 00:10:31.669 Okay. Those writing credits really prove he was 00:10:31.669 --> 00:10:34.350 driving the show's specific thematic content, 00:10:34.470 --> 00:10:36.769 didn't they? Making sure the scenario stayed 00:10:36.769 --> 00:10:39.950 grounded and recognizable, if maybe highly amplified. 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:43.580 domestic life. It was a true auteur approach 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:47.080 to sitcom television, really focusing relentlessly 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:49.460 on the small, relatable annoyances that drive 00:10:49.460 --> 00:10:52.039 people crazy. And what made the show feel so 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:54.820 authentic, I think, was the way his real family 00:10:54.820 --> 00:10:58.309 life genuinely imitated the art or maybe. provided 00:10:58.309 --> 00:11:00.529 the raw material for it. Oh, absolutely. The 00:11:00.529 --> 00:11:02.889 sources detail how his immediate family was the 00:11:02.889 --> 00:11:04.750 source for some characters and definitely many 00:11:04.750 --> 00:11:06.889 storylines, although adjustments were definitely 00:11:06.889 --> 00:11:08.929 made for comedic convenience. The blurring of 00:11:08.929 --> 00:11:11.269 reality felt deliberate, didn't it? Yeah. Designed 00:11:11.269 --> 00:11:13.830 to enhance that realism. For example, his TV 00:11:13.830 --> 00:11:16.490 daughter, Alexandra Ali Romano. Named directly 00:11:16.490 --> 00:11:19.090 after his real daughter, Alexandra. Right. But 00:11:19.090 --> 00:11:21.090 he drew a line when it came to his twin sons. 00:11:21.409 --> 00:11:25.129 Yes. That's the classic Romano touch of, like, 00:11:25.169 --> 00:11:29.679 self -interest, maybe. His real -life twin sons 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:33.279 are Gregory and Matthew. But he changed the TV 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:36.419 twins names to Jeffrey and Michael because, as 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:38.860 the sources note, he just felt having all the 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:41.700 exact same names was simply inconvenient for 00:11:41.700 --> 00:11:44.080 his own life. That is peak observational comedy 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:47.200 right there. The mundane frustration overriding 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:49.779 any kind of emotional sentimentality is perfect. 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:51.960 It really is. And the family influence didn't 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:54.000 stop there. His real life family members frequently 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.559 made cameos, adding to that sense of authenticity. 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:58.539 We have several examples here in the sources. 00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:01.139 His daughter, Alexandra, she appeared several 00:12:01.139 --> 00:12:03.230 times. times as Molly, who was Ali's friend on 00:12:03.230 --> 00:12:06.509 the show. His father, Albert Romano, the real 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:08.970 estate agent engineer, he showed up as one of 00:12:08.970 --> 00:12:11.649 Frank Barone's lodge buddies in episodes like 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:14.440 Debra at the Lodge. And even his wife Anna appeared 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:16.419 in the background. She was one of the moms in 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:19.240 the episode The Angry Family. This constant integration 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:22.220 of his personal world into the sitcom, it reinforced 00:12:22.220 --> 00:12:24.600 its grounded nature and probably helped him feel 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:26.279 more comfortable bringing that intensely personal 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:28.720 comedy to life every week. It really was a family 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:30.700 affair, even down to his brother Richard, who's 00:12:30.700 --> 00:12:33.539 an NYPD sergeant. Apparently he wasn't always 00:12:33.539 --> 00:12:35.460 thrilled with the character of Robert Barone, 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:38.919 the perpetually miserable younger sibling police 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:43.059 officer. I can imagine. OK, so that foundation 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:47.000 of absolutely unparalleled sitcom success, it 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:50.100 provided an extraordinary platform. But the real 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:52.100 surprise in this deep dive, the part that truly 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:54.419 transforms him from just a sitcom star into a 00:12:54.419 --> 00:12:57.460 multifaceted artist, is the career path he took 00:12:57.460 --> 00:13:00.360 after Everybody Loves Raymond wrapped up in 2005. 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:02.580 Right. Because the conventional wisdom for a 00:13:02.580 --> 00:13:05.340 massive sitcom star is either, you know, fade 00:13:05.340 --> 00:13:08.259 away gracefully or try to replicate this success 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:11.120 with another. Basically identical sitcom. And 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:13.259 Romano didn't either. He took the immense financial 00:13:13.259 --> 00:13:15.100 security he got from Raymond and immediately 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:17.539 used it as a cushion to take some massive creative 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:20.360 risks. And the sources confirm his next major 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:22.500 success was actually already running parallel 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:24.559 to the sitcom. We are, of course, talking about 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:27.340 the Ice Age franchise. Since 2002, he has been 00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:30.299 the unmistakable deep voice of Manny, the woolly 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:32.860 mammoth. Yeah, Manny. This was such a strategic 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:35.360 move. It provided financial longevity, obviously, 00:13:35.539 --> 00:13:38.179 but also global recognition in a completely different 00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:40.840 genre. And think about the character. Manny is, 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:44.940 well, grumpy, protective, often annoyed patriarch. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:47.899 Sound familiar. Huh. It's an archetype pretty 00:13:47.899 --> 00:13:50.200 closely related to Raymond Barone, but, you know, 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:53.159 applied to a giant animated mammal navigating 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:55.740 the Pleistocene era. It's a comfortable kind 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:58.120 of role that really utilizes his unique voice 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:00.820 and timing. And the longevity of that voice work 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:03.580 is just staggering. He's reprised the role in 00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:06.820 four sequels, two television specials, and he's 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:09.019 not done yet. The sources indicate he is set 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:12.259 to return for a sixth film, Ice Age. Boiling 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.799 Point, slated for 2026. Wow. That's a continuous 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:18.080 stream of work spanning over two decades from 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:20.460 one character. It's a massive franchise unto 00:14:20.460 --> 00:14:22.580 itself, and it absolutely gave him the freedom 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:24.899 to pursue passion projects without worrying too 00:14:24.899 --> 00:14:26.899 much about the bottom line. He even received 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:29.039 recognition for it, like a Kids' Choice Award 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.039 nomination for favorite voice from an animated 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:34.480 movie. Okay. But the true test of his artistic 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.299 ambition, maybe, came when he returned to live 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:39.820 action television and deliberately shifted away 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:42.980 from pure laugh track driven comedy. That's the 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:46.139 strategic pivot into dramedy, a genre that really 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:48.940 demands subtlety and nuance. He co -created, 00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:51.860 wrote for, and starred in Men of a Certain Age 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:55.840 from 2009 to 2011, alongside Scott Bakula and 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:58.269 the late... Great Andre Barrar. Yeah, what a 00:14:58.269 --> 00:15:00.389 trio. And this show, it was a massive departure 00:15:00.389 --> 00:15:03.059 from his comedic roots. Totally. What's fascinating 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:05.840 here is the creative contrast. Raymond was all 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:08.259 about rapid fire domestic conflict, right? Men 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:10.360 of a Certain Age was slow, character driven, 00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:12.919 and really focused on the quiet realities, the 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:15.840 anxieties, the humiliations of middle age. He 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:18.000 moved from playing Ray Barone to playing Joe, 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:21.179 a divorced, slightly melancholy car salesman 00:15:21.179 --> 00:15:22.980 who's struggling with a gambling addiction. It 00:15:22.980 --> 00:15:25.139 was critically acclaimed, too. It demonstrated 00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:27.720 that he could really inhabit a nuanced character 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:30.600 that wasn't just reliant on his typical comedic 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:33.259 timing. the industry recognized this strategic 00:15:33.259 --> 00:15:35.519 move immediately, right? They did. He was nominated 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:37.840 for a Writer's Guild Award for a new series in 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:41.100 2011 for his writing on the show. That WGA nomination 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:44.299 feels critical. It signals that his shift in 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:47.059 writing style was actually successful. Moving 00:15:47.059 --> 00:15:48.960 from the tight structure of a network sitcom 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:52.820 to the looser, more emotionally complex scripting 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:55.440 of a cable dramedy. That's a huge challenge. 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:58.580 It really is. And his peers validated that transition. 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:01.419 Proved he wasn't creatively trapped by his previous 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:04.059 success, he could do more. And this successful 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:07.019 pivot, it led directly to his next major live 00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:09.259 -action television role, kind of solidifying 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:11.960 his status as a serious character actor, after 00:16:11.960 --> 00:16:14.259 expressing his genuine admiration for the series 00:16:14.259 --> 00:16:17.340 Parenthood. Which was a fantastic show. Great 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:19.919 show. The show's creator, Jason Kadams, specifically 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:22.740 created a recurring role just for him. Now that 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:25.100 is the ultimate industry compliment, isn't it? 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:27.580 Having a showrunner tailor a role specifically 00:16:27.580 --> 00:16:30.980 to your talent. From 2012 to 2015, he played 00:16:30.980 --> 00:16:34.120 Hank Rizzoli, a photographer and eventually a 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:36.480 love interest for Sarah Braverman, Lauren Graham's 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:38.379 character. And this was a challenging role because 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:40.600 Hank was initially pretty emotionally distant, 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:43.919 kind of awkward, socially awkward. Yeah, it demanded 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.220 genuine emotional depth. Especially when the 00:16:47.220 --> 00:16:49.139 sources highlight his character's development 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:51.659 of this really crucial friendship with Sarah's 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:54.419 nephew, Max, who has Asperger's syndrome. Playing 00:16:54.419 --> 00:16:57.039 a mentor and guide to a child with developmental 00:16:57.039 --> 00:16:59.740 challenges that required a sincerity and a quiet 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:02.200 empathy that, let's face it, Ray Barone never 00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:05.720 had to display. Not really, no. This role truly 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:09.460 showcased his ability to handle textured, serious 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:12.430 drama. But the real validation, maybe in the 00:17:12.430 --> 00:17:14.329 eyes of the film establishment, came with his 00:17:14.329 --> 00:17:16.789 move to the big screen. We absolutely have to 00:17:16.789 --> 00:17:18.450 talk about his breakthrough film performance 00:17:18.450 --> 00:17:20.750 in The Big Sick back in 2017. Oh, great movie. 00:17:21.069 --> 00:17:23.819 He co -starred as Terry Gardner. the father of 00:17:23.819 --> 00:17:26.579 the female lead played by zoe kazan and he earned 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:28.980 immense critical notice for it this wasn't just 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:31.559 some cameo this was a central really emotional 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:33.980 role totally he received numerous nominations 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:36.319 for best supporting actor and best cast from 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:38.539 various critic groups this film was the definitive 00:17:38.539 --> 00:17:40.900 statement i think that he was not just a tv star 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:43.400 dabbling in film he was genuinely excellent in 00:17:43.400 --> 00:17:46.299 a dramatic and comedic role that required intense 00:17:46.299 --> 00:17:49.119 subtlety he played a man navigating a crisis 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:52.779 his daughter's sudden serious illness with this 00:17:52.779 --> 00:17:55.680 mix of anxiety and quiet strength. It was just 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:58.519 a far cry from the loud, aggrieved comedy he 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:01.539 was famous for. And then came the ultimate stamp 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:04.200 of approval, certainly for any New York actor 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:07.140 looking to prove their dramatic bona fides, Martin 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:10.519 Scorsese. Scorsese. In the 2019 epic crime film 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:13.160 The Irishman, Romano portrayed the real -life 00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:16.019 mob lawyer Bill Bufalino. Think about that transformation. 00:18:16.460 --> 00:18:19.700 From a whiny Long Island sports writer to a grumpy 00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:22.799 woolly mammoth. And then, suddenly, a real -life 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.839 figure in a high -stakes crime saga directed 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:27.660 by one of cinema's true masters. That performance 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:29.839 required him to basically shed any lingering 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:33.000 comedic tics and just inhabit this cold, legalistic 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:35.039 intensity. It felt like the complete fulfillment 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:37.039 of his dramatic range. He also took on a main 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:39.460 role, Herbert Green, in that innovative HBO Max 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:42.519 series Made for Love from 2021 to 2022. But if 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:44.180 we connect this whole progression to the bigger 00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:46.940 picture, the most thrilling aspect of his career 00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:48.740 right now might be his shift toward becoming 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:50.769 an auteur. The person calling all the shots. 00:18:51.029 --> 00:18:53.789 Absolutely. The sources confirm he starred in, 00:18:53.890 --> 00:18:56.069 wrote and directed the film somewhere in Queens 00:18:56.069 --> 00:19:00.029 in 2022. That signals the ultimate creative power 00:19:00.029 --> 00:19:02.589 move, right? After years of collaborating with 00:19:02.589 --> 00:19:06.029 Letterman, Bakula, Scorsese. He's now translating 00:19:06.029 --> 00:19:08.529 his vision completely on his own terms. And he's 00:19:08.529 --> 00:19:10.849 also slated to play the college basketball legend 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:14.650 Jim Valvano in an upcoming project, which shows 00:19:14.650 --> 00:19:16.829 he continues to seek out these demanding roles 00:19:16.829 --> 00:19:19.809 based on real complex figures. Yeah, Jimmy V, 00:19:19.990 --> 00:19:22.349 that'll be interesting. This whole shift from 00:19:22.349 --> 00:19:24.470 being the centerpiece of someone else's machine 00:19:24.470 --> 00:19:27.940 to... creating and directing his own feature 00:19:27.940 --> 00:19:30.259 work. It feels like the ultimate side of his 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:33.180 professional evolution is ambition and, honestly, 00:19:33.299 --> 00:19:35.480 his sustained energy. That's a really comprehensive 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:38.000 look at his professional moves, but his private 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:40.160 life, it reveals a personality trait that seems 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:42.859 to drive a lot of this ambition, this relentless 00:19:42.859 --> 00:19:44.920 competitiveness. You should probably touch on 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:47.039 his kind of hidden life of intense competition 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.420 outside of show business. Right. He seems to 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:52.319 channel that inner argumentative energy, the 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:54.519 same energy Ray Barone used when fighting over 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:57.700 a toaster into performance. And these are not 00:19:57.700 --> 00:20:00.039 just, like, celebrity hobbies where they show 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:02.460 up for a photo op. These are pursuits where he 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:04.940 shows genuine dedication and skill. Look at the 00:20:04.940 --> 00:20:06.859 commitment to the World Series of Poker, the 00:20:06.859 --> 00:20:10.539 WSOP. He has competed multiple times across two 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:14.940 decades, participating in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:19.039 2011, 2013, 2015, and even as recently as 2023. 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:22.720 Wow, 2023 too. That level of consistent return 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:25.180 demonstrates a genuine commitment to mastering 00:20:25.180 --> 00:20:28.460 a deeply strategic, very competitive field. It's 00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:30.660 not easy. Not at all. And then there's golf. 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:32.980 He even started in the Haney Project back in 00:20:32.980 --> 00:20:34.940 2010, working with the famed instructor Hank 00:20:34.940 --> 00:20:37.970 Haney. And his goal was highly specific. very 00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:40.509 ambitious, improve his game enough to break 80 00:20:40.509 --> 00:20:43.029 consistently. And he did it publicly. He exposes 00:20:43.029 --> 00:20:45.609 his vulnerability, his flaws, all in the pursuit 00:20:45.609 --> 00:20:48.009 of that marginal competitive gain. It's fascinating 00:20:48.009 --> 00:20:50.269 to watch. And this competitive drive, it's laced 00:20:50.269 --> 00:20:52.430 with the reality of life, too. The public saw 00:20:52.430 --> 00:20:54.410 a brief, really poignant intersection of his 00:20:54.410 --> 00:20:56.109 personal and competitive life when he had to 00:20:56.109 --> 00:20:58.309 take time off from the Haney Project. His father, 00:20:58.430 --> 00:21:01.059 Albert Romano, passed away in March 2010. Right. 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:02.940 It groans as celebrity, doesn't it? When you 00:21:02.940 --> 00:21:05.799 see these very human moments of grief intersecting 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:07.680 with his professional commitments and his hobbies. 00:21:07.900 --> 00:21:11.019 But the anecdote that truly crystallizes his 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:13.339 resilience for me is his experience at the Pebble 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:16.440 Beach Pro -Am. That's a notoriously tough tournament 00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:19.140 where amateurs play alongside PGA pros. Oh, yeah, 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:21.140 it's huge. He was a regular competitor there. 00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:23.579 And the sources note he finished fifth in 2012 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:26.779 with his partner, the pro Stephen Bowditch. Which 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:29.470 is impressive on its own. Finishing fifth. But 00:21:29.470 --> 00:21:32.630 the context is what really matters. It was his 00:21:32.630 --> 00:21:35.130 first time qualifying for the final round after 00:21:35.130 --> 00:21:38.930 11 successive failures. 11 tries. 11 consecutive 00:21:38.930 --> 00:21:41.329 failures before a breakthrough success. That 00:21:41.329 --> 00:21:43.509 really mirrors the years of grinding it out in 00:21:43.509 --> 00:21:45.990 stand -up, doesn't it? And that immediate rebound 00:21:45.990 --> 00:21:49.250 after the catastrophic news radio firing. It 00:21:49.250 --> 00:21:51.789 tells us this man has an extremely high tolerance 00:21:51.789 --> 00:21:54.269 for failure and is just defined by persistence 00:21:54.269 --> 00:21:57.890 and grit. That persistence is also really evident 00:21:57.890 --> 00:22:00.410 in his personal resilience and his commitment 00:22:00.410 --> 00:22:02.630 to his family life, which has always been so 00:22:02.630 --> 00:22:06.829 central to his public persona. He married Anna 00:22:06.829 --> 00:22:10.210 Skarpula way back in 1987. They met at the bank 00:22:10.210 --> 00:22:12.950 where they both worked. A bank teller. Yep. And 00:22:12.950 --> 00:22:15.910 they have four children. That long, stable marriage 00:22:15.910 --> 00:22:18.789 is kind of the antithesis of the typical Hollywood 00:22:18.789 --> 00:22:21.450 story, you know? It really is. And their willingness 00:22:21.450 --> 00:22:23.970 to share their most difficult experiences is 00:22:23.970 --> 00:22:27.519 also true. truly notable. In 2012, they publicly 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:29.920 disclosed that Anna had successfully battled 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:32.519 stage one breast cancer back in 2010. And they 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:34.759 explicitly stated their reason for going public 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:36.779 with that. They said they wanted to have an effect, 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:39.339 you know, to help others. This wasn't about promoting 00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:41.960 a book or a film. It felt like a genuinely altruistic 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:44.200 use of their platform. That emotional openness, 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:46.599 it gives further depth to the man behind the 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:48.799 comedy, I think. Definitely. And speaking of 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:50.900 support, his working relationship with Doris 00:22:50.900 --> 00:22:52.940 Roberts, who played his formidable mother, Marie 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:55.980 Barone. It was apparently far deeper than just 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:58.200 acting together. She was a true mentor to him. 00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:00.180 Really? Yes, he was very close friends with her. 00:23:00.299 --> 00:23:02.819 The sources say she served as a crucial mentor, 00:23:03.099 --> 00:23:05.720 really helping him feel more comfortable on set, 00:23:05.819 --> 00:23:08.039 particularly during the challenging early days 00:23:08.039 --> 00:23:10.299 of the show when he was pretty inexperienced 00:23:10.299 --> 00:23:12.660 with multi -camera sitcoms. That makes sense. 00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:16.380 She was a veteran. Total pro. Yeah. And he often 00:23:16.380 --> 00:23:18.779 cited her boundless energy and her desire to 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:20.680 just continue learning throughout her life as 00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:23.640 a major inspiration. A quality... he clearly 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:26.039 internalized, given his own professional pivots 00:23:26.039 --> 00:23:28.859 in his 50s and 60s. That's a great point. And 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:30.720 just for a quick current update that kind of 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:32.640 brings it all back to his signature humor. Yeah. 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:35.579 We know he's still working, still voicing Manny. 00:23:35.740 --> 00:23:38.900 Got to pay the bills. Exactly. He recently joked 00:23:38.900 --> 00:23:41.359 that he has to keep working on Ice Age 6 just 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:43.839 to pay for his highly customized property out 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:46.200 in La Quinta, California. So the hustle, even 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:48.180 if it's now driven by paying for fancy desert 00:23:48.180 --> 00:23:51.640 real estate. It never truly stops for him. OK, 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:53.980 so let's maybe wrap things up by analyzing the 00:23:53.980 --> 00:23:56.440 sheer volume and variety of his accolades, because 00:23:56.440 --> 00:23:58.759 this really reinforces the central thesis here. 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:02.079 His success is recognized across multiple pretty 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:05.119 disparate formats. Right. He has three primetime 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:08.079 Emmy wins, one for acting. two for producing 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:10.480 Everybody Loves Raymond, he was nominated for 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:13.359 Lead Actor six times, which speaks to his consistent 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:15.319 quality and that connection with the viewing 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:18.480 audience. But look at the range beyond just acting. 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:21.259 He has two Grammy nominations. And critically, 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.720 neither was for music. They were for his comedy 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:26.779 album, Live at Carnegie Hall in 2002, and for 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:29.599 a children's spoken word album, Raimi, Dickie, 00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:32.619 and the Bean in 2006. Wow. So that's recognition 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:35.680 for stand -up, acting, producing, and children's 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:37.500 literature. That's a... truly unique spread. 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:39.940 It really is. He also earned two Golden Globe 00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:42.160 nominations for Best Actor in a Television Series 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:44.799 Comedy or Musical for Raymond. But again, the 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:47.000 true signal of his artistic acceptance maybe 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:49.400 came later with the film community's validation. 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:52.099 You mean the SAG nomination? Exactly. The Screen 00:24:52.099 --> 00:24:54.359 Actors Guild nominations for Outstanding Cast 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:56.900 are arguably the most important post -Raymond 00:24:56.900 --> 00:24:59.400 accolades. He was nominated as part of the ensemble 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:01.680 cast of both the beloved indie dramedy The Big 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:04.420 Sick and the high art crime epic The Irishman. 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:06.480 These nominations can confirm that Hollywood 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:09.759 views him now as a versatile Valued ensemble 00:25:09.759 --> 00:25:13.039 player. Someone who can bring gravitas to basically 00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:15.640 any production, regardless of the budget or the 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:17.740 genre. Absolutely. And don't forget, he also 00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:20.099 won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male 00:25:20.099 --> 00:25:22.720 Television Performer back in 2002, tied with 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:25.779 Kelsey Grammer that year, and the TCA Award for 00:25:25.779 --> 00:25:29.180 Individual Achievement in Comedy in 1999. So 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:31.700 his peers, critics, and the public consistently 00:25:31.700 --> 00:25:34.019 recognized his talent during the show's peak 00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:37.279 run. Okay, so... If we look at the totality of 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:39.000 the source material, all the stuff we've discussed, 00:25:39.259 --> 00:25:41.619 what does this career really signify? How do 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:44.220 we sum it up? Well, we started with the Queen's 00:25:44.220 --> 00:25:46.759 accountant dropout, the guy who got fired from 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:50.359 news radio. We've charted his unlikely yet absolutely 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:54.059 meteoric rise to become the highest paid television 00:25:54.059 --> 00:25:57.319 star in history, generating billions, all while 00:25:57.319 --> 00:25:59.740 serving as a successful producer and writer of 00:25:59.740 --> 00:26:01.660 his own hit material. But the essential takeaway, 00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:04.200 I think, is his continuous, often really aggressive 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:07.490 evolution. refused to be defined by that one 00:26:07.490 --> 00:26:10.789 massive role. Yeah, exactly. He used his success 00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:13.009 brilliantly to gain the financial and creative 00:26:13.009 --> 00:26:16.750 freedom to take huge risks. He successfully navigated 00:26:16.750 --> 00:26:19.509 that dreaded sitcom trap, transitioning pretty 00:26:19.509 --> 00:26:22.109 seamlessly into decades of voice acting and then 00:26:22.109 --> 00:26:25.329 into these deeply textured, dramatic roles, earning 00:26:25.329 --> 00:26:27.430 critical acclaim for playing everything from 00:26:27.430 --> 00:26:30.589 an anxious father in The Big Sick to a mob lawyer 00:26:30.589 --> 00:26:33.190 in The Irishman. His career is ultimately defined 00:26:33.190 --> 00:26:36.940 by maybe An absolute refusal to stay static. 00:26:37.319 --> 00:26:39.900 Driven by that internal competitive spirit we 00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:42.200 saw in his multiple failures before finally succeeding 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:44.660 at Pebble Beach. And informed by his profound 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:47.099 commitment to family and that personal resilience 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:50.250 he's shown. Which leads us nicely to a final 00:26:50.250 --> 00:26:52.349 provocative thought for you, the listener, to 00:26:52.349 --> 00:26:55.509 maybe consider. Romano's greatest artistic successes, 00:26:55.769 --> 00:26:58.309 arguably, have often come from his reactive posture, 00:26:58.609 --> 00:27:01.309 reacting to a challenging family dynamic, reacting 00:27:01.309 --> 00:27:04.230 to a daughter's sudden illness, reacting to Scorsese's 00:27:04.230 --> 00:27:06.630 intense direction. Now, his next major project 00:27:06.630 --> 00:27:09.369 is him writing, directing, and starring in his 00:27:09.369 --> 00:27:12.309 own dramedy, Somewhere in Queens. So what does 00:27:12.309 --> 00:27:14.710 it mean for the future of a career built on self 00:27:14.710 --> 00:27:17.430 -deprecating humor and vulnerability when he 00:27:17.430 --> 00:27:19.829 is the ultimate authority, calling all the creative 00:27:19.829 --> 00:27:22.470 shots. Will that necessary emotional tension 00:27:22.470 --> 00:27:25.170 still be there when he controls the entire narrative 00:27:25.170 --> 00:27:28.049 himself? That's a truly fascinating question 00:27:28.049 --> 00:27:30.769 for a truly remarkable and clearly still evolving 00:27:30.769 --> 00:27:33.150 career. That is all the time we have for this 00:27:33.150 --> 00:27:35.150 deep dive today. Thank you so much for joining 00:27:35.150 --> 00:27:35.349 us.