Dante Basco: The Story Behind Rufio, Zuko's Redemption & American Dragon Jake Long | AJ Buckley Show

What happens when a 15-year-old kid with a red and black mohawk walks onto the biggest movie set in Hollywood and ends up becoming the most quoted Lost Boy in history? This week on The AJ Buckley Show, AJ sits down with Dante Basco, the actor, poet, director, and Filipino American trailblazer whose career has spanned decades and changed the game for an entire generation. Dante opens up about growing up as one of five kids in a blue collar family in Pittsburgh, California, breakdancing on the streets of San Francisco with his brothers as part of the Street Freaks, winning 34 competitions in one year, and dancing for the San Francisco Ballet Company before he was even 10 years old. He shares how his family moved to LA with nothing but a dream, how he landed his first auditions, and the surreal moment he walked into Steven Spielberg's office at Amblin Entertainment, played arcade games with other kids, and had a conversation about Midnight Cowboy that changed his life forever. AJ and Dante dive deep into what it was like filming Hook in 1991 with Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Bob Hoskins, how Dustin Hoffman used method acting to get under his skin, the emotional death scene that became one of the most powerful moments in the film, and the quiet mornings in the makeup chair with Robin Williams where they talked about poetry, Dead Poets Society, and the magic of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Dante also reflects on the reality of being the first Filipino actor to break into mainstream Hollywood at that level, the struggle of not having roles written for someone who looked like him, and how he had to steal every role from white or black actors just to keep working. He talks about the indie film The Debut, the first Filipino American film ever released in theaters nationwide, and what it meant to finally represent his community on screen. They also talk about his legendary voice acting career, landing the roles of Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Jake Long in American Dragon on two opposing networks in the same year, working with the late great Mako, and how one of the greatest redemption arcs in television history was written without him even knowing it was coming. Dante opens up about the dark years he spent in a culty acting class, the fracture it caused with his family, and how he found his way back through self forgiveness, faith, and the love of his wife and son. He shares the story of starting Da Poetry Lounge in his living room, which became the longest running weekly open mic in the United States, inspired Broadway's Def Poetry Jam, and created a movement that's still going strong 28 years later. And in one of the most powerful moments of the episode, Dante performs one of his classic poems live, bringing AJ and listeners back to the magic of the Greenway Theater and the art that changed so many lives. This conversation is raw, emotional, and packed with wisdom about family, fatherhood, forgiveness, the cost of ambition, and what it means to be an artist who refuses to quit. If you grew up watching Hook, Avatar, or any of Dante's work, or if you're an artist trying to find your voice in a world that doesn't always make space for you, this episode will inspire you to keep going. Follow Dante Basco IG: https://www.instagram.com/dantebasco/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDanteBasco RufioZuko (@rufiozuko) | TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@rufiozuko) Follow AJ Buckley IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckley/ Fb: https://www.facebook.com/AJBuckleyOfficialPage TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Follow AJ Buckley Show IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckleyshow/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/ajbuckleyshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aj-buckley-show/id1885802753 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Em0btYFt8QNKJPX2tFJhq https://www.ajbuckley.com Sponsors: http://www.ghostbed.com/buckley Code word Buckley for 10% off http://aj.purerx.co write "Time to shine" In notes http://www.bornofdiscipline.com http://www.coretrex.com