Acting: Conversations on Craft

A series of conversations with industry professionals about the craft of acting for film and television. I sit down with experts in the field and ask questions that help actors better understand what it takes to hone your craft and ultimatley book roles.

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Episodes

Episode 10: Auditions for a Casting Director: A Conversation with George Pierre and Jesse Malinowski

When I took a workshop with George Pierre at Get Scene Studios, it became immediately clear that feedback was going to be direct and possibly brutal. Neither he, nor Jesse Malinowski shy away from telling actors what is wrong with their audition tapes and why they might not make it to a call back. George Pierre is one of Atlanta’s top casting directors and has worked on films like Ride Along 1&2 and Creed as well as countless TV shows including Teen Wolf, Ambitions, Tales, and Star. He credi...

Feb 01, 2020•39 min

Episode 9: Empathy: Who Needs It? A conversation with Burgess Jenkins on the importance of being empathetic in our acting.

When we talk about actor training we don’t immediately think about how much empathy we have (or should have) for other people. Actor and acting coach, Burgess Jenkins, says that empathy is one of the more important components of being a better actor. He says the more empathetic an actor is, the more nuances there are in the performance and, he states, “nuances are the difference between good and great.” He also states, “The more empathy you have (for your character), the more you can discover th...

Jan 15, 2020•14 min

Episode 8: The Details that Matter and the Details that Don’t: A conversation with Burgess Jenkins about knowing what’s important in our preparations Part II

Are all the details in our backstories important? Are they all helpful in creating a fully fleshed out character? Do they all make us more connected, more present, more alive? Burgess Jenkins, actor and founder of Actors Group, says no. He has talked in class about the difference between specificity and minutia. In the second part of our conversation he says it’s important to ask yourself, “How have you changed the specifics that are on the page so that the page isn’t bullying you? So that you’v...

Dec 15, 2019•21 min

Episode 7: Details that Matter and Details that Don't: A Conversation with Burgess Jenkins about knowing what is important in our preps

Are all the details in our backstories important? Are they all helpful in creating a fully fleshed out character? Do they all make us more connected, more present, more alive? Burgess Jenkins, actor and founder of Actors Group, says no. He has talked in class about the difference between specificity and minutia. I sat down with him and asked him to explain what he meant by that. He says, “You can’t overwork a scene but you can wrongly work a scene. When you are breathing life into a whole new hu...

Dec 01, 2019•18 min

Episode 6: Retakes and Readers: Burgess Jenkins answers questions about the art of auditioning.

With over 1000 auditions behind him, Burgess Jenkins, actor and founder of Actors Group, answers four very specific questions about the auditioning process ranging from how many takes you should send to the importance of the reader. Burgess has been in a myriad of projects ranging from arthouse independents to blockbuster films. He is best known for his role as Ray Budds, in Remember the Titans, opposite Denzel Washington. He was Hilary Swank’s husband in The Reaping and most recently worked wit...

Nov 15, 2019•23 min

Episode 5: Dialects, Accents, and the Politics of Speech

Dialects, Accents, and the Politics of Speech: A conversation with Robin Christian McNair and Kate Udall (Part II) Robin and Kate are both passionate about the need for actors to work on their voices. In this episode our conversation centered around accents and dialects. They talk about how stereotypes and cultural norms/expectations affect how we talk and how that impacts us as actors. Advice from Robin includes, “I’m more interested in you speaking the truth than having a pretty voice. Leave o...

Nov 01, 2019•23 min

Episode 4: Voice Matters: A Conversation with Robin Christian McNair and Kate Udall

Robin and Kate are both passionate about the need for actors to work on their voices. They teach their students that it is an integral part of being free as an actor. Robin states, “Free breath allows for free thought.” Kate believes working on her voice has made her a better actor because, “…it makes me more present, makes me more able to receive and be affected by my partner, and makes me more malleable.” Robin Christian-McNair teaches voice full time at UNCSA's School of Drama. Before coming ...

Oct 15, 2019•20 min

Episode 3: Fight for your audition: A conversation with James Patrick Freetly.

Enjoy my conversation with James (Jim) Patrick Freetly, an actor and instructor at Actors Group studio. Jim talks about his most memorable audition and explains how important it is to “fight for your audition” and to take ownership of the room in the audition space. Jim is best known for his role as Todd in Trouble With the Curve opposite Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood. He has been on such shows as Shots Fired, Being Mary Jane, and Drop Dead Diva. When he is not acting, he is a computer engineer a...

Oct 01, 2019•19 min

Episode 2: Quit trying so hard to be interesting: A conversation with Burgess Jenkins (Part II)

Enjoy part II of my conversation with Burgess Jenkins on honesty in your acting. Burgess Jenkins, actor and founder of Actors Group, explains why it is better to be flat and boring as long as you are being honest. He talks about how actors come to class, to auditions, to set with "performance oriented ideas" as a way to be more interesting. What is inherently more interesting is you and your honesty. Burgess has been in a myriad of projects ranging from arthouse independents to blockbuster films...

Sep 15, 2019•16 min

Episode 1: Quit trying so hard to be interesting: A Conversation with Burgess Jenkins

Burgess Jenkins, actor and founder of Actors Group, explains why it is better to be flat and boring as long as you are being honest. He talks about how actors come to class, to auditions, to set with "performance oriented ideas" as a way to be more interesting. What is inherently more interesting is you and your honesty. Burgess has been in a myriad of projects ranging from arthouse independents to blockbuster films. He is best known for his role as Ray Budds, in Remember the Titans, opposite De...

Sep 01, 2019•17 min

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