The Spirited Actor - Doing The Work

Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transitioned to a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Domez. I auditioned every rapper from biggiees Balls to Tupac, and I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help

Now I know.

I know actors want to get the job. I get that, But being remembered by a casting director that is powerful.

And now it's time for meditation of the day. Ask and it shall be received. Ask and it shall be received by God. There's a promise whatever religious belief that you have. There's a promise in Christianity Baptist that says ask and you shall receive. It doesn't say ask, negotiate, ass compromises, says ask, which is your part?

Right?

You ask, I want to travel the world and you receive it. In that time space of you asking and the receiving, that's when you.

Got to be patient. You got to take a breath, You got to distract yourself, distract yourself by seeing what it is that you ask for in present day. Right.

So I'm going to tell you guys this because I believe in my heart this is happening. But for Christmas this year, I want to be in San Francisco. I feel like I want to be home for Christmas right now, cold weather, maybe just the fog, Me and the fog and the family. Right December, I'm going to be in San Francisco for Christmas.

I just asked.

Now I'm going to be patient with the process that's going to lead me to receiving, which is being in San Francisco for Christmas.

Today.

I will ask, I will be patient, I will see the signs, I will breathe and trust.

That I will receive Before we get started.

I like to remind everyone to go to Krackical Network to view seasons one and two of my show Inside the black Box that I co host with the great Emmio Award winning Joe Morton. Look out for news on season three soon. Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, and today I am your guest. I want to have.

A conversation with actors today. I want to.

Have like a real one on one, honest, brutally honest in some cases, conversation with you today. Now, I'm going to give some of you who don't know my background, the edited version.

Of my background. But the edited version of my background. I started in casting.

I started out in the mid to late eighties and during that time there weren't a lot of African American casting directors in New York and Spike Lee definitely had the lockdown on my favorite casting directors and friends, Tracy Runsi, Tracy Villar, and Wins Sinclay. Now, I just want to give you a little bit of my background for those of you who don't know.

I started in his industry as a casting director, and I.

Didn't know in nineteen eighty six eighty seven what a casting director was. There were no books on casting directors, schools, nothing, And I used to go to the Drama Bookshop back then when it was on Seventh Ave knew between I think it was forty eighth and forty nine Street, but I used to live there, Oh my god, my favorite place.

And there were no books there.

And no one had any information on how to become a casting director. So I met these casting directors in Brooklyn that were working with Spike Lee. Robbie Reid was the casting director at that time and she had working with her Tracy Vallar, Tracy Rumsey, and Winsimson Player.

And I remember one of the things that I learned very early.

In my casting career that no one taught me was you know, never like go in somebody else's lane. If there's a casting director that works with the specific director, you don't want to send your resume, you know, to the production manager or the director or the producer, because someone's there and you expect them, right. So I was very young in my career, but Robbie Reid was at

Commercials as well. And so.

Spike had a lot of extras, and specifically in Jungle Fever, he had a lot, a lot of extras in this one big I think it was.

A crack house scene.

And at that time, I would call and ask to see if I could subcontract. And what that means is that I would see if, like maybe Robbie would hire me to bring in like, let's say, fifty actors out of three hundred.

You know, just to start a relationship.

And if I had to do it for free, I would do it for free, but to start the relationship, right, So Robbie ended up calling me and asking me to, you know, past some backgrounds and some background actors.

And I was so excited to do that.

And that's when I worked with casting director Winsome Sinclair.

And Winsome was.

So she, oh my god, like very strong, very confident. I felt very comfortable knowing that, you know, she knew what she was doing. And I learned a lot from Winsome and over the years, I started working with Winsome becoming friends. You know, we all do panels and film festivals. We actually wrote a book with our dear friend, doctor Joyce Berkshire, who's also been on the podcast, and it's called Women Behind Mic And whenso wrote a chapter, I wrote a chapter, and I recently spoke to her. It

So it's like you just when you get that time for real, for real, to tell people that you love them.

And just let them know that, like it's a charge, just a life charge.

And I felt like Whins knew how.

I felt about her. And oh my god, the other thing.

She had these great parties, you guys, great parties at her house and queens during the summer. Oh it was just so much fun. But I am sharing all these memories and moments with you because unfortunately we lost Whins Sinclair casting.

Director, producer extraordinaire, giant Empress this week and a lot of the I started reflecting. A lot of us all came up together at the same time, and a lot of people today are standing on our shoulders. And I love the fact that whensome myself, Twinkie. We are all giver backers, and that means that if someone was interested in learning how to cast, we pass on that information.

A lot.

Just a beautiful human being, beautiful human being with two sons, small sons, and I just want to send out love and light and angel angel wings to her family and her friends who everyone.

You know, we're all talking to each other and just you know, talking about our moments and sharing our moments because it makes your heart feel good, you know, just it sues the soul for a man.

So today's show is dedicated to my friend, my sister win some sing player, and I also want to share a very special show that we're going to be working on for Winson.

So that's where I started casting.

And in learning a lot of lessons because no one really, you know, taught me all the protocol, all the roots.

You know, some things you do have to learn on your own.

I wouldn't change anything about that experience or that journey because I did. A lot was poured into me, and I pour a lot into others as well, so it becomes a full circle.

So I take casting very seriously.

I am so grateful that I have something inside of me that is not challenged when.

I have to. Well, back in the live time, we're not live as much, but when I started casting, we were one hundred percent live and then being live. You know, it's a different energy. You know, it's a lot of movement and things like that.

I missed live because it's also a direct connection with the actors as well and a little more personal.

Right, But we have to get that from Zoom because that's where we are today. So today I wanted to have a conversation with.

You guys, because this business changes all the time. But there's a change that's happening that I thought was a glitch in the system. And then I started getting other submissions like this, and I said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whah, whoa. I need to speak to you yet.

Right then I called, I called.

Twinkie Bird, and I said, twinky Bird, I'm helping out a friend of mine, excuse me, actually a friend of ours, and I have some spirited actors that are auditioning and submitting, and have you come across this issue?

Right?

And the issue that I was speaking to her about was the fact that actors. Someone has said something has happened on TikTok online.

Ig. I don't know what has happened, but something is happening where actors are submitting without a reader. I want to say that again, because I want to be very clear.

Actors are submitting auditions without a reader.

So what does that look like for a casting director?

Okay, it looks like you are looking into the camera reacting from Oh, this is what I was going to tell you. I apologize. I want to come back to this. I was going to say, I'm very grateful.

For the fact that something is instilled in me where I can watch auditions the same lines over and over and over and over again. I don't get bored, I don't get frustrated or challenge.

I just remember from day one of casting that I said to myself, the next one, the next one.

So I'm always looking for the next one to come into that room and live and blow me away. And now on zoom blow me away.

Okay, So I just wanted to say that, all right, So I'm going back to the zoom. So what we see as a casting directors, we see you reacting and even though I know the lines, I'm still expecting to hear them so that I can see your reaction. Because your reaction is so on it's not authentic to me because no one's talking. Like absolutely, I saw seven tapes nobody was.

Talking the actors were sitting in a chair and just reacting and listening.

I don't even know how to describe to you, guys what that looked like, but it was absolutely positively no, No, don't ever do that.

Don't ever not not have a reader. It makes no sense.

And you are actually not giving me anything of what I need, right, So as a casting director, I need to see some sort of and it's zoom. We have verbal right, because it's not like we do a wide shot and catch the two of you in the scene.

It's just you isolate. Right. So I'm listening to the lines.

I'm seeing you react authentically to what is being said to you. I'm seeing versatility. This is what I want to see. But this is what i'm seeing, right, I'm not seeing that when you don't have a reader. I'm seeing you in your head thinking about the lines, when to react. It's a lot, it's too much. It's very distracting. Please, actors, do.

Me a favor. There may be some short cuts.

There may be, but I'm really imploring you to not take them. It's not helping your auditions. And I'm going to be so.

Honest with you guys, because this just happened this week when actors. When I got the clue that actors were doing their auditions without a reader, I probably gave them fifteen to twenty seconds right when all they did not have a reader. My attention was so distracted. It was I am in your head, I hear your thoughts, I see your actions, and you are not giving me the character. And you're also giving me characters.

Because now you're now you have to know or at least kind of know the reader's lines so that.

You can react from it. It's so annoying. This has got to stop. This has got to.

Stop you guys, this is this is not good. You must you must have a reader when you audition unless and I've never seen this, but unless a casting director puts in breakdown.

Do not have a reader. You have to have a reader. I cannot emphasize this enough. You. Your audition is about you. It's about you. As a casting.

Director, I am being paid a salary to at first, in the beginning, do a pre screening of the talent that I would recommend to the director and the producers I think are the top choices in what the director is looking for.

Right in zoom we go through a lot of tape. You guys a lot, a lot, a lot of teams. I just have to call out so many things because it wasn't like this audition was in the breakdown service like we ELSA and I know enough actors that you know. Literally, I have a rolodex in my fourth rent of my brain of actors and pictures and resumes are constantly flowing through them, so we know actors. That's not the issue.

My challenge in the last couple of days and looking at tapes has been one when you say you're an actor, you want to be an actor, you're training to be an actor. My expectations are that you are also inclusive of what means to be a trained, working actor. You're also handling your business. I saw a tape today. I'm gonna be honest. I'm to be honest because I'm telling you all the truth. I saw a tape this morning. This actor was sitting in it looked.

Like an antique chair, like a mahogany chair. Pulled the chair up.

He was in front of the dresser that had a mirror, and then in the back it looked like it was like a blue couch situation and blankets and pillows, and then there was an end table.

That had some stuff on it in paper. You guys, seriously, do not waste casting director's time.

What job have you ever in your life applied for that you did not have the information about the corporation?

You didn't have information about the job titled.

The role, the protocol you went to school for it. It's something about acting that people just like, I just know, I don't need to take the glass.

I don't need to know the protocol. I don't need to know.

Tools, things that I need to bring along to the party. Nothing acting, I just know. Well, you do any need to trip, any need to know? You need to invest in a blue gray green screen so that I don't see everything in your back ring. You need to make sure your sound. The worst thing is the sound. You need to make sure your sound is gray. And most auditions, I would say ninety nine percent of auditions you're standing. You're standing, So unless it's specifically.

Asked for, you are standing, and you don't You don't need a table in front of you or a desk.

Or anything like that. Okay, these are all in the last couple of days. These are videos that I have seen from actors, and my expectation is so hot because I do teach and I train, and this is the other thing to you guys, you have to work on this.

I can't tell you. I can't stress it enough. You have to work on your comprehension.

You have to work on the ability to read sides pages of a script, sides, not slides.

As an actress told me yesterday, read the sides. Okay.

After you read the sides, you have to be able to comprehend, to understand what you read, so you could have a conversation with yourself or someone else to just get all this stuff out right. You're purging, right, You're like, oh, okay, So I see she's not happy in her man marriage, and she's frustrated because she thinks her husband's having an affair.

Accused of me of having an affair, and I'm not having an affair.

So you start talking stuff through reading everything inclusive of the action. This is another thing too, someone's out here saying.

Don't read the action, just read the dialogue. That's wrong, that's absolutely wrong.

That's wrong because action can give you insight into how to deliver a line, because they may say the reaction she fell to the foe and sobbed.

Okay, well you have to say that line in a way that she's going to fall to the floor and sob.

But you have to read the action. There are no short cuts. You will be shortchanged. Do the work. What job do you go to? And you know nothing?

But you cool? You cool.

You will always have a level of nervousness. Always that you want to be able to control the nervousness.

Talk to the nervousness, Tell the nervousness.

To chill for a second. Come along, nervousness. It's always going to be there. But when you are secure in what you know, don't matter. When you know that you know that, you know that, you know that, you know you know, there's a there's a confidence, there's a swag that goes with that.

Know what you know. Train you're not able to train. Get a book. Read a book.

That's a part of the comprehension too. Get books on acting. Read and then comprehend. Talk to yourself, Talk to you fellow Thespians, about this great book I read about acting. It talked about this and this and substitution and all of these things.

One of them.

You can read my book Spirited Actor Principles for a Successful Audition.

By treating more.

On Amazon and authorss dot com, you can do something, and especially in twenty twenty four online TikTok YouTube.

Do your due diligence on who you're training with. You have to.

You want to work with someone who is current, who is relevant, who knows all the changes and the movement in this industry.

You know there are a lot of people at different.

Schools that have not worked in years and their teaching and it's great as long as you stay current and relevant to We're not doing live auditions anymore now we transition to zoom.

All of those things. Do your due diligence.

On the people that you work with, because this is the other thing too. When I started The Spirited Actor, and I didn't have a title for my company, my classes, and I was just trying to figure out something that felt warm and because cozy and fuzzy and also made you feel good about yourself, yourself, like you, not the character you right, And what the spirited actor represented to

Lay their hands on you.

And their knowledge are really doing you right and are really making you feel good about that choice that you made in because you've.

Got to be vulnerable, like you know training. I can't believe that twenty eight minutes just ran by.

I was getting ready to look at my notes and say, I pray I have something else, and Andy are you know? Andy are engineer extraordinary? Just alerted me that now I probably have three minutes. So I'm going to just summon like this man because I'm being so honest with you guys today, please get a reader.

If you are talking to your.

Fellow thestane and they say you know you don't need a reader, tell them. Tracy Moore said, yeah you do, Yeah you do. And until somebody. I don't know, I'll always use the reader.

I don't know. I just don't get it. It makes no.

Casting director, entertainment business sense to me.

Period.

All right, So you must have a reader, you must have the right equipment, and you must must must must train. What job do you go to and you know nothing about the job or your role?

All right?

Elsa Lathan just came on. That means that we have some questions from some actors. Yeah.

Hey, Also, thank you for those teams today, Tracy. Those are so important, so important. So today we have two actors on with questions. We have miss Taekwanda Johnson. Welcome, Taekwanda, if you can come on camera. Hey, hey, we hen me. And we have mister key On Williams. Welcome back. Keon. How are you.

Hey, key On?

Hey, Yeah, you can help me. Okay, So your questions up first, Taekwonda, what's your question?

Your first?

The question I have is.

I remember you saying and I'm probably giving order to you, so tell me if I'm talking too much because I have a tendency do that.

You said something about.

Reading every every day fifteen minutes. And also I think you said talking in the mirror being a wirro and talking in the mirror. And my question is what advice do you give us actors who struggle with who struggle with some type of learning this, Like for me, I'm dyslexic and so reading can be an issue for me sometimes and so I try my One of the biggest struggles of me doing self tapes is I will do five million takes just because I want to make sure that,

So the first thing I want to do is take struggle out of her vocabulary because it you're going to keep creating that. I want to give you something else, right, So the first thing I want you to know is that there are a lot and when I say a lot of actors who have that condition or you know issue, it's I know someone who their eyesight is really super bad that they have to read with a microscope. I mean magnif.

Idea of the hand, Yes, magnifying glass. I'm drinking.

I'm like, that's not right, Okay, a magnifying glass. And you know, so I'm saying, like I know a lot of things that actors have, but I know that it's also possible because they're working actors and nobody knows.

So I'm not educated in that aspect.

So there has to be something that can be done because it has been done and.

It can and used to be done.

And then I also I know as a casting director back in the day live auditions things like that that an agent would ask for additional time and they never had to tell us why, but I would always grant them. So you can take a little more time, right, And of course when you have a conversation with an agent, you want to say.

That so that that's always known.

And the other thing is don't take more takes than you would have when if you were in a live room. So you really shouldn't take more than three takes. And you're not the judge. It doesn't matter what you think unless you're the executive producer director, So you have to think from a perspective. Am I doing my best as opposed to what it is that we want? You're never we don't even as casting directors, we don't even.

Know because some directors don't articulate. Will Does that help? Absolutely? Yes? Okay, thank you.

Thank you, awesome, thank you, thank you. What's your question, sir?

My question, Hey, how's it going? So my question is, you know, my history is more so on the voiceover side of things, So you know, play, I do animation, I do voiceovers, things of that nature. If for somebody that's a voice actor that's looking to transition into, you know, doing more on camera work besides taking classes and practicing and homing on the craft, what's one thing that you would suggest, because I think sometimes we get stuck in like that whole voice, that big voice world.

Yeah, yeah, what's one? Have you seen that in the past?

And if so, what's what's one that you would give to a voice actor such as myself?

Well, what I want to say first is that you have to you have the power through your voice to convince people to buy, sell, go back to school with your voice. Right.

So it's just like models. Models have no words but their reactions. I got to get that, Ralph lawrenceher right. So I'm saying that you have a tremendous power that hasn't been seen yet in front of the camera. So my suggestion to you would be to play in student film area, specifically NYU Columbia because they have budgets, and not so much budgets to pay.

You, but budgets for a great equipment. And they it's a small it's a very small intimate set, which will give you a nice transition into the bigger sets because.

The only thing that changes is the show, not the protocol. So you'll have all that and then you'll be able to because and then also are you on Actors' Access?

I am yes, good, So keep.

Looking at those breakdowns. And who are you signed to for voiceover right?

Now?

I'm with DPN Talent.

Do they have a legit section?

They do? Yeah?

TV and film? Ye?

Okay, So I like, I know a lot of people who have agents with innovative artists John Buckwall voiceover Right.

And so because you have such a great.

Record and relationship with them, you just ask them if they would be willing to walk you over to the legit and they would do that.

They believe in you. You're doing this.

I'm sorry, DPN doesn't I don't think we do. I don't think we do. I just signed on with them. I was with Ky Marble okay.

Okay, So then it's about working on getting a legit agent but you know, just for you to get some you know, to really see the protocol established right on and and and NYU sets.

And you know Columbia, you know, I mean you've got the Martin scarseses inspite donating, you know, and they get equipment on Friday.

They don't have to be back till Monday. So it's not like a real shoot and run thing. I used to cast for m YU and Columbia students because they really teach.

Not I not negating any other schools, this is my experience, but they really teach the real protocol of the set. They really instill that in those those kids. So you know, I'm like, wow, all they need is money, and you know they get that's why they do shoot features and stuff and get acknowledge over there. So but yeah, that's that would be my thought.

But sit in your power too, Keon, because the fact again, welcome back to the Spirited Action Podcast with me Tracy Moore, And here we go. We are at class in session. So we have co executive producer Elsa Lathan coming on to tell us what's going on.

Hey, Hello, how are you? I'm good man, good good, good good. So today's class in session. We have back Miss Taekwonda Johnson. Welcome back to Taekwonda. Hello Rie, and we have that mister Keon Williams, Welcome back Keona. So today's scene is trying to keep a secret. Written by Randall Holloway. Interior Kevin Bedroom Evening Located in the middle of a dense forest. Tate and Harry enter a dimly lit room, exhausted from their last group session.

Man, I really love the tranquility here.

It's nice, but you don't send something off about this place.

What do you mean?

Everyone here seems strange, all the paintings and the artwork, and.

What kind of place is this?

I know you said you wanted to come here for therapy, but something doesn't feel right.

Hey, for once, just trust the process. You always struggle with accepting things when they don't go according to your expectations.

Excuse me.

This retreat is beneficial for us. We've reached a point where we can openly discuss our problems.

I didn't want I want to come to the middle of nowhere to discuss our marital issues in front of strangers.

Listen, everyone is here to learn from each other so we can all heal.

And honestly, just move forward.

I don't want to do this. You made the decision to have an affair with your coworker.

Hey, why haven't you had sex with me in almost a year.

I don't want to do this.

Whenever I try to make love to you, you just back away like I'm not here, like I'm invisible or something.

I just want to go home to our kid. It's that too much to ask for.

You know.

Honestly, I was lonely. I didn't want it to happen. What it did, It just happened. It's just so fast.

I don't feel connected to you anymore.

Kate walks past Harry and begins to open the closet, which reveals a wedding ring on a chair with a handwritten note next to it.

Did you write this?

Harry?

Harry snatches the note, reading it aloud.

To death to death door's part.

Did you write that?

I told you something is seriously wrong. We need to leave.

A loud thud resonates from the back of the closet, causing Kate and Harry to jump in fright, what was that?

Did you hear that?

Kate rushes towards the door and tries to open it, but it's locked.

It's locked, Harry, the door is locked. We're trapped.

Suddenly, the room plunges into darkness and Kate screams.

Harry, where are you?

I'm right here, Kate, full my boss, brab my hand.

I am grabbing your hand.

No, you're not.

Scene you Wow, bravo. Okay, so let me start first by saying, excellent cold read, because I know that this was cold and you guys did a really super great job, which tells you that you're doing the work outside.

Now Taekwonda, I definitely recommend fifteen minutes, but my expectations are more per day, like a couple hours.

But fifteen minutes is a good start for actors. Read aloud every single day, pick up anything beautiful.

The other thing was, I really believe you're relationship.

I really believed your marriage.

And when you said to your husband that he decided to have an affair with this woman in the office like Keon, I was so mad at him. I was so mad at him because I understood why you're mad at him, because he doesn't take accountability in the dialogue.

Like you have me a year.

Women and men sleeping together two totally different psychological situations, so I understand.

Why she is in sleep with you for a year, which means y'all need to give some help.

Which is great because that's the problem y'all are young. So but he doesn't take accountability. He's not connecting the dots, like I'm not sleeping with you because I'm still hurting for the fact that you slept with someone.

Else outside of our marriage. So that felt so real to me. And then just in the escalation, because we do have expectations in an audition tape, but you know, incorporating the action. When you read the sides the first time and you read everything, you know what's gonna happen, right, So like if it says, you know, the husband grabs her by the shoulder and shakes her, you know, until she vibrates or whatever, then you're not gonna wait for that opportunity to happen, and then you're gonna bring it

Like it's it's flawless fluid. But other than that, I thought you guys did a great chat, really great child. Thank you so much, beautiful maybe proud that you guys.

Read so well. I was like, they're doing it. See it works. Okay, all right, well we come back. Thank you Elsa for the great actors too. That's great.

Absolutely welcome breach out Randall.

Great scene he wrote me in the Spirited Act of Class. Thank you very much. So when we come back with the Spirited Active Podcast with me Tracy Moore, I am going to sincerely give you love. That's timing, Jim, give us your love. Welcome to Kudos Corner. Kudos Corner is where we celebrate actors, we support them, and we just love on them. This week's Kudos Corner puts the spotlight on spirited actor Sean. Sean has co starred in The Equalizer,

Not everything is a shortcut, like it literally takes ten months for a child to be born, not mine. Things take a time. Things need to grow and mature. It doesn't happen when you want it to happen. But I tell you, when it does happen, it's always the perfect time for it to happen.

You have to be patient. Understand that. Okay, if it's not happening today, it's going to happen. Don't think that it's not not going to happen. Why would you think that you can ask for anything and in that asking, after you ask for whatever it is that you want, give it that time from the asking to the receiving and trusting the process and believing that you have and seeing yourself with it.

Seeing yourself travel the world. But actors, there are no shortcuts. Do the work, do the training.

Don't make decisions about this business without consulting experts and professionals who work in this business.

There are no shortcuts. You will be shortchanged. Do the work and trust the process.

Hi everyone, The Spirited Actor Podcast with Tracy Moore now has a YouTube channel. You'll get to see exclusive video foot from our podcast taping as well as your favorite segments from the show. Make sure to like our videos, subscribe to our channel, and share with all your friends. Don't forget to also follow.

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Thank you for joining us on the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I look forward to our next Spirited podcast. Thank you