1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,130 - I think I would say the road 2 00:00:02,130 --> 00:00:07,130 that I've been on has been completely unexpected. (laughs) 3 00:00:07,290 --> 00:00:09,440 When I look at every aspect of my life, 4 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,640 even where I'm at today, it's unexpected. 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,480 It's like how did this happen? (laughs) 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:17,383 It wasn't my plan. 7 00:00:18,501 --> 00:00:19,370 (car horns honking) 8 00:00:19,370 --> 00:00:21,290 - [Narrator] Remi Adeleke was born 9 00:00:21,290 --> 00:00:24,590 in Nigeria into a very wealthy family. 10 00:00:24,590 --> 00:00:27,840 His father was a well-known businessman, an engineer, 11 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:29,370 and his mother was an American 12 00:00:29,370 --> 00:00:30,950 from New York City who met him 13 00:00:30,950 --> 00:00:32,800 on one of his many business trips. 14 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:33,960 - My family had everything. 15 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,560 We had cars and nannies and drivers, 16 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,270 and my dad, he engineered one of the first man-made islands 17 00:00:41,270 --> 00:00:43,370 in the world, (laughs) so yeah, 18 00:00:43,370 --> 00:00:46,997 I am this kid whose dad created an island. 19 00:00:46,997 --> 00:00:49,630 So yeah, that was what my life was like. 20 00:00:49,630 --> 00:00:52,000 My mom, she didn't want for anything. 21 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,450 We traveled the world and yeah, it was a good life early on. 22 00:00:56,450 --> 00:00:59,000 - [Narrator] Remi's family wasn't just wealthy. 23 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,800 His father was also a chief in the Yoruba tribe, 24 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,320 which made him Nigerian royalty. 25 00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:09,900 - So not only was I born into literal wealth and prestige, 26 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:12,120 but we also had the figurative title 27 00:01:13,211 --> 00:01:16,630 of royalty and riches and all that sort of thing. 28 00:01:16,630 --> 00:01:19,080 I hadn't really followed the tradition so much so, 29 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:22,219 but technically, I'm a prince. (laughs) 30 00:01:22,219 --> 00:01:23,360 (ethereal somber music) 31 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,150 - [Narrator] The family's wealth and status 32 00:01:25,150 --> 00:01:28,294 also made them a target for those jealous of what they had. 33 00:01:28,294 --> 00:01:29,450 (crowd yelling angrily) 34 00:01:29,450 --> 00:01:31,350 The Nigerian government at the time 35 00:01:31,350 --> 00:01:33,690 was notoriously corrupt and decided 36 00:01:33,690 --> 00:01:36,830 to strip Remi's father of all his assets, 37 00:01:36,830 --> 00:01:41,640 his home, his wealth, even his family's private island. 38 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:43,470 His father attempted to fight the government 39 00:01:43,470 --> 00:01:45,893 in court but died weeks later. 40 00:01:47,050 --> 00:01:50,550 - So we went from rich to poor in that moment, 41 00:01:50,550 --> 00:01:51,840 and my mother was just like 42 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,010 there's no way I'm raising my kids here in Nigeria. 43 00:01:55,010 --> 00:01:57,870 And so that's when she permanently relocated my brother 44 00:01:57,870 --> 00:01:58,820 and I to the United States, 45 00:01:58,820 --> 00:02:00,930 specifically the Bronx, New York. 46 00:02:00,930 --> 00:02:02,963 I tell people all the time, my mom, 47 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,760 she did a great job of masking the reality 48 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,190 of what had happened. 49 00:02:08,190 --> 00:02:11,750 Best analogy I could use is it was 50 00:02:11,750 --> 00:02:14,240 as though my mother created this movie set, 51 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,380 and, on the movie set, everything seemed okay. (laughs) 52 00:02:17,380 --> 00:02:20,890 But when you walk off the set, it was chaos. 53 00:02:20,890 --> 00:02:22,240 There were times when my mother 54 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,500 would give my brother and I a bar of Irish soap 55 00:02:24,500 --> 00:02:28,310 and say I don't have money to do laundry. 56 00:02:28,310 --> 00:02:31,320 You guys wash your underwears and socks in the sink. 57 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,110 There were times when my mom didn't have enough food 58 00:02:33,110 --> 00:02:34,615 to feed herself. 59 00:02:34,615 --> 00:02:37,170 She had enough food to split between my brother and I. 60 00:02:37,170 --> 00:02:39,880 She would go hungry throughout the night. 61 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,750 And I remember going with my mom to our renter office 62 00:02:42,750 --> 00:02:45,110 and watching her plead for extra time 63 00:02:45,110 --> 00:02:47,160 to pay the rent because she couldn't afford it. 64 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:48,570 So it was a struggle. 65 00:02:48,570 --> 00:02:50,850 It was really, really hard. 66 00:02:50,850 --> 00:02:52,300 - [Narrator] Even at eight years old, 67 00:02:52,300 --> 00:02:55,283 Remi said he never thought he'd escape poverty. 68 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,203 Feeling trapped in his new life, he turned to crime, 69 00:03:00,380 --> 00:03:02,700 at first as a way to steal things he wished he 70 00:03:02,700 --> 00:03:06,340 could afford but soon branching into serious crime, 71 00:03:06,340 --> 00:03:07,850 settling into selling pagers 72 00:03:07,850 --> 00:03:09,913 and throwaway phones to drug dealers. 73 00:03:10,970 --> 00:03:14,173 Then one day, everything came crashing down. 74 00:03:15,690 --> 00:03:18,013 - Yeah, yeah, so the drug dealer, 75 00:03:19,698 --> 00:03:21,980 a bunch of phones and pagers that 76 00:03:21,980 --> 00:03:24,810 were supposed to last for a certain amount of time 77 00:03:24,810 --> 00:03:26,510 and asked for a fraction of that time, 78 00:03:26,510 --> 00:03:30,640 and that was because the people I was working through, 79 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:33,260 the company I was working through caught onto my scam. 80 00:03:33,260 --> 00:03:36,550 And they started cutting the activation 81 00:03:37,580 --> 00:03:39,500 time so the bill would cut off. 82 00:03:39,500 --> 00:03:44,350 So I sold this drug dealer, it had to be about 30 phones. 83 00:03:44,350 --> 00:03:47,260 And he came to my house and threatened my life, 84 00:03:47,260 --> 00:03:50,190 and that was a huge wake-up call for me 85 00:03:50,190 --> 00:03:52,710 because, at that point, my mom was in the apartment. 86 00:03:52,710 --> 00:03:56,520 She was asleep, and that's when I just looked 87 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:58,010 at myself after he threatened my life 88 00:03:58,010 --> 00:03:59,590 'cause I knew his personality. 89 00:03:59,590 --> 00:04:01,770 I knew he would kill me if I didn't give him his money. 90 00:04:01,770 --> 00:04:03,850 And I said I'm gonna give him his money back, 91 00:04:03,850 --> 00:04:05,280 and I got him his money back in a day, 92 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,560 and I decided I'm getting out of this game 93 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:09,560 'cause it's not worth my life or my mother's life. 94 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:11,650 So that's when I decided I'm done with all illegal stuff, 95 00:04:11,650 --> 00:04:13,910 no more drug dealing, no more cell phone stuff. 96 00:04:13,910 --> 00:04:15,410 I don't know what I'm gonna do with my life, (laughs) 97 00:04:15,410 --> 00:04:18,895 but I'm not gonna do this anymore. 98 00:04:18,895 --> 00:04:20,090 (film projector clicking) 99 00:04:20,090 --> 00:04:21,100 - [Narrator] When he was younger, 100 00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:25,220 Remi's favorite movies were The Rock and Bad Boys, 101 00:04:25,220 --> 00:04:28,110 two Michael Bay movies featuring action, 102 00:04:28,110 --> 00:04:31,130 adventure, and Navy SEALs. 103 00:04:31,130 --> 00:04:33,870 - Now looking for a fresh start in life, 104 00:04:33,870 --> 00:04:37,550 he decided he would join the Navy and become a SEAL himself. 105 00:04:37,550 --> 00:04:39,580 - I wanted to be challenged. 106 00:04:39,580 --> 00:04:42,610 My life had been hard, and I wanted to make it harder. 107 00:04:42,610 --> 00:04:45,020 - [Narrator] However, due to his criminal history, 108 00:04:45,020 --> 00:04:47,230 joining the Navy would be a bigger challenge 109 00:04:47,230 --> 00:04:48,620 than he thought. 110 00:04:48,620 --> 00:04:50,020 - I had two warrants out for my arrest, 111 00:04:50,020 --> 00:04:51,190 which I didn't know I had. 112 00:04:51,190 --> 00:04:53,480 And it was a Navy recruiter named Tiana Reyes. 113 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:55,700 When I went to her office, she ran my background, 114 00:04:55,700 --> 00:04:56,533 found out I had two warrants. 115 00:04:56,533 --> 00:04:59,600 I had a warrant in New Jersey, I had a warrant in New York, 116 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:01,390 and I got up and got ready to run 117 00:05:01,390 --> 00:05:03,330 out of the recruiting office, and she said where you going? 118 00:05:03,330 --> 00:05:04,880 I'm getting outta here, I'm not trying to go to jail today. 119 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:07,070 She said come back tomorrow in a suit. 120 00:05:07,070 --> 00:05:07,940 I said I don't have a suit. 121 00:05:07,940 --> 00:05:09,630 She said come back in a collared shirt 122 00:05:09,630 --> 00:05:10,750 and some nice pants, and I did. 123 00:05:10,750 --> 00:05:12,950 And she took me to both judges, 124 00:05:12,950 --> 00:05:14,760 at the judge in Jersey, the judge in New York, 125 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:16,280 and she was in her dress uniform, 126 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:18,590 and she advocated on my behalf. 127 00:05:18,590 --> 00:05:21,010 She said 9/11 just took place. 128 00:05:21,010 --> 00:05:23,630 This guy's trying to join the Navy after an act of war. 129 00:05:23,630 --> 00:05:26,820 Can we expunge his record so that he can join the military? 130 00:05:26,820 --> 00:05:29,380 And both judges unanimously expunged my record. 131 00:05:29,380 --> 00:05:31,004 That's how I got in the Navy. 132 00:05:31,004 --> 00:05:34,280 And her decision to do what she did 133 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:36,930 for me really motivated me to stay out of trouble 134 00:05:36,930 --> 00:05:39,290 in the Navy and then work hard 135 00:05:39,290 --> 00:05:42,580 and achieve my dream of becoming a SEAL. 136 00:05:42,580 --> 00:05:44,680 - [Narrator] Remi's challenges weren't over yet. 137 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:46,900 Despite being eligible to join the Navy, 138 00:05:46,900 --> 00:05:49,620 he couldn't swim and scored too low 139 00:05:49,620 --> 00:05:52,390 on the physical and mental aptitude tests 140 00:05:52,390 --> 00:05:54,720 to qualify for SEAL training. 141 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,340 Remi enlisted as a corpsman and was assigned 142 00:05:57,340 --> 00:05:59,410 to the naval hospital at Camp Pendleton 143 00:05:59,410 --> 00:06:01,020 as his first duty station. 144 00:06:01,020 --> 00:06:03,530 Immediately after checking into his command, 145 00:06:03,530 --> 00:06:04,420 he began training 146 00:06:04,420 --> 00:06:06,870 for basic underwater demolition SEAL training, 147 00:06:06,870 --> 00:06:09,040 known as BUDS. (man chanting) 148 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,030 After only a year at his command, 149 00:06:11,030 --> 00:06:14,610 he qualified for SEAL training and checked in for BUDS, 150 00:06:14,610 --> 00:06:17,270 made it through the notoriously difficult phase 151 00:06:17,270 --> 00:06:18,820 of training known as Hell Week, 152 00:06:18,820 --> 00:06:22,690 but was held back in training due to being a weak swimmer. 153 00:06:22,690 --> 00:06:27,463 - Now, from a mental toughness standpoint, I was all there. 154 00:06:28,340 --> 00:06:32,550 The issue with me at that point was more pride. (laughs) 155 00:06:32,550 --> 00:06:35,890 It was more I made it through Africa, 156 00:06:35,890 --> 00:06:37,890 I made it through the Bronx. 157 00:06:37,890 --> 00:06:41,900 There's not many African Americans in SEAL training as it is 158 00:06:41,900 --> 00:06:45,790 so, instead of working on what I needed to work on 159 00:06:45,790 --> 00:06:47,410 on a weekend 'cause the instructors would show up 160 00:06:47,410 --> 00:06:49,020 on the weekend for guys who made it through Hell Week, 161 00:06:49,020 --> 00:06:51,780 and the instructors would show up and help work 162 00:06:51,780 --> 00:06:53,350 with guys on stuff they were struggling with, 163 00:06:53,350 --> 00:06:57,000 whether it was diving, related stuff, or swims or whatever. 164 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,100 And I was out partying on the weekend 165 00:07:00,100 --> 00:07:02,250 'cause, in my mind, I already made it. 166 00:07:02,250 --> 00:07:03,140 I'm gonna make it. 167 00:07:03,140 --> 00:07:04,360 And it was all my pride. 168 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:07,760 My pride is where I failed, 169 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,400 and so, when I got to second phase and the swim times 170 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,320 for the two mile timed ocean swim dropped 171 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:18,070 from 85 minutes to 80 minutes, I failed my first two swims. 172 00:07:18,070 --> 00:07:19,580 I didn't make the time. 173 00:07:19,580 --> 00:07:20,630 And then I got to dive phase, 174 00:07:20,630 --> 00:07:23,280 and I failed the test four times in dive phase. 175 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,490 And at that point, the instructors were just like dude, 176 00:07:26,490 --> 00:07:28,170 you're a hard dude, we see that. 177 00:07:28,170 --> 00:07:29,990 You've made it through Hell Week. 178 00:07:29,990 --> 00:07:31,100 You've made it through first phase. 179 00:07:31,100 --> 00:07:34,310 You've gotten this far, but you need to work on your swims, 180 00:07:34,310 --> 00:07:37,290 and this is not the place for you to work on it anymore, 181 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:38,790 and they kicked me outta BUDS. 182 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:41,620 - [Narrator] Having been kicked out of BUDS, 183 00:07:41,620 --> 00:07:43,820 Remi returned to life as a corpsman, 184 00:07:43,820 --> 00:07:46,870 this time assigned to a Marine infantry unit. 185 00:07:46,870 --> 00:07:49,500 Instead of feeling defeated, however, 186 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:51,690 he saw his failure as a lesson 187 00:07:51,690 --> 00:07:54,023 and was determined to return to training. 188 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:56,610 - Because I had the mental toughness piece 189 00:07:56,610 --> 00:07:59,580 already nailed down, I needed to get humility, 190 00:07:59,580 --> 00:08:02,750 and I needed to grow as a man. 191 00:08:02,750 --> 00:08:04,920 I also needed to learn from my failures 192 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,570 and then also learn that a failure 193 00:08:07,570 --> 00:08:08,997 is only a failure if you don't learn from it. 194 00:08:08,997 --> 00:08:10,400 But if you learn from it, it's a lesson. 195 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,610 I needed to get that lesson out of getting kicked 196 00:08:14,610 --> 00:08:17,010 of SEAL training, and I'm so grateful for it 197 00:08:17,010 --> 00:08:20,970 because I apply that lesson today 198 00:08:20,970 --> 00:08:23,570 as a husband, as a father, as a businessman. 199 00:08:23,570 --> 00:08:25,600 I run a couple different businesses, 200 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,900 and I'm applying lessons from getting (laughs) kicked 201 00:08:28,900 --> 00:08:33,150 outta SEAL training first time to now, so yeah. 202 00:08:33,150 --> 00:08:35,230 - [Narrator] After a year and a half with the Marines, 203 00:08:35,230 --> 00:08:39,463 Remi returned to BUDS, starting all over again from day one. 204 00:08:40,350 --> 00:08:42,790 This time, with the lessons he learned, 205 00:08:42,790 --> 00:08:45,721 he graduated and earned his SEAL trident. 206 00:08:45,721 --> 00:08:48,340 (men chanting) 207 00:08:48,340 --> 00:08:49,173 - There were two feelings. 208 00:08:49,173 --> 00:08:52,250 It was one of I was grateful. 209 00:08:52,250 --> 00:08:55,640 At that point, it was just like I was humble 210 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:58,360 and I was grateful 'cause I was just like man. 211 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,263 It wasn't like yeah, I made it, look at me. 212 00:09:02,150 --> 00:09:04,990 Me getting kicked out of BUDS the first time, 213 00:09:04,990 --> 00:09:07,720 dealt with that part of Remi, right? 214 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:09,550 At this point, it was like I was grateful. 215 00:09:09,550 --> 00:09:10,410 I'm grateful to be here. 216 00:09:10,410 --> 00:09:12,450 That was one feeling I had, and the next feeling I had 217 00:09:12,450 --> 00:09:14,353 was I'm ready to get to work. 218 00:09:16,650 --> 00:09:20,053 Making it through BUDS is nothing, (laughs) all right? 219 00:09:21,190 --> 00:09:24,306 Every SEAL has made it through BUDS. 220 00:09:24,306 --> 00:09:29,306 It's actually getting to a platoon and doing the work, 221 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,390 and so, for me, I was just eager. 222 00:09:33,390 --> 00:09:35,905 I was just like a caged Pitbull 223 00:09:35,905 --> 00:09:39,300 (laughs) who had been in a cage for 10 years 224 00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:42,160 and not fed, and I'm ready to get out and eat something. 225 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:43,840 I was just ready to get to work 226 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,660 and do the job of the SEAL and not just walk 227 00:09:46,660 --> 00:09:47,950 around with a trident on my chest. 228 00:09:47,950 --> 00:09:50,520 So that was the feeling that I had. 229 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,020 - [Narrator] Remi acted as his platoon's medic, 230 00:09:53,020 --> 00:09:55,230 utilizing his background as a corpsman 231 00:09:55,230 --> 00:09:57,293 as well as doing intelligence gathering. 232 00:09:58,380 --> 00:10:01,081 - I had a great time in SEAL teams. 233 00:10:01,081 --> 00:10:03,760 But the best part about it for me was the guys, 234 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:04,593 working with 235 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,153 the best guys on the planet, 236 00:10:09,860 --> 00:10:13,840 true legends, legends, and just rolling with them 237 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:17,020 out the door and just being a part 238 00:10:17,020 --> 00:10:19,800 of a unit that personifies excellence. 239 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:21,650 And everybody's challenging everybody 240 00:10:21,650 --> 00:10:23,393 to be the best and to do the best. 241 00:10:24,270 --> 00:10:27,010 I don't think I'll ever have that experience 242 00:10:27,010 --> 00:10:32,000 anywhere outside of the SEAL teams, so yeah. 243 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,730 - [Narrator] During his time in the teams, 244 00:10:33,730 --> 00:10:35,810 having completed three deployments, 245 00:10:35,810 --> 00:10:38,610 Remi discovered being a SEAL also helped him 246 00:10:38,610 --> 00:10:41,980 confront past childhood trauma he experienced 247 00:10:41,980 --> 00:10:45,200 as a victim of bullying growing up in the Bronx. 248 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,160 - I saw a lot of bullying. 249 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,503 I was bullied, I was jumped, I was beat up, 250 00:10:51,465 --> 00:10:53,015 and I saw people get picked on. 251 00:10:54,230 --> 00:10:56,670 There were times where I would see one person get beat up 252 00:10:56,670 --> 00:11:00,080 by six people going walking back from school. 253 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,260 And I always despised that. 254 00:11:02,260 --> 00:11:04,370 And that's why I never got involved in the gangs 255 00:11:04,370 --> 00:11:07,563 because, to me, all gang members were cowards. 256 00:11:09,372 --> 00:11:12,140 It needs to be seven of you to beat on one person. 257 00:11:12,140 --> 00:11:14,950 That's not a manly, that's not hard; you a coward. 258 00:11:14,950 --> 00:11:16,320 And so I hated bullies. 259 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,510 And so another reason why I wanted to be a SEAL 260 00:11:19,510 --> 00:11:21,480 is 'cause I wanted to go after bullies. 261 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,190 I wanted to go after those people who picked on the weak, 262 00:11:24,190 --> 00:11:26,870 who picked on those who can't protect themselves. 263 00:11:26,870 --> 00:11:28,270 I wanted to be the one who could knock 264 00:11:28,270 --> 00:11:30,600 on their door and just be like hey, 265 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,560 you talking all that junk on the camera. 266 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:35,590 You picking on all these people, you killing these people. 267 00:11:35,590 --> 00:11:36,423 Do it to me. 268 00:11:37,490 --> 00:11:39,570 Here I am, what you got to say now? 269 00:11:39,570 --> 00:11:42,140 And so I loved that aspect of the job, 270 00:11:42,140 --> 00:11:46,690 and it fulfilled me because here I was having come 271 00:11:46,690 --> 00:11:48,490 from this environment where I saw a lot 272 00:11:48,490 --> 00:11:50,660 of people picked on and jumped. 273 00:11:50,660 --> 00:11:54,040 And now being able to take that and be the person standing 274 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,010 in the gap, that meant a lot to me. 275 00:11:57,010 --> 00:11:59,990 - [Narrator] In 2016, now married and a father 276 00:11:59,990 --> 00:12:02,840 of two young boys, Remi decided it was time 277 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:04,940 to leave the Navy and the demanding life 278 00:12:04,940 --> 00:12:08,280 of being a SEAL behind to focus on being a father, 279 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,400 something he missed due to his own father passing away 280 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:12,429 when he was young. 281 00:12:12,429 --> 00:12:14,120 (contemplative music) 282 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,690 He enrolled in college using his GI Bill 283 00:12:16,690 --> 00:12:17,700 but didn't know what he wanted 284 00:12:17,700 --> 00:12:20,420 to do with his life after school. 285 00:12:20,420 --> 00:12:23,380 Then, he got a phone call that changed everything. 286 00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:25,230 (phone vibrating) 287 00:12:25,230 --> 00:12:27,490 - I was in my office, 288 00:12:27,490 --> 00:12:30,100 and I wasn't in this house at that point. 289 00:12:30,100 --> 00:12:32,660 I was in a different house, and I was writing papers 290 00:12:32,660 --> 00:12:34,360 from grad school, and my phone rings. 291 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:35,870 And this lady's on the other end of the line, 292 00:12:35,870 --> 00:12:37,910 and she says, hey, Michael Bay's looking 293 00:12:37,910 --> 00:12:41,630 for a former SEAL to help out on this movie. 294 00:12:41,630 --> 00:12:42,817 Are you available tomorrow? 295 00:12:42,817 --> 00:12:46,090 And I was just like sure, Michael Bay, yeah, I'll do it. 296 00:12:46,090 --> 00:12:49,734 And then she told me to send her some pictures. 297 00:12:49,734 --> 00:12:50,820 I didn't have head shots. 298 00:12:50,820 --> 00:12:52,500 I just had regular pictures, so I sent them to her, 299 00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:54,550 and she was like hey, you're on. 300 00:12:54,550 --> 00:12:57,410 And the next day, I'm on set with Michael Bay 301 00:12:57,410 --> 00:13:00,490 and Josh Duhamel, and I'm shooting a scene 302 00:13:00,490 --> 00:13:02,840 for Transformers last night. 303 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,850 And it was just supposed to be that one day, 304 00:13:05,850 --> 00:13:08,130 and then I got a phone call about a week 305 00:13:08,130 --> 00:13:09,770 and a half later from that same lady. 306 00:13:09,770 --> 00:13:13,220 She said, hey, Bay likes that you can take direction 307 00:13:13,220 --> 00:13:15,330 and your look on set and all that. 308 00:13:15,330 --> 00:13:17,690 Are you available to come back for three more weeks? 309 00:13:17,690 --> 00:13:20,880 And I said sure, so I did a week in Arizona, 310 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:21,850 two weeks in Michigan. 311 00:13:21,850 --> 00:13:24,540 And then, at the end of the second week, 312 00:13:24,540 --> 00:13:27,070 a PA approached me and said Bay wants to know if you'd like 313 00:13:27,070 --> 00:13:29,400 to stay on until the film wraps, and I said sure. 314 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:31,977 So I ended staying on the film until it wrapped 315 00:13:31,977 --> 00:13:36,120 and did some consulting on it and acting on it, 316 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:41,120 and yeah, (laughs) that's where I'd say my career started 317 00:13:41,830 --> 00:13:42,990 in the film and TV industry. 318 00:13:42,990 --> 00:13:45,190 It definitely wasn't what I was trying to do. 319 00:13:45,190 --> 00:13:46,890 I didn't know what I was gonna do. 320 00:13:47,910 --> 00:13:50,566 And I ended up still finishing my Master's degree 321 00:13:50,566 --> 00:13:53,540 during that process, but that's where I found, 322 00:13:53,540 --> 00:13:56,290 I guess, my next calling. (laughs) 323 00:13:56,290 --> 00:13:58,110 - [Narrator] Since acting in Transformers, 324 00:13:58,110 --> 00:14:00,200 Remi has starred in many commercials, 325 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,380 worked on TV shows as an actor, an advisor, 326 00:14:03,380 --> 00:14:06,213 and acted in another upcoming Michael Bay movie. 327 00:14:07,690 --> 00:14:10,110 He also found yet a gift for writing. 328 00:14:10,110 --> 00:14:12,430 And after completing his autobiography, 329 00:14:12,430 --> 00:14:16,080 he decided to try his hand at writing something different. 330 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,786 - After that, I was just man, I just love writing. 331 00:14:18,786 --> 00:14:22,350 I just love storytelling, and not just from the acting side 332 00:14:22,350 --> 00:14:27,240 but being able to be at the exception of the story, 333 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:28,400 and that's writing. 334 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,820 And so I was just like, you know what? 335 00:14:31,820 --> 00:14:33,680 I can write another book, or I can write a film, 336 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:34,550 so I wrote a film. 337 00:14:34,550 --> 00:14:37,350 So I wrote my first film, which is a spy thriller, 338 00:14:37,350 --> 00:14:38,840 and that got a lot of buzz. 339 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:43,180 And then I wrote another film, a historical black film, 340 00:14:43,180 --> 00:14:44,930 which we're shopping right now. 341 00:14:44,930 --> 00:14:47,970 We should hopefully get picked up in the next month or so. 342 00:14:47,970 --> 00:14:50,310 And it just started building. 343 00:14:50,310 --> 00:14:52,790 So I now write films, I consult on films 344 00:14:52,790 --> 00:14:56,400 and TV shows and commercials, and I do act. 345 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,210 But I would label myself more of a writer 346 00:14:59,210 --> 00:15:01,760 than (laughs) anything at this point. (laughs) 347 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:02,750 - [Narrator] Remi credits much 348 00:15:02,750 --> 00:15:05,010 of his success in the entertainment industry 349 00:15:05,010 --> 00:15:08,610 to the hard lessons he learned from his time in the Navy. 350 00:15:08,610 --> 00:15:10,820 - Yeah, serving was huge for me. 351 00:15:10,820 --> 00:15:15,320 It changed my life, and being a part of the Navy 352 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:19,030 and the SEAL teams as well is a huge part of my life, 353 00:15:19,030 --> 00:15:22,223 and it's something that no one could ever take away from me. 354 00:15:23,150 --> 00:15:26,370 Having been able to wear the uniform and go overseas 355 00:15:27,707 --> 00:15:30,390 and protect those who couldn't protect themselves, 356 00:15:30,390 --> 00:15:32,202 that will always be with me. 357 00:15:32,202 --> 00:15:35,130 And though I can't do the job anymore physically 358 00:15:35,130 --> 00:15:37,680 'cause I'm older now and I have so many injuries, 359 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:39,700 but I'm grateful. 360 00:15:39,700 --> 00:15:41,303 I'm grateful for the opportunity I had 361 00:15:41,303 --> 00:15:42,833 that the Navy gave me. 362 00:15:43,790 --> 00:15:46,250 I grew up as a man in the Navy (laughs) 363 00:15:46,250 --> 00:15:47,350 when you really think about it 364 00:15:47,350 --> 00:15:50,940 'cause I joined when I was turning 20 years old, 365 00:15:50,940 --> 00:15:54,070 and so the majority of my adult life 366 00:15:54,070 --> 00:15:56,380 has been the Navy and the military. 367 00:15:56,380 --> 00:15:58,700 So the Navy pretty much raised me. 368 00:15:58,700 --> 00:16:00,820 - [Narrator] Despite his successes, 369 00:16:00,820 --> 00:16:03,810 Remi said he hasn't forgotten where he came from 370 00:16:03,810 --> 00:16:06,090 and the struggles he faced and does 371 00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:11,090 what he can to give back and try to help other at-risk kids 372 00:16:11,220 --> 00:16:13,760 from poor communities like the Bronx. 373 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,280 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, I try to at least, 374 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,550 at a minimum, minimum once a month, 375 00:16:20,550 --> 00:16:23,480 do some type of outreach to inner city. 376 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:25,010 Even if it's just once a month, 377 00:16:25,010 --> 00:16:26,430 even if it's just spending an hour 378 00:16:26,430 --> 00:16:28,110 with a kid who doesn't have a dad, 379 00:16:28,110 --> 00:16:30,390 it's our duty to do something 'cause we're still serving. 380 00:16:30,390 --> 00:16:32,240 Even though I don't wear the uniform, 381 00:16:33,300 --> 00:16:35,690 I still see it my duty to serve. 382 00:16:35,690 --> 00:16:38,820 And I specifically choose inner city youth 383 00:16:38,820 --> 00:16:40,330 because that's where I came from, 384 00:16:40,330 --> 00:16:41,740 and I understand the struggles 385 00:16:41,740 --> 00:16:44,210 that kids in the inner city go through, 386 00:16:44,210 --> 00:16:48,170 being in single-parent homes, not having a lot financially, 387 00:16:48,170 --> 00:16:50,310 maybe not knowing where their next meal is gonna come from. 388 00:16:50,310 --> 00:16:52,000 I can connect and relate to them 389 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,030 because I come from that same environment. 390 00:16:54,030 --> 00:16:56,340 And so that's why I choose to serve, 391 00:16:56,340 --> 00:17:00,100 and I'm probably gonna be doing that for the rest of my life 392 00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:01,950 with everything that happened. 393 00:17:01,950 --> 00:17:05,000 - [Narrator] Throughout what he calls an unexpected life, 394 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,750 Remi said the most important lesson he learned 395 00:17:07,750 --> 00:17:09,980 was the value of hard work. 396 00:17:09,980 --> 00:17:12,150 - If you do the work, you will be able 397 00:17:12,150 --> 00:17:13,500 to achieve whatever you wanna achieve. 398 00:17:13,500 --> 00:17:15,560 That is one thing that the Navy taught me 399 00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:18,191 'cause, again, I showed up to the Navy unable to swim, 400 00:17:18,191 --> 00:17:22,570 (laughs) skinny, and academically disqualified to be a SEAL. 401 00:17:22,570 --> 00:17:24,110 I did the hard work. 402 00:17:24,110 --> 00:17:27,430 The Navy awarded me for doing the hard work. 403 00:17:27,430 --> 00:17:29,560 I was able to go to SEAL training and become a SEAL. 404 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:33,350 So that's one thing; the hard work pays off. 405 00:17:33,350 --> 00:17:36,514 Sometimes, it may seem like it won't, but it does. 406 00:17:36,514 --> 00:17:40,181 (uplifting patriotic music)