Interviews
Interview: Joe DiPietro Talks Writing ‘Nice Work If You Can Get It,’ His Tony Nomination and Casting Stars in Broadway Shows
Joe: “I always keep educating myself. That has been the key to my success”
Interview: Jamie Anne Allman On ‘The Killing’ and Taking Risks at Auditions
Jamie: “If you don’t take risks, all of your friends will tell you that you’re really wise and you’re really careful, but you’re not going to move any mountains”
Q&A: Leonard Nimoy Talks ‘Fringe’, Voice Acting and ‘Big Bang Theory’
Mr. Nimoy on why he un-retired: “I’m a sucker for a good role”
Click Here For More Interviews!Columns
Winning Concept – The 20 Mile March
Creating a Successful Marketing Campaign
The Truth About Referrals
The simplest way to get agent or manager meetings is through your relationships, but lot of actors are afraid to ask for referrals
Adversity Is Your Friend
If you’re not getting out of your life what you think you should, why not take stock in what you’re doing and see if it matches what you claim to want in life?
Want To Read More Columns? Click Here!
Latest News
Bobby Cannavale is Coming Back to Broadway in Roundabout’s ‘The Big Knife’May 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Roundabout Theatre Company just announced that their new Broadway production of Clifford Odets’ The Big Knife will star Emmy® Award winner and Tony Award® nominee Bobby Cannavale.
The show, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes, is set in the golden age of Hollywood cinema where actors may have all the glory, but studio execs have all the power. The Hoff-Federated Studio has had its most successful star, Charlie Castle, over a barrel ever since it helped cover up a mistake that could have ended his career. When a woman with insider knowledge threatens to come forward, the studio heads will stop at nothing to protect Charlie’s secret… but how far is he willing to go before he quits the movie business for good? Continue »
May 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment
I’ve tried to get reasonably-priced tickets to Once twice in the last few weeks and have ended up empty handed both times. Now that the musical has received eleven Tony nominations I guess I can look forward to the tickets skyrocketing even higher.
But that aside, one of the most startling achievements of Once is that its female lead, Cristin Milioti, has been nominated for the Tony for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical… and it’s her first musical she has ever appeared in! She talks about how she got the role and how she developed her character’s Czech accent to Rolling Stone.
Milioti admits that not only did she not initially land the lead female role, but she didn’t even know how to really play the piano very well! She says, “I auditioned for this back when it was going to be a reading. I auditioned for the Girl, but the part had already been cast before the audition had even been held so I ended up playing Réza, the Girl’s flat mate. We did the reading, and then a day or two later the director called and said that he wanted me to come in and audition for the Girl again for everyone, and he really pushed for me the entire time. I was deemed not a good enough piano player. I can’t sight read, and I’ve never taken piano lessons – I only know chords. I could play you a C chord and a G chord and kind of make it look like I kind of knew what I was doing, but that was about it. So they gave me ten days to learn two songs on the piano, and I did. I came in and I played ‘The Hill,’ and I got it.” Continue »
May 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Academy Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek is ready to try her hand at something other than acting. Her autobiography, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, is being released this week.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Spacek talks about her long, wonderful career and how she got her start. She said, “I sang and danced and played guitar. Music and art came more easily to me than other things. I captured my hometown stage at an early age. Because I was so appreciated there in that little town, I just thought that as soon as I got into the big world, the same thing would happen. I didn’t realize the odds against me.”
Of course, Spacek beat the odds and became respected in the industry for her roles in Carrie, The Coal Miner’s Daughter, In the Bedroom, and last year’s The Help. Continue »
May 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:37 — 14.9MB)
If you haven’t heard of Louisa Krause, wait a couple minutes because her name will soon be on your radar.
Louisa recently starred in the SXSW hit, King Kelly and had a short film, Double or Nothing (written by Neil LaBute) premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. And as I was talking to her, she was getting ready to fly out to Seattle to film You Can’t Win, a project co-written, produced and starring Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire).
She’s previously appeared on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Blue Bloods and last year’s great indie hit, Martha Marcy May Marlene.
King Kelly, which I saw at SXSW, got a great reception and the audience loved it and Louisa. The film is about an up-and-coming internet star (Krause) who strips on a webcam. When her car, that’s loaded with drugs, is stolen by her ex-boyfriend, Kelly and her friend head out on an epic streak of sex, drugs and violence as they try to get the car back. You should definitely check it out if you get the chance.
I talked to Louisa about how she got her start, King Kelly, You Can’t Win and how she got Neil LaBute’s phone number. Continue »
May 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment
After playing Loki in Thor, Tom Hiddleston tells NBC New York that portraying the evil Norse god in The Avengers was both challenging and exciting.
Despite having previously played Loki, the affable Hiddleston admits it’s sometimes difficult to play such a diabolical villain. He points out, “Sometimes, it’s really hard, especially when you get up in the morning feeling in a good mood, and that sort of innate contentment is of absolutely no use to you, because you’re having to stoke the bonfires of anger and sadness and despair and all that stuff.” Continue »
May 3, 2012 | 3 Comments
Rich Sommer stars as Harry Crane on AMC’s Mad Men, but the actor is also going to be pulling double-duty in the upcoming Broadway revival of Harvey.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sommer said, “It’s simultaneously incredibly exciting and incredibly terrifying. I haven’t been in a play since grad school, so it’s been about eight years. I can’t believe that I’m finally going to be back onstage and I especially can’t believe that it’s on a Broadway stage.” Continue »
May 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Playing a superhero in a movie ought to be fun, right? After all, you get to leap tall buildings in a single bound, wear a flattering costume, and spout lines of dialogue that would just sound ridiculous coming out of your mouth on any other day of the week.
But as Scarlett Johansson tells USA Today, for an actress in one of those seemingly impossibly-tight outfits it’s not really all that fun.
Johansson, who stars as the Black Widow in The Avengers, initially had an issue with the durability of the costume since it kept ripping. She explains, “The first times around were hysterical with this costume. You’d go to do a high kick and the pants would just split open. I was like, ‘OK, we’re going to need to reinforce this.’” Continue »
May 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Written by Sean Pratt
Every weekend around the country, there are acting workshops held by casting directors offering actors the chance to work on monologues, cold readings and audition sides. And while a first glance it may seem like a no-brainer to sign up, there are several things you should consider before plunking down your money. Then, if you do decide to attend, you’ve got some homework and preparation ahead of you, because the last thing you want to do is just show up.
Promises, Promises
First off, let’s be honest about what’s being sold here. Unlike a workshop with an acting teacher, what you’re ultimately buying is access to that casting director; in business and politics it’s called “pay to play.” If you’ve been trying for months to get called in for an audition by that person, then this may be the perfect opportunity to showcase your talent in the context of an acting class. So ultimately, what you might learn about technique is secondary to the chance of meeting and working with them.
Next, let’s review a basic concept of advertising. In the ad for any product or service there are two kinds of promises being made - explicit promises and implicit promises. In this case, the explicit promises are that you will be working with this casting director on specific acting material at this location and time, etc. But more important are the implicit promises. Like it or not, the casting director is holding out the possibility of perhaps calling you in at a later time for an audition. Honestly, why else would you go? Continue »
May 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Making your first appearance on Broadway is intimidating enough, but taking on the role originated by Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire?
Blair Underwood is stepping into pretty big shoes when he stars as Stanley Kowalski in the current revival of Tennessee Williams‘ iconic play. This production features a multiracial cast, and the Williams estate has given the production permission to drop the last name “Kowalski” from the play so that Underwood, and African-American, could play the role. Underwood spoke to NPR about what he finds challenging in playing one of the most famous stage roles in American theatre.
Despite the fact that today is a very different era than the time the play is set in, Underwood feels at home in the character. He explains, “How I play Stanley is how I wake up every day as an African-American man. I start with my heart, I start with my humanity, I start with my soul. The script and the book is exactly what Tennessee Williams wrote, and it’s astounding how it resonates in a unique way coming from actors who have a certain cultural alignment or aesthetic.” Continue »
May 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Girls actress Allison Williams, who plays Marnie on the Judd Apatow freshman HBO series, tells Elle that she scored the role in what was her first audition in LA.
“When I graduated from college in early 2010, I decided that I needed to create a calling card, some kind of business card that people can link to my name and face. So I did this “Mad Men Theme Song…With a Twist” music video,” she said. “I released it just as I moved to LA, and my agents got a call from Judd Apatow saying, ‘We want to make sure Allison auditions for this new show we’re doing with Lena Dunham. Please send her Tiny Furniture and the pilot and see if she’s interested.’ It was so crazy that he saw that video and somehow saw Marnie in me. So I watched Tiny Furniture and was just in awe. Then I read the pilot and it was love at first read.” Continue »
