Natasha Lyonne on Her ‘Poker Face’ Character and Why She Seems “So Casual” When Acting
“Sometimes there’s a mistaken belief that I can just show up and roll into it,” she says.
From High School Play to ‘The Holdovers’: Dominic Sessa on His First Film Role
Sessa, who had just finished performing in his school’s production of “Rumors” by Neil Simon, was scouted by casting directors searching for locations and potential background actors.
Ian McKellen Has No Plans to Retire: “I really feel I’m quite good at this acting thing now”
McKellen also opens up about his approach to acting, including noting the worst experience he ever had making a film.
Jessica Chastain on Her Early Career Experiences and Auditions: I was “trying to do as much as I could”
Chastain notes that the residuals she received from her early projects helped sustain her before her career took off. “I don’t know what I’d have done without that residual money.”
Paul Giamatti Reflects on ‘The Holdovers’ and the Pleasure of Playing a Character “Pleased with His Own Intelligence”
“I had gone to a prep school,” Giamatti said. “I grew up around a lot of people like this. So, it was kind of like, ‘Ooh, this’ll be fun.’ I can just pull on this deep well of all these memories.”
Jeff Bridges on Collaborating with Actors: “Look it, we’re all in this together, man. Let’s make something beautiful”
Actor Jeff Bridges talks about his approach to acting and why he finds “jamming” with other actors to be his ideal way to work on a project.
‘The Bear’ Star Ebon Moss-Bachrach on His Characters: “I’m not ever concerned with whether they’re likable”
As an actor, Moss-Bachrach tries to focus on maintaining relaxation, saying that he tries to “relax and negotiate this tightrope walk of nerves. You need to be relaxed to be able to make art and surprise yourself.”
Xolo Maridueña on His ‘Blue Beetle’ Role: “I didn’t audition for this. How do they know that I’m the right person?”
Maridueña was concerned that most of the film would be shot with green screen, but he was pleased to find out that the green screen shots were limited.
Jason Segel on His New Career Approach with ‘Shrinking’: “The actual acting process to me is the most peaceful, simplest time of my life”
Segel spoke about how his approach to his career has changed with projects like ‘Shrinking’
WATCH: SAG Conversations on the Journey of the Working Actor
In this virtual panel working actors – Cristina Rodlo, Joseph David-Jones, Jona Xiao and Rome Flynn – talk shop about auditioning, casting, and landing that next part.
Jesse Eisenberg on His Directorial Debut ‘When You Finish Saving the World’
Eisenberg also shares a valuable lesson he learned about acting from director James Ponsoldt.
Michelle Williams on “Making Bigger Choices” in Her Acting Roles
“In the first part of my career, I was doing sitcoms, TV commercials, soap operas, and I started seeing this other style called naturalism. I wanted that for me, but I had to learn what that was and how to inhabit it,” Williams says.
Henry Winkler on His ‘Barry’ Character: “I could not have done this character years ago”
While many would call Winkler’s performance on Barry masterful (he won an Emmy for the role), he says that he would not have been able to play the character earlier in his career.
‘The Crown’ Casting Director on Finding the Right Royal Actors
In addition to the challenge of casting actors portraying famous figures, casting director Robert Sterne also has to consider the continuity from one actor to the next playing the same role to ensure the transition is as seamless as possible.
Christoph Waltz: “I don’t believe in good actor, bad actor”
Christoph Waltz is blunt about his feelings when it comes to whether an actor is good or bad — he only questions an actor’s competence and ability to pull off a role.
Harrison Ford on “Being in the Room Where It Happens” and the “First Rule of Acting Club”
Harrison Ford acts less frequently but he notes that he is still doing it because it’s where he feels like he can contribute something.
Sally Field on Working with Lee Strasberg: “He was one of the best acting teachers”
Sally Field worked with Actors Studio co-founder Lee Strasberg, who taught her techniques that allowed her to move beyond her early roles.
Elizabeth Banks on Acting ‘Rites of Passage’ and What She Learned from Ray Liotta
Elizabeth Banks argues that the way to “make it” in acting is very different from when she came into the business.
Tramell Tillman on His Breakthrough ‘Severance’ Role
Actor Tramell Tillman spoke about his role in Severance, which is by far the most notable one in his career.
‘Inventing Anna’ Casting Director Allison Estrin on Julia Garner and Casting ‘Billions’
Estrin speaks about casting Julia Garner in the lead role and how casting a miniseries is different from an ongoing series.