Where are my two dollars?: An interview with Yano Anaya

AN INTERVIEW WITH YANO ANAYA

WHERE ARE MY TWO DOLLARS?
By Jerry Saravia 

Yano in "A Christmas Story" (1983)

Yano today

"Where are my two dollars?" is the famous phrase uttered by the paperboys in the highly regarded and offbeat 1985 cult comedy, "Better Off Dead" (which starred John Cusack and Diane Franklin). Yano Anaya played the role of one of the Paperboys, a small role but not an insignificant one when fans approach Yano nowadays and ask for two dollars (especially at fan conventions). Of course, one cannot forget Anaya's Grover Dill character, Scut Farkus's bullying sidekick, from the perennial Christmas movie, 1983's "A Christmas Story." You know the film is a cultural landmark, a film that is easily the definition of Christmas, when a major fan of the film approached his table at the Chiller Theatre convention in New Jersey back in 2006 and boasted about the film. This fan became Yano's wife, Selena Anaya. 

So what is Yano Anaya up to lately? And what about that popular Van Halen music video from back in the day? And why is 1988's "Blue Iguana" the last film he made in his career? Read further, but don't forget to give me the two dollars!

1. It has been thirty years since "A Christmas Story." What are your fondest memories of working on that film? and is this a film that you watch with your kids on Christmas every now and then?

"My fondest memory [having shot his scenes for 6 days out of a 6 week shoot] was meeting the cast members. It was a special event, my first big movie! I was staying at a hotel that had a rundown mall attached to it so you can imagine how much fun we kids had in there! Later on in life, my son, who was 10 at the time, invited some friends over to watch the movie. I was 10-years-old in that movie and my son looked just like me in the movie so the kids had asked my son, 'You were in this movie'?"

Yano (the one with the arrow on his face) in the 1984 music video "Hot for Teacher"

2. How did the role of a young Michael Anthony in the Van Halen video "Hot for Teacher" occur?

"A phone call from my manager, as it is often the case. I know who Eddie Van Halen was - the best guitarist in the world and my favorite band. I went to audition and rocked it. I went for the callback and rocked that. My dream came true. I was 13 at the time."

3. Your role as one of the "Paperboys" is hilarious in the 1985 cult comedy, "Better Off Dead." I assume if fans know you are in both that film and "A Christmas Story" they might ask for "two dollars" more often than not.

"I am recognized for Christmas Story more often than Better Off Dead. Sometimes I am spotted on the street and somebody asks for a photo holding two dollars. At conventions, fans are surprised to learn I was in Better Off Dead."

Yano with Dylan McDermott in 1988's "The Blue Iguana"

4. You are credited with just three films, the last being 1988's "The Blue Iguana." Were roles not as forthcoming or did you decide then you needed to do something else?

 "Blue Iguana was my last film and it never got a wide release. After that film, I appeared on some General Hospital episodes playing a troublemaker. I did a gig on The Gong Show which was a blast. Afterwards, I had four years of auditions but not a single job. Acting was my dream. I went to college and studied health and fitness. My mom influenced my interest in health and nutrition (Yano's mother had a masters in Human Nutrition). At age 4, I was already cooking, maybe not too well. By the time I was in 2nd grade, I knew the difference between a carbohydrate, protein and fat when almost nobody else knew what I was talking about."

5. I see that you were born in Cleveland but Yano sounds like a Japanese name. Where are your parents from originally or, more appropriately, what are your ancestral roots?

"I was born in Miami, Florida, in Dade County. We moved to the San Fernando Valley in California when I was 4 years old. My father was from Puerto Rico. My mother was German, Irish, Swedish, Dutch. I was the only child from my parents [Yano's parents did have other children before they met and got married, including Yano's half-sister named Katy Kurtzman, an actress]. My name Yano means Ya No Mas, translated from Spanish as 'no more.'

6. What motivated your interest in physical fitness, particularly with being Director of the personal trainer program at the Atlanta School of Massage?

"My wife is an anatomy and physiology instructor at the Atlanta School of Massage and opened up the door of opportunity by introducing me to the owner [Leticia Allen who founded ASM in 1980] The Atlanta Personal Trainer Program is the first of its kind in Georgia. [Yano Anaya is the Personal Trainer Program Director and manages a 600 hour program that gives 286 hours of hands on experience and 314 hours of class room instruction including Anatomy and Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Wellness Coaching, Business and Sales, which meets the future requirements of mandatory Licensing for Personal Trainers]. Please visit the website at asmwellness.com for more information."