The Spirited Actor - Christine Swanson

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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 transition to
a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New
Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Thomas.
I audition every rapper from Biggie Spalls to Tupac, and

(00:24):
I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help
transitioning to acting. My clients consist of musical artists from
Buster Rhymes to Eve, Missy Elliott, Angela Ye from The
Breakfast Club, and Vanessa Simmons, to name a few. I
also coach sports stars and host as well. I feel

(00:45):
I have the best of both worlds. As a casting director,
I know exactly what they're looking for, and as an
acting coach, I can coach you to be remembered in
that room. Now. I know, I know actors want to
get the job. I get that, but being remembered by
casting director that is powerful. Meditation of the day. You're

(01:06):
not famous until my mother has heard of you, Jay Leno.
There are plenty of reasons why people choose this business.
I feel that it is important that you understand all
the reasons why you are pursuing a career as an actor.
One of the most common reasons that I've heard is
to be famous. Fame has a lot of consequences. The

(01:29):
most obvious one is your lack of privacy. If that
doesn't bother you, then great, but if it does, then
you need to reevaluate this career choice. There are a
lot of perks in this business, but it is important
that you remain grounded and focused. One of the ways
you can do that is by understanding what your true

(01:50):
goals are. Today, I will respect my privacy. Welcome to
the spirited active Pope asked with me Tracy Moore, and
I can't even begin to tell you how much love
I have in my heart for this guest. Um. I

(02:10):
met Christine Swanson, director Extraordinaire nineteen. Christine looked up the date,
Oh my god, and I just remember you and Michael
and such a beautiful couple and just really fun creative

(02:34):
filmmaking filmmaker's energy. All right, And you said you had
a film and I feel like you gave me a
postcard because I feel like I had some sort of
documentation of it, and I was like, I'm definitely going.
But as soon as I saw it, I was like,
she's gonna win, She's gonna win. I did, and and

(02:55):
you won, and I was like, oh my god, Like
it was such a great film. It was really great.
Fel So to be able to fast forward and have
you have a plethora of films and things were gon,
we're gonna talk about audience again. You guys need to
get your keen and pencil, computer, however you document because

(03:19):
the jewels, the diamonds that are going to be dropped
in this interview. Nice, fine ladies and gentlemen, put your
hands together for Christine's Swanson. Cool, It's true. Yeah, I'm
making it up. I remember. The thing that I love

(03:41):
about you is like and what has never changed is
like and I love that you call your it's the
spirited actor. But there's a spirit that you embody that
reeks of of intensity and integrity that fast forward from
when we first met until now. I have a profound

(04:05):
understanding of how that is lacking in our industry, and
the fact that you know we are reconducting I just
feel like that is that's God like putting me back
together with people who are like minded who are um
genuine in their pursuit of this craft for purposes outside

(04:29):
of themselves. Wow, that's so werity. So that's your thank you.
I received that that well, I'm going to have to
replay that all day today because you know, um, that
is the truth and that is something you know we're
going to jump in because as a female director in

(04:53):
this industry, how are you embraced because we do have
a different energy, we have a nurturing, we have you know,
a focus. Uh, how is that? How has been how
has that been received for you as a director in television?
So well, I think you know, if you remember me

(05:15):
starting out, I was kind of wide eyed, bushy tail. Yeah,
I had no preconceived notion about how anything worked, and
had was passion and some modicum of the talent that
I wanted to offer the industry. So on some level,
sometimes when when all everything is like in sync, that

(05:40):
is enough talent and passion, okay, right, strictly on the
creative side of things, talent and passion, it is enough, okay, Okay.
In the industry, however, that's no the focus. So that's

(06:02):
two sides of a conversation. If if we're talking about
an artists. I don't look at myself as a female,
and I don't look at how I'm going to be embraced.
I try. I just go for the jugular, right, That's
all I know. Right right now, when you're you apply
that to the business side of it. Now, we have

(06:25):
to kind of look at a pre existing um culture
and hierarchy that has very systemic issues that happen to
do with with you. With you, so I can I
can tell you experiences as the stories um about that

(06:45):
part of it, which which which in many ways can
look like a struggle. But I just don't look at
at struggles as obstacles. I look at struggles as opportunities.
How I cannot myself in ways that I feel like
God has called me to function absolutely. So it's it's

(07:10):
like I think, when people see the work and if
they like it, maybe it parlays to other work. But
I'll never suffered for lack of imagination or or work
because of systemic issues outside of myself. Hum Well, and

(07:32):
when you talk about being yourself, you were you. You've
been consistent in that energy. That was the like energy
that attracted both of us because we didn't know each
other but it was like, hey, hey, right, so I
think that was so that was a moment. But I
the challenges I can say that um actors have right

(07:58):
working you know, how actors work with a male director
versus a female And me as an acting coach, I've
been on those sets and I'm you, yeah, director, director,
that's what you know. But then you start to get specific.
You're a female, then you're a director of color, and
it's like, but I'm a creative being like and so

(08:22):
to me, the blessing is you have created a path,
your own path, and you continue to create that path
where yes, how great would it be to just be
recognized as a director here that's it? No? Well yeah,
and then the thing is again, Jersey, I don't look
at myself in that way, like I don't. I don't

(08:44):
look at myself as a female director, black director, but
I'm just looking at as I approach it as a
creative entity. And then when I work with actors, to me,
what I what I love to do is this and
maybe it has to do with me. I think has
more to do with me being a mom than a female.
So I have to do like just say, like when

(09:05):
I'm working on an episodic right. Um, typically the the
usual cast, They're comfortable in their skin and what I
try to do. So what I try to do is
just ingratiate myself to them in ways that they know
that I'm here for them if they need And then
sometimes I have to push them to try some things

(09:26):
that they're not being pushed about, right, people that I
pay a lot of attention to the day players because one,
if a day player is not on their toes, if
they're not present, you will lose a lot of time

(09:50):
and that's not something you can afford to do. So
what I to do, though, is to make sure that
I spend as much time as I can with the
day players. I like this with them in advance. I'll
call them, I'll meet with them before their day to shoot,
so they get comfortable with me. So that so the

(10:10):
first time meeting me is not on set, because what
happens is your nerves kick in, right, and then they
start to you know, freak out because now they're they're
just trying to please me because this is the first
time they've met me. So what I put them at
ease and like have conversations with them of their day.

(10:33):
One of shooting. So then day one of shooting, we've
broken the ice already, you know, that the next level
of our relationship and hopefully they're a little bit more
at ease, so then we can tap in to really
the creative parts that we want to explore. So I
do that, But again I think that's that could be
a mommy thing. I don't know, you know, Um, I

(10:56):
think what actors need to know first of all, is
how rare that is, because I don't know that. I
don't know that it's happened most um. You know, I've
just been really blessed to be on the set for
six years on all of us to Rhymes and Eve's projects,
and when we have rehearsals, you know, um, day players
and for those of you who don't know what a

(11:18):
day player is, that's an actor that works one day
in it. And so for Christine to take time out
of her day, which it just doesn't include actors, It
includes maybe going to rewardrobe, or maybe there's special effects
or what there's a bunch of stuff going on in
your world. But you to take that time and recognize

(11:41):
their value, their value exactly that that's a blessing. Christine
because I'm I'm When they call first team to the set,
I'm with first team and it's very rare, you know
that a day player again, you know, um, we will
have a rehearsal with the day player, but the director

(12:02):
is not focusing on the day players. The director is
focusing on my client or you know, the other celebrities. Well,
the day player is not on point against what yep.
I inherently this so that I make sure, like I'm
my day is not going to be held up because
the day player is not showing up. And you my

(12:25):
job is to make sure everyone shows up and that's
the camera and behind the camera, so that that's my
job as a director. And I don't there are no
small players in so I don't you know, there's there's
kind of like quality to the set that I bring
because that's just how I like to work, right, And

(12:48):
I love that. And even for me as an acting
coach on the set and I'm watching the monitor, I
have coached extras because I go to them and I
asked permission for the prominent actor and I'm like, do
you guys want to do what they they're doing? It
starts here, you know, why are you walking across the street.
You don't need words to tell us something, you know. So,

(13:13):
as as a director, that is you guys, I pray
that you guys are really holding onto these gyms right here,
because again, it's very rare. I've seen a director take
that time and you talk about rehearsal, rehearsals luxury when
they said we have rehearsal, I would be jumping up
a day on a class. When I'm on a town

(13:36):
on a job, you know, like especially doing episodic and
you so far. But like, if I'm in New York
City working, uh, I'm not taking the weekends off. You know.
I'm calling my day players and I'm like, hey, you
want to meet up for coffee. I'm calling crew members
and saying, hey, if you have time, let's, you know,

(13:57):
let's talk and meet up. And I'm not trying to
make people were more, but I'm I'm I'm here and
willing and ready to work and if you're amenable, let's
let's get a jump on this. You know. So there's
an episode of Chicago p D. I did in this
episode six oh eight, and it's the first time the

(14:17):
black male lead I had a love interest. Oh wow,
sakes were very high for him. So this season six right,
and so six years the brother ain't had a love interest, right, Hey,
that's the script that I get. They gave me a
black love story, and so I went. I went up

(14:40):
to that actor and I said, listen, are you ready
to throw down? He was like I'm ready. I'm ready.
I said, Okay, if you're ready, let's go fly. Right.
So that that I did with him that he was
never used to doing and one of those and because
he's the right, he's a series regular, right, I was like,

(15:04):
we're gonna rehearse on the weekends. He and and the
lead actress that I cast for that episode. Um, they
had like this epic love scene. Right, it's his first
love scene evert like on this series, on a show
where all the crew members know him, cast members know him,

(15:25):
and they're clowning him like, oh yeah, this is your
first love scene. So I knew he was gonna be
moving Okay. The actress she was a guest um star
and she was kind of more seasoned and having done
scenes before. So what I did was over the weekend
and we're gonna come together and we're just gonna rehearse

(15:47):
some things, okay. So I had them go over lines
with each other, I mean so much so that they
had a level of comfort that was kind of different
than you would be on a regular show where people
are meeting for the first time. And another thing that
I did was I actually practiced the love scene why,

(16:09):
like almost like cut by cut okay, As you know,
love scenes are just it's it's a very technical thing. Well, right,
so I threw a blanket on my bed in my apartment.
I'm like, all right, guys, have fun, okay. And then
we actually maneuvered the love scene bit by bit and

(16:30):
and as actors, you know, they had to know like, um, okay,
can I touch you here and there? It's like um
tongue or no, no tongue. So everybody familiar with what
they were used to, what they were okay with. Right,
we got all the kicks out, we got all the
nerves at right when they shot up on set for

(16:51):
that scene, I mean like it was like clockwork. It
was like you were able to discover more, you know,
because we weren't um. We there was no stagnation in
newness of having to do a love scene for the
first time for him, because he had already practiced, right.
So it's like I love working with actors in that way.

(17:14):
If they're available, we don't make the magic. Okay, so
you are available for that though you You are a
true blessing. I'm telling you. I've been on set not
only as an acting coach, but my career started as
a casting director. And so to watch great directors and
the way in which you communicate, you are an actor's

(17:37):
dreaming because you're speaking their language. But there's a comfort
in coming onto a set as an actor and being
able to communicate with the director. Um. I know that
that refrigerator is filled by a proper person. Um, but
I want to know what your idea of what I
eat and it if it aligns in and you are

(18:01):
that director that I could have a conversation where I
act what, and that just brings so much more depth
and volume their performance. I think you know I'm a
confirmed I'm gonna speak for the actors, Christine. I'm speaking
for the actors because is I was gonna say day

(18:23):
players turned into contract players, contract players turned into stars
and listen, and I remember reading an article in Premiere magazine.
Michael J. Fox worked with Ellen Chinilworth and he said
she was the only casting director that treated him like
a human being because he was doing some extra work.

(18:45):
She ended up casting all in the Back to the
Future email because there's you know, celebrities have and they
have choices, and when you do things like that for
actors and what you've done, yes, they have a comfort
and a dynamic before Mormans. But as an actor, to
be able to give them that comfort so that they
could do the best that they can absolutely what I love.

(19:09):
I love. I love actors because to me as a
as a director and a filmmaker, they they they're like
crayons to me, right, So I take that's what I
color with, you know, and so I just want to
have flexibility. And when they're more available, the more flex

(19:34):
so you I just to me, it's a comfort, comfort thing.
And I really tried to create relationships with actors that
put them at ease and put them control, Like they
have a lot of control in my world, you know,
and I like to create the space for them to
feel safe and then to kind of be imaginative in

(19:58):
ways that I want them to surprise me, you know.
So it's just that's what it's so fun for me.
You know. So I don't I take the weight out
of it because part of it we all have to
be connected and available. So whatever tensions are around, my

(20:20):
job is to make it safe for actors, you know.
I typically blocked for them in ways that um that
you know sometimes our network stuff that I might get
in trouble for. Like somebody spected me when like, I
don't know why she spends so much time talking to
day player. Wow, I think it came from like let's

(20:41):
just say an A D or whatever. Right, stay in
your lane and and don't step in mind, you know,
because this is what a director does. And I don't
care if it's episodic and nobody else cares about the players.
You know, That's not my approach. So I I'm in
with the filmmaking approach, and like sometimes they're just they're

(21:04):
punching out product and the structure. There's there's a template
that you know, they set the template for law and order.
This is the way it's done, you know, color within
the lines. Yeah, I don't know how to do that.
I know, That's what I know. It doesn't change the
fact that I'm on time and I'm on schedule. I

(21:26):
just I just elevate the product, you know. And what
I've learned is this, like I have to do that
because that's who I am. But that doesn't mean everybody
appreciates that. I mean, we can't change other people, right,
but then in who we are, people can conform in

(21:46):
some way. So you just you be you. I I
agree with you. But I been an actress and I'm like, wow,
I want to be an actress just to have conversation
with Christine. But that's so cool. Um, which brings me
Let's talk about the movie that's coming out now on Lifetime.

(22:07):
And my god, I grew up with the Clark sister's
love of the Clark. How is that experience working? Well?
You know, I came on board this project. You know,
I'm from Detroit, right, Yeah. When I heard that this
movie was being made and they approached me to direct it,

(22:28):
and you know, as they were looking at several directors,
I told them, listen, I'm from Detroit and I'm a
good filmmaker. You want me on this project? Wow, That's
how I pitched myself. I'm like, you want me on
this project because the thing that Detroit teaches people is

(22:51):
is like this kind of grit that is that like,
in other words, don't don't get in a fight with me,
because you'll lose wow or craziness, you know, depends on
who you ask asked my husband. So I say that

(23:12):
to say like that the Clark's sisters are who they
are because of this internal grit of their mother, Maddie
Moth Clark, who defied her her circumstances, who defied like
church politics and created um musical geniuses who pretty much

(23:35):
are responsible for how gospel music sounds today exactly. So
when you're dealing with a woman who is of that
stature and of that level of grit and determination, I'm like, yeah,
you want me to direct this? Yeah, seriously, I was
walking in Maddie Moss clark anointing, so or at least

(24:01):
I felt that I felt like I understood what she did,
because if you talk about her, they're like, man, she
was me. She didn't not play. But then there sounded good, right, right?
She made history and we're talking at different time. You know,
we're not talking in the nineteen nineties. It was such

(24:25):
a backdrop of what she you know, history had endure
and overcame in spite of so me like that kind
of dedication and commitment to craft, right despite the odds.
I don't see that. I don't see that today. So

(24:45):
I was very much inspired by everything that Maddie Moths
Clark stood for and if I could do justice and
to bringing their story to light and them that I
want that shot. I got it, you know. And you know,
there's so much I could talk about in terms of

(25:07):
the production part of it. But um, a lot of
the reason why this this movie is going to pop
two reasons. Two things. One is the incomparable continue Ellis.
Oh my god, Oh my god, such a fan. Yeah,

(25:29):
And I just say this, Tracy, because yes, you can.
I've come you know, you know, I was. I was.
I was away from the industry for about fifteen years
raising my children. I'm kind of ease back into this.
And I've been able to work with a lot of
different people, and I worked from everybody in the past.
Nobody can hold a candle to Ellis. I'm not even exaggerating. Wow,

(25:58):
I believe you though. In the and she she's a
little bit more low key, right freaking Mississippi, Like who
lives in Mississippi? Right, Morgan Freeman does comes from Mississippi.

(26:18):
When I you'll see, like when you see what what
she does, it's like, see and look, this is me
as a director, Okay, working with the Naginu ellis. When
you see what she's bringing this, I'm like, okay, alright,
let me make space for this. Nice what she's doing

(26:40):
and where she's going is somewhere of the worldly. Like
my job as a director is to notice. See, I
don't there's what I can't teach her acting. That's not
you know what I'm saying. Like right, so in a
relationship with somebody of her training in caliber, oh, it's like,

(27:04):
let me let me clear space. Right, you want to
try this, Okay, let me make this happen. Okay, you
want to go here, Let's see what that looks like.
Oh that's great, that's great. Now what if we added
this on top? Try that? Okay, now we're playing right. Yeah,
it's when you're when you can you can hit that

(27:25):
sweet spot right playing right? Oh my gosh, that's heaven.
I know, I know. That's really And one of the
things that UM in talking about character development, UM talking
to actors, Now, UM, how important are classes or coaching

(27:47):
to build these tools? Because I think that there are
classes and coaching and they're gonna teach you acting in schools,
they're gonna teach you the fundamentals and act it. But
when you get on a set, it's a totally different dynamic.
And I don't think acting classes teach you how to
work on a set. And so, um, you know, there's

(28:10):
already a level of nervousness when you go on because
I'm working now, I'm a working actor than who's the director,
who's the stars? You know, so there's sub ease. Like
you said, they're not preparing the day they meet you.
They get prep time way before. So there's work to
be done. What is that work that you suggest that

(28:32):
actors do? So the second level of the second thing
that makes this movie pop and like and something that
I attempted was this. The original plan for Lifetime was
to cast actors and to dub the singing parts that

(28:52):
the original Clark sisters were gonna lay down the vocals
for when I need the job, I was like, I
don't know about that, yeah, because you know, I'm I'm um,
I have a gospel ear. You know, my gospel of
music doesn't work like that. It doesn't work when people
are dubbing it, right, So I'm I think we need

(29:15):
a cast real singers, and everybody was like, no, we
don't do that, no, no, no. So A long story short,
So this is my job as a director. When you're
dealing with people who are when you're dealing with the network,
you know, like it's a different thing when it's in
my own independent film. But I told them better than
tell them. What I did was so I had a

(29:40):
friend that I was working with for years on my
on my musical. I knew her to be like an
extraordinary voice that nobody really knew about in the world,
in the world of acting, right. So, and and she
happens to look like Derenda right, So I flew her
to Detroit. Well, I told him to meet me in

(30:02):
Detroit with Kira Sheard, who was Karen Clark Sheard's daughter.
And I knew the two of them. I'm like, she's Karen,
she's Dorinda, and uh, you know, go sit out a keyboard,
sing a song. And I videotaped them singing, and then

(30:23):
I had them both work with an acting coach. I
don't know if you know, Josie Harris um. So I
brought Josie and I flew her into Detroit and she
worked with them on seam work, you know, expensively, extensively,
and then and and and then so we put their
acting their audition tape. We filmed that too, so we

(30:47):
sent all of that to the producers. They sent it
to the network. They saw them singing, and what they
felt when they saw them singing on that tape, that's
all they see, and that is all I tried to convey. Yeah,
we're singing live. It will make you feel something. And
if you feel that, we have to apply it to
the film, because only in doing it that way do

(31:09):
we properly honor the legacy of the Clark's sisters. So
that was my idea, was to bring in real singers.
And Donald Lawrence and his genius he was the music
pop took took three told me he needed three voices,
so we found the voices that he blended together to
create the Clark Sister sound. And when the Clark's Sisters

(31:30):
listened for the first time, they were like, they sound
better than us. Oh my god, I'm not even joking.
My job, it's my job, like as a director to
find the magic mhm. So if if if people can
trust that. And I'm gonna tell you this industry is

(31:52):
predicated on fear. And the thing is, Tracy, I don't
be in that language. I don't unders the language of fear.
So I'm like, I know, intuitively and instinctively, can we,
you know, make this, make this work? You know? So
they did, and what you see is is magic. Now.
It took acting. It took an acting coach, and actually

(32:15):
acting coaches, because I actually hired several to work with
actresses because they are your singers, and you are new
to this medium, and there's a lot that you don't understand.
So you know, I'm not gonna say that was easy, right. Um,
Sometimes with singers, they take for granted how easy it

(32:36):
is for them to sing. They're used to performance in
that way. They think, um, however, erroneously, that they can
apply their point of view about performance as a singer
to performance as an actor, and they are utally exclusive.

(32:56):
They couldnt be no different, you know, or more different.
And that's something that took a lot of time to
ease them into. And I dare say, like, you know
that more work can can be had post movie if
you are an actress. So I cannot, um, I'm so

(33:18):
excited enough. Important acting training and acting practice, bank to
work NonStop. Character work and rehearsals are important to crafting
a performance when this is not your medium, it's important
when it is your medium. Absolutely, I cannot tell you

(33:40):
how much Awe ellis stress rehearsals. And she would be
the first one to arrive and the last one to leave.
You hear me. So people watch and learn, watch the
work ethics, yes, and respect that. I want to go on. However,

(34:04):
at the end, I was by I have to. I
have to invite you back because there are some nuggids. Um.
I am so grateful for everything that you've given the
audience and I actors, you are blessed because you know,
just quickly just being in situations where directors their main

(34:24):
concern is the shot, what is the shot like? Or
you know, or a direct or an actor is on
set and they're preparing for an emotional scene and they
do it, and I see them struggling to find that
space that you allow. Well, everybody's keep key in and
laughing and hanging out, and it's like, you know, and

(34:47):
I'm protective like that. So I run over and I'm
like come on, you guys give them that space, you know.
So I just appreciate love. And I'm speaking for all
actors like you're rare. I am very grateful. You are
a blessing for us. One thing, if it doesn't work
for me emotionally, I don't care about the shot. Okay.

(35:09):
I love that because that's why I'm on. I'm on
the set because that's where I come from as an
acting coach. I'm emotional. I don't want to, you know,
connect and feel, but I don't care what the shot.
I mean shot. I trust the shot. But I'm telling
you I've gone to directors and said, I don't really
understand producers. I don't really understand what the director is

(35:29):
saying to my client. And they're like, you know, Tracy,
honestly we don't either. That's not good. You've got to
be able to communicate something, you know. So we're gonna
We're gonna have more thing about that. Okay. I'm gonna
invite you back on. That is a guarantee. I'm soul okay.

(35:51):
And I just want to thank our guests again, director
extraordinary are filmmaker. Um, there's just a beautiful spirit, Christine,
and thank you again people talk too soon. Thank you cool.
And next we have Class in Session on the Spirited
Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. Welcome back to the

(36:14):
Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. And now my
favorite segment, Class in Session. And today we're gonna work
on monologue, you guys, and this is the first time
that we've really talked about monolagus and seen a monologue.
So we have student actor alumni Jelsa Capri who's here

(36:34):
with us. J Lisa. Hey, oy, good to see you.
Good to see it's here. Healthy in the world. Yeah,
but it's just as good to see you look good. Um. Okay,
so tell us the title and um, the character of um.

(36:58):
The title of this is uh, this place is Jitney. Um,
it's by all this Silston and the character name you know. Okay, excellent.
So whenever you're ready and yousten absolutely sorry, a house

(37:22):
no done. Now. You ain't bought no house without me.
I mean, how many times in your life do you
get to pick out a house. You bought a den
for Darnell, That's what you did so you can sit
down there and watch your football games. What about the kitchen,
I mean, the bathroom? How many windows does the bedroom

(37:44):
had I mean, is there a place for Jesse to play? Yeah,
you can't just go and surprise me with a house.
And I was supposed to say, oh, Darnell, that's nice.
At one point I would happened, but I'm not seventeen.
No more of responsibilities. I want to know if I
got to hook up for the Washington dry because I

(38:05):
gotta watch Justice clothes. I want to know if I
got a yard and and do have a fense, And
how about Jess. I gotta go to school. I ain't
worried about where to put the TV at. I still
how what's important to me? And you're supposed to know that, Dart.
Now you're supposed to know what's important to me, like
like I'm supposed to know what's important to you. I

(38:28):
am not asking you to do this by yourself. I
mean I am here with you, just together. See house
to no house. We're still like, got no food money.
But he would have come and told me. I mean,
if he would have, he would have shared us with me.

(38:48):
We could have win to my mother got eighty dollars
from the house and still have money for food. You
just don't all wrong done now, I mean you you
did the right things, just got at all all. Wow.
A lot of power in that monologue, a lot of power.

(39:11):
So this is the deal. A monologue is a piece
for you as actors to choose, right, So you choose
between comedy or dramatic. This was clearly dramatic and two minutes.
It's it's nothing. You know, we don't go past two minutes, right, Um,
this piece is really good for you because I can

(39:33):
see the versatility in your talent. You want to use
this two minutes to show all of the ebbs and
flows and the valies. Right, So I want to start
out first of all with um, it's not about the house.
Let's let's talk about the truth. It's not about the house.
It's about the fact that one what is it really

(39:54):
really about the fact that he's not sharing anythings with me,
Like he's doing things and speaking all the you were
by myself, and that doesn't feel like a relationship to me.
And I feel like I'm the one taking the front
of making sure that we're being responsible parents and he's
still just being the way we were before. Because you
guys met when you were seventeen, how old was he

(40:18):
he was eighteen we were only you didn't know anything
and and all. The only reference that you guys have,
unless there's somebody in your life that's guiding you and
mentoring you, is what you guys know when you were kids.
So that he hasn't moved from that because he doesn't
know anything else. You've moved from it. Why have you

(40:38):
moved from it? What made you moved from it? We
have a child, like, you have no choice but to
grow up when you have a child, like, especially if
you want to be a good parent. And I feel
like in the midst of this, we're starting to grow
apart because I'm parenting and he's still being the child.
And I don't I don't need to raise two children.
I want to raise one collectively with my sick of

(41:00):
we are. So you see how you have in this
conversation with me. That's how you need to have this
conversation with him. But if you know in a conversation
there's levels, especially when we're trying to convince someone, you know,
we might go through guilt, we might go through you know,
being manipulative. So in the beginning, what is the value

(41:20):
of a house? He can surprise you with a bouquet
of flowers, but to surprise you with a house. Listen,
there was background check in credit checking, like this was
really really important, and there's a trust thing there. So
there's a lot of things that you're like, it's a house,
there's responsibilities. We as a couple should talk about these things.

(41:44):
But he's only reacting and acting from what he knows,
which is not So you have to break this down
to him. And that's what you should think about it
in the beginning. You know, I I instead of being angry,
build your self to that anger because that's engaging to watch.
And also I like how you build yourself to the

(42:06):
point of like almost exhaustion and tears to get him
to understand what you were trying to say. Okay, and
we need to know at the end does he get it,
because your reaction is gonna let us know whether you
know you throw your hands and air like ah, you
know what I mean. We know he didn't get it,

(42:30):
you know what I mean? So you need to let
us see through this character what the resolution was. Okay,
digest some of that stuff. Also, it's really important that
actors remember to keep your inner voice working. Your inner
voice always has to work. For instance, you know, um,

(42:50):
when you said seventeen, it's like, yeah, I know, we
were kids, like, but we brought up. We're not seventeen anymore.
If you inter voice is working. There's things that go
through women's minds when we think, like this should be
so simple. Yeah, I got it all right, Okay, let's
do it again. A house A house? Don't you know

(43:23):
you ain't bout a house without me? How many times
when you're like, do you get to pick out a
house you bought? Have den? But darnell, that's what you
did so you can you can sit down there and
watch your football games. What about the kitchen, the bathroom?

(43:46):
I mean, how many windows doesn't been ro mad? Is
there a place for jesting to play? You can't just
go and surprise me with a house and I'm supposed
to say, oh, dunn, oh that's nice. At one point
I would have, but I am not seventeen no more.

(44:08):
I have responsibilities. I want to know if we got
to hook up for the washing the dryer, because I
gotta wash just I mean, I don't know if we
got a yard and do have a fence, just you
gotta go to school. I am worried about where but
the TV at that's not what's it important to me?

(44:28):
And you supposed to know that, Darnell, You're supposed to
know it's supportant to me. It's like I am supposed
to know it's important to you. I am not asking
you despite your son. I am here with you. We

(44:50):
we are in this together. But see a house and
no house. We still ain't got no food money, But
you come told me, I mean and if you want
to share this with me to my mother and got
eighty dollars for my house and still had money for food.

(45:15):
You did the right thing. But you you just did
it all along. He doesn't get it. He doesn't get it.
He's never gonna get it. And did it feel better?
Did it feel different? Feel different? Yeah? You know, like
you gotta talk to him. You gotta get him to understand.

(45:39):
And at the ends raise the stakes when you say
you did it all wrong, you did it right because
he's standing there thinking, I did the best thing in
the whole of my world. I got a house, the
woman I love in my child, you know what I mean.
So connect with what he's feeling a little bit more.
And then because the tears are already there. But that's

(46:02):
going to give you something else. When you see his pain,
look at his pain. Okay, so he's saying that, uh
you said, raise the stakes was the end when you yeah,
Because when you say you did it all wrong, but
you did it right, but you did it all wrong.
You did the right thing. You just approached it wrong.

(46:25):
You should have approached it. You should have approached it
by sitting down and saying, let's together by house. What
do you want? Three bedrooms? One bad. He should have
done that, but he didn't. The way he did it
was wrong to you, but it was right. But in
that exchange you should feel his emotion because when you

(46:45):
said you did it all wrong, I mean naturally, he
could be like wow, right, and then you're like no, no,
no, no no, you did it right, which lifts him up
a little bit. But you did wrong way you approached it.
But okay, okay, okay, excellent. Thank you so much. Hey, okay,

(47:14):
thank you for being in class and session. And next
we have give love, and now it's time for give love.
Chance never helps those who do not help themselves. When
you find yourself going through challenging times, you should know
this too. Show pass and I know that it's easy

(47:35):
to say, and I know that it sounds cliche, but
there's a favorite. I have this favorite song by George Benson. Right,
this is years ago, this is going to the archives people,
but he has a song that says everything must change,
winter turns the spring, wounded hearts must heal. And when

(47:56):
you're caught up in a challenging time, when you're caught
up in a lot of emotional yeah, you can't really
see clearly, but when you sit still and you envision
that you take that breath. Yes it is challenging. Yes,
we all are going through this. But one day we're
going to go outside. One day we're gonna take a breath.

(48:19):
One day we're gonna let that sun. And I think
one of the most beautiful exchanges that I've had with
Soriah is just being so grateful for everything that you have. Everything.
She said to me the other day, Grandma, we were
going to the store really super quickly, and she said, Grandma,
I don't need any toys because I'm good. I got toys.

(48:44):
And I thought, wow, that's so cool because she really
is taking time and playing with her dolls and her
paints and putting her crayons back in the right place,
making sure she doesn't break them. There's so much atitude
during this time, and gratitude is magic. And if we
all spend ten minutes today just sitting in the space

(49:07):
and being grateful for what we have, we can produce
and manifest more of that. That's gonna happen, and that's
gonna come. But just as we are doing all the
right things now and washing her hands and staying inside,
we have to be conscious that when this changes, we're

(49:28):
gonna have a different outlook. We're gonna have a different perspective,
and that's okay. Don't fear the unknown, embrace it with
love and gratitude. Thank you for joining us on the
Spirited Actor podcast with me Tracy Moore. I look forward
to our next Spirited podcast. Thank you.