Chris McKittrick, Author at Daily Actor: Monologues, Acting Tips, Interviews, Resources

Jane Lynch Talks Broadway, the “Mistake” of Moving to New York When She Was a Young Actress and the Advice Harrison Ford Gave Her

Five years ago Jane Lynch was best known for her hilarious appearances in Christopher Guest’s ensemble mockumentaries and doing abbreviated runs on soon-to-be-canceled television series. Though she was a familiar face, she never seemed to reach her potential. Then came Glee and her career-changing starring role as Sue Sylvester… and Lynch’s world has never been the same since

Can IMDbPro Help Your Acting Career?

A recent report shows how IMDbPro has helped actors profoundly in the past, with Robert Pattinson being used as an example.

John Krasinski on Adding Writing, Directing & Producing to His Resume: “All these other avenues have been fascinating roads to go down but, for sure, acting is the most fun”

It’s incredibly hard for actors on a long-running television series to find success in other roles — mainly because audiences want to keep seeing them as the character that the actor became famous for in the first place. As a result, it’s likely John Krasinski will have a difficult time being seen as anyone else as the affable Jim from The Office for the next few years… at least

Playwright Neil LaBute Strikes Back at Critic Who Gave His Work a Negative Review

Such is the case with playwright Neil LaBute and a recent review of his play Reasons to be Happy, which is now running off-Broadway at the MCC Theatre and stars The Office‘s Jenna Fischer and Crossing Jordan’s Leslie Bibb.

Robert Downey Jr. Disappoints Young Fan Who Thought He Would Meet Iron Man

As most parents can tell you, kids can be hard to please. For example, most adults would find it pretty cool to meet Robert Downey, Jr. After all, he’s a fantastic actor and comes off as quite the character in interviews.

Henry Cavill on Handling His “Super” Fame: “There’s no knowing what it’s going to feel like and how it’s going to affect my life” (video)

Henry Cavill was certainly a known actor before he was cast as Superman in Man of Steel, but there is something about playing one of the world’s most famous and beloved fictional characters that pushes “known actor” to international superstar.

Johnny Depp Regularly Visits Sick Children as Captain Jack Sparrow

Johnny Depp visits sick children in the hospital dressed as his popular Captain Jack Sparrow character from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Clint Eastwood Wants to Cast Veterans of ‘Jersey Boys’ Productions for His Film Adaptation

Jersey Boys has not only been a Broadway hit since opening in 2005 at the August Wilson Theatre, but has been a popular favorite in in theaters all over the world. All in all, the various Jersey Boys productions have grossed over one billion in sales over the past eight years — so all those talented performers must have been doing something right.

Craig Robinson on ‘This Is The End’, Playing a “Heightened” Version of Himself and Saying Goodbye to ‘The Office’

Darryl on The Office is a perfect example of a character whose role on a show expanded as the actor portraying him, Craig Robinson, got increasingly famous. Thankfully there wasn’t anything wrong with that — Robinson’s Darryl was one of the best characters on the show because Robinson himself is a very funny guy.

Nathan Lane Says He’s Finished with Musicals: “Perhaps if some tremendous thing came along, but I would really think twice about it”

It’s hard to think of any actor who has been more associated with Broadway in the last twenty-five years than Nathan Lane. The two-time Tony Award winner has rarely been off the New York stage during that time and he currently stars in The Nance, a play about a New York burlesque theater actor in the 1930s.

Michael Shannon on Why He Doesn’t Consider General Zod a Villain and If He’ll Ever Do Comedy

I’m no casting agent, but I have pegged Michael Shannon for a super-villain role for years. Still, I never thought Shannon — who has never really appeared in any blockbuster — would ever be tapped to star in such a role.

Jonah Hill Insists He’s a Serious Actor, So Stop Asking Him About Bodily Functions

It’s official: Jonah Hill is a serious actor. Sure, he might be co-starring in This Is The End and is likely returning for a sequel for 21 Jump Street, but in an interview with Rolling Stone Hill refuses to speak about his more famous filthy comedies and only wants to speak about his transition from comedian to serious actor in films like Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street.

The Business of Broadway: When “Star Casting” Doesn’t Work

Last week, I analyzed examples of the most successful examples of star casting on Broadway in recent years. While those productions are on the top tier, other productions don’t fare as well – with some even closing early, which is usually considered a major embarrassment for the star in question in additional to the significant financial loses faced by the producers.

Paul Bettany on How He Rekindled His Love for Acting

Millions of people probably know Paul Bettany best for being the witty English voice of Iron Man’s virtual assistant, Jarvis. While that’s not completely a shame (those gigs probably land Bettany quite a bit of well-deserved money), viewers who haven’t seen more of Bettany’s work are missing out on a wonderful actor — particularly now, when Bettany claims he feels re-energized.

The Business of Broadway: When “Star Casting” Works

In the past few years it seems like a Hollywood star opens a play on Broadway on almost a monthly basis. While this is a huge boost for Broadway and New York City – think of how many people traveled to Manhattan just to see Tom Hanks on stage in the last few weeks – the trend of “star casting” is controversial among Broadway regulars, many of whom see it as outsider stars jacking up ticket prices and “taking away” roles from legitimate Broadway actors for huge paychecks.

Review: ‘Hamlet’ / ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead’ at the Sargent Theater (NYC)

Brandon Walker’s forte is emotionally conflicted, mentally troubled characters, and if that doesn’t describe Hamlet’s character I don’t know what does.

Paul Bettany on Lars von Trier and Modern Directors: “For the most part, directors have lost faith in actors”

Paul Bettany gave a remarkably candid interview with The Guardian while working on Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. Though he didn’t say much about Nolan’s next film (and knowing how secretive Nolan is about his projects that’s not surprising), he did talk about what he looks for in a director — and what he thinks modern directors have lost.

Johnny Depp in Dispute Over ‘Black Mass’ Salary

For quite some time Johnny Depp was attached to star in the biopic Black Mass as Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, who is currently on trial for his role in 19 murders. But it was suddenly announced on May 30 that he was out after a pay dispute. Or is he? That seems to depend on whom you ask.

Russell Crowe on Getting in Shape for ‘Man of Steel’: “I didn’t realize that I would be wearing spandex. I didn’t realize that I’d have to fit into it as well”

Though Russell Crowe is no stranger to beefing up for a role, it had been some time since he had to do so before he agreed to portray Superman’s Kryptonian father Jor-El in Man of Steel. Crowe is following in the footsteps of Marlon Brando, who played Jor-El in 1978’s Superman (and again nearly thirty years later in Superman Returns, which featured unused footage from the original).

Jenna Fischer on Why She’s Doing Theater After ‘The Office’ Finale: “My heart wouldn’t allow me to step into another television show”

So life after The Office begins for its principal cast, like Jenna Fischer, who had been with the show for the entirety of its nine-year run. For Fischer “life after” starts with her New York theater debut at the strictly limited engagement world premiere of Reasons to Be Happy, a play by Neil LaBute, which runs through the end of June at the Lucille Lortel Theatre