Mars Callahan. How His Childhood Dream Became A Reality . Episode 465 with The Real Brad Lea (TRBL)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Writer, director, and star of the hit film Poolhall Junkies, Mars Callahan is currently in pre production for the movie's sequel, Poker Junkies. Inspired by the sweeping popularity of Texas Hold’em tournaments and the ever growing World Series of Poker, held in Las Vegas each year, Mars Callahan tells the story of an unknown card player who wants to take on the biggest names in the poker world. Struggling to raise the WSOP tournament buy-in fee of $10,000, Mars Callahan’s characters are taken on a tour of high stakes games from the top clubs to the back room. True to a long tradition of directors assuming small roles in their own films, Mars Callahan has appeared in each of his movies. While he starred in Poolhall Junkies, he originally intended to play the role of Joe, the younger brother. However, after a long delay, Callahan felt he no longer fit the younger brother role, and assumed the lead role of Johnny. Fascinatingly, no special effects were included in the filming of Poolhall Junkies, as Mars Callahan is a pool enthusiast and longtime player. For Poker Junkies, Callahan again wrote about a beloved hobby of his. To write a better script and accurately portray the poker world, Mars Callahan recently entered the World Series of Poker Tournament, placing 94th out of thousands of players.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, Mars and Brad discuss Mars’ story, evolution, his film career, and how his childhood became a reality from then to now. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">00:00 Intro</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">01:24 Mars’ background and family</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">06:14 “I wanna do the thing that makes my Mom smile.” - Mars Callahan</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">13:00 The value films bring to Mars</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">17:25 The craft of writing</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">19:10 Christopher Walken</span></p> <p><sp