May 19, 2020 • 49 mins
Gregory has a recurring role on the third season of the hit HBO series “Westworld” as ‘Reed Philips.” Gregory’s next episode of Westworld, titled “Decoherence” will air on Sunday, April 19th on HBO. If this will air after the 19th, then of course fine to not mention the episode date and just that he can be seen on the current season. He was recently Pre-Nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category “Outstanding Performance by a supporting Actor in a Digital Drama” for his role on and the Emmy-winning web series, "Venice the Series.” Judging is happening now through 4/26.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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's Balls 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 my
casting director, that is powerful meditation of the day. If
(01:06):
you really want something, you can figure out how to
make it happen. Share. I learned very early in my
career to jump hurdles if you allow other people to
control your life, you will never succeed. When people tell
me it can't happen, I get fueled up because I
(01:26):
love the challenge to make it happen. I have a
burning desire to do what I do. I love my job.
When you feel the passion for what you do, you
create for yourself. Regardless of the obstacles. Today, I will
leap over hurdles that try to block my path. Welcome
(01:50):
to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, and
I am very thrilled, very excited to introduce to you
actor Gregory Zarian. And you may know Gregory from Let's
See uh West World. Uh. You may know him from
(02:11):
Venice the series, or you may know him from Days
of Our Lives. That's just a few of his credits
on IMDb dot com. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you
to put your hands together because you are going to
once again the knowledge, the insight, and what I love
about Gregory from the first time I met him was
(02:33):
the love and his love of the craft. So I
want to introduce to you, ladies and gentlemen, Gregory Zarian. Yeah,
good morning, I'm great. Thank you for waking up. UM,
I just want to let our listeners note that you're
(02:56):
in Los Angeles, so it's eight in the morning for
you right now, you know, and considering like it was
nice to wake up and grow on a dress, shirt
and sweater and get it ready for my Tracy no, I, uh, well,
I want to let everyone know that, UM, I have
(03:16):
a pleasure of working with you, UM in Los Angeles
on a film called The Choir Director. Uh. Carl Webber
was executive producer and I was producing a film with
him and UM. The reason why I know it was
a Friday is because UM, one of the producers had
like an appointment that was scheduled every Friday, and so
(03:41):
I was kind of left in charge to you know,
I just make sure things were moving smoothly and holding
everybody else down. UM. And and it was your scene
in the house. It was and here's an here's what
it was. And I'll never forget this job is because
(04:04):
one of the actors fell out and with it was
Eric Roberts. With a couple of days, my manager at
the time called me and she goes, You're in a movie.
It's called a wire director. You're playing Pastor Giannetti. You Um.
In your first scene, you have a gun in your
hand and I went, wait what And I walk into
(04:25):
this beautiful home it was it was Dr Lama's home.
And I remember walking in and let's see of people
and kind of being like okay, hi, and you came
up to me, you greeted me. And what I love
is you became an anchor for me on that project.
(04:46):
Oh well no, but here's because I'm walking into something
that's already being found. Right, I'm walking into a family.
You know, it's it's product. You know they've been and
because is about They've been so lovely to me, but
it's his family and an actor all the time, walk
into something that's already being done. Um, you know I did. UM.
(05:11):
I did a Criminal Minds a year and a half
ago and Montana was so wonderful to me and he
sent me an out and he said, I have to
give it off to you. Guessed our actors, because what
you do is so hard compared to what we do.
We are given a day or two days or five
days to create this life, and they are given seasons
(05:36):
to embody these worlds. And it so from the minute
you walked through that door on No matter what. And
what was so great about you is I didn't I
didn't know you, and I didn't know your purpose or
what your job was, but we said hello. What's so
(05:57):
great is you had me at Hello. And you know
it's true, Tracy, you you totally just grabbed my hand
and my first scene is I'm bowing upstairs holding a gun.
You just really watched over me, and I am forever
grateful on that. So that's why you know, every time
(06:18):
I'm in New York, I make sure that we see
each other. And because you took care of me in
a moment where I was the new kid on the block.
And as you say, for most people find somebody on
a job or a set that you can just even
look at that gives you a little bit of foundation.
A lot of times it's wardrobe, it's hair and makeup,
(06:39):
it's and I know your purpose or what you were doing.
But I asked. You know a lot of people don't ask,
They just make about here and I'm doing my job,
is asked ask hey, how are you part of this?
What do what do you do? And yeah, I fell
in love it Hello, so so did I. It was
just it was an energy and it was a communication
(07:02):
and a respect for acting. And I have to say that. Um.
That's one of the things about Try destined with Indie
UM for those of you don't know Indie Brown, trade
um man Um and Veronica. I mean there if I
walked into a family myself. UM. But in terms of actors,
(07:25):
they have a pool of actors who are so dedicated
to them and committed because you know, they treat them
like people as well. So UM, for me, I I'm
just an actor's person. So coming from a casting director
and champion you guys, and then um as an acting coach,
being on the set and really understanding, I love what
(07:49):
you said about you know, there's a lot of things
going on on the set, you know, wardrobe and you
know there's hair and all of this, and there's this
environment like law and order. It's there's a template. Rectors
come in. They can't come in with ideas. This is
the tiplate is how we shoot the show. Right. So, UM,
(08:09):
how do you, as you know, guest starring, like, what
is your preparation into creating these characters and becoming these
characters in such a short time. You know, that's that's
a great question, you know, I you know, you get
the audition or form. For me, you get the audition.
(08:30):
Uh what I do was I get the audition and
I just read it once. I then read the scene
out loud. I then take a moment and try to
take a walk, and then I write a letter to
the person I'm playing opposite, or a letter to God
(08:53):
just about the character, just to get an idea to
you know, one thing that I have found really works
for me is, you know, we all have mannerisms, we
all have actions. I've recently noticed them. You know, Jennifer
Aniston really breaking great life. And when I say life,
(09:15):
I'm talking about you know, there's actors that don't move
and super and I'm not so super talented. But then
I was again, just watched a movie with her, and
she put her hair behind her ear, she adjusted her caller,
she moved her ring. She was living in that moment.
(09:35):
And what I have realized is within every character, after
reading it out loud or possibly writing a letter or
taking a walk and seeing what he feels like, is
when I'm reading it, I see what I'm authentically doing.
Taking my hand and going up to my eyebrow. Am
(09:57):
I rubbing my hand through my hair, am I just
sitting still? I feel that the movement or the adjustment
physically brings life to the words, and in in here's
the thing and what we did together. I'm giving a gun.
(10:19):
And it was a day a day and a half
of these pages. And I'm not getting for those of
you that Donald care whether he's he's a phenomenal writer,
he's what is the New York Times bestseller or Times?
You know right now? They're during the Family Business season two,
So and you're in that congratulation fingers crossed. I was
(10:42):
in one fingers crossed. I'm putting it out there, thank you.
But he's a storyteller, and so our job is to
bring in great storyteller. And I I get to know
who my character is by the gesture, by the moment,
(11:03):
by the feeling every what am I doing? Okay? In
the bi director gun in hand, I assume my wife
is upstairs with the right. What the hell right? So
it's this conflict of me and God and a gun,
what's what's my story? Why am I? Why am I
(11:24):
a pastor? So it's all of that and that's how
I get prepared. And then the beautiful part of all
of it is you then get an amazing scene partner
that delivers you know, you know again Alexander Jews who
played my wife in the film, it was boom, let's get,
let's get, let's get messy, you know, you know, let's
(11:47):
let's go and again back to Tridestine. Is they just
let you get on the playground And Dave, we as
actors just want to be fear to listen play because
you was a casting director or director against your growing
that modification. Like I love it when somebody says, can
(12:08):
you bring it down a little bit? Absolutely, because you
know I can already get there right right, so and
you want a casting director to say that to you
as opposed to can you give me a little more energy?
You know? Um, something else? You know what I'm saying
is you know it's easier to bring it down than
(12:30):
bring it up. Yes, yeah, yeah, I love. I want
to ask you about reading out loud because Um, I
was doing a film years ago with a director named
Jeff Standler. Um. It was called Jumping at the Bone Yard,
Tim Roth's first American film, independent Um Alexis Arquette, real
(12:54):
gritty independent film. And I was auditioning all of these
white guys is from in there like mid to like
late twenties. It was like Ethan Hawk and you know,
real New York actors at that time. And Gary Senesis
came in and oh my god, he blew us away
(13:17):
right and then um, Jeff was like, uh, you know what,
let's bring in this other actor. Um and and he
was like, you know, Tracy, give him some different sides
because he's so good, Let's get him a bigger role.
And he literally picked up the sides like this in
(13:38):
the audition because I was like, you can go outside
whenever you're ready, let me know, you can come in,
take the time, the whole speel right. And he was like, no,
I'm good. And we were like, come boy, we know
you haven't seen the script. We know, no, go outside, man,
take a time. This whole new character he blew us
(14:00):
away and I was like, ha ha, how did you
do that? How right? He was like, you have to read.
Actors have to read aloud all the time. You have
to get comfortable putting other people's words in your mouth
and hearing that because not everybody speaks how you speak.
So I'm curious to know your process and reading out loud. Um,
(14:22):
what that does for you, because actors need to know that.
What it does for me is that it's exactly what
that is. It has me hearing the word it's you know,
Sandy Logan, another cast and direct to hear in Los Angeles. Uh,
she did, Uh, she did, Nancy Drew the New he drew,
(14:45):
she did Dynasty, and she's done everything. She actually says.
When you get sides, and here's the thing, a lot
of times now you on the side off book, you
want to memorize, you know these, you're familiar with your pages.
When you say it out loud, you memorize it better.
When I read it out loud the very first time.
(15:08):
My saying it out loud is actually not even really loud.
It's more of a whisper, because when you're saying it
out wild, the whisper is more personal. So already the
first time I read it, I'm getting an idea of Okay,
what is this? Okay, great? Got it, got it, And
I'm just making it my own. They're your words, but
I'm making them my own. And it's just and you
(15:30):
hear it, and then you you pay attention more to
the punctuation that dot dot dot the comma the you know,
it pauses a beautiful you know, saying nothing saying everything.
Oh my god. That's so that's what that is for
me is uh. I mean people see me like I'm
(15:51):
reading my script out loud and they're like, he's crazy
because I'm saying my words and I'm getting them down
and then seeing how my character would do this walking, talking, speaking,
and I also become very familiar with what the person
had just said and what they're gonna say. Just part
(16:12):
of the playground. You know, on the playground, you have
the swing set, you have han box, you have the
grassy field you have so it's part of all of
that for me. And what I do love about what
you said when Gary's and he came in and he
had two seconds and he read it out loud is
you don't think about it right. You don't sometimes as
actor as we over prepare, and that's about it. It's
(16:36):
most authentic. And I also give myself a cut off time,
like once i feel like I've had it down for
that day, I got it again, because I'll wake up
and I'll be book because you are asking director, You're
not gonna not hire me because I missed a couple
of words, You're gonna not hire me because when I'm
(16:56):
not right for the party too. I came in and
I'm prepared in three the director wanted somebody with red hair,
you know what, right, right, And there are those elements that. Um.
What I always say to actors is it's so important.
I know actors want the gig. I get that, but
to be remembered is so much more powerful because that
(17:19):
casting director will speak to other casting directors about you. Um,
your name starts to circulate, they will keep calling you
in until you book something. UM. So it really is
about the work. And that's what I also appreciate love
about you is the work. The work that you put in.
I don't it doesn't matter if your day player, doesn't
(17:41):
matter if your contract player. The same work applies. Um.
And another thing. Um, And that's what I wanted to
ask you in terms of the work. UM. You know,
I know that there are actors that are listening and
saying because they're in my classes, a lot of times
they want to skip through certain processes and it's like, yeah,
(18:03):
I just want to get a job. I just want
to get a job. You are a working actor, a
consistently working actor. You still put in the work. Ohr,
I do. And here's and here's one thing that I
say it is, but here's here's the truth too, is
the work is the word. There's also a lot of
work outside of the audition in getting the job. The
(18:26):
work is. You know, when you walk into an office,
you said hi to the casting associate. When you walk
into an office, you're you're a gentleman, you say thank you,
pleads you're courteous too, fellow actors. You you're kind. You know,
when you walk into a casting session, you you suss
out the session and you say hello, you you you
(18:50):
are you are an utmost professional. You know. The work
is when you get a job, you send that handwritten
no you know, I I I'm like with such it's
such a huge job and it was such a huge experience.
Um I sent h thank you gift to Jonathan Nolan
(19:12):
and his wife and my jo because they were candles
and they were they were, but they were also they're
they're also very dear to me and might say that
a handwritten note. Oh yeah, but that that's your job,
you know. People know when I when I was on
(19:33):
a West World, the script supervisor worked with me a
year and a half ago on counterbook and she said,
and she's great, and but there was this connect going
back to what I said earlier. So and everybody, your
script supervisor will save you. Yes, people say who is that?
It's the woman and that's holding the book, that is
(19:55):
making sure you get every word right. That's right. So
it's so you're like, my job today is spending time. Seriously,
I wrote down one of those as you said, be remembered.
You know, since I knew I was gonna see you,
I kind of stopped you and I watched your podcasts.
I mean I listened and I went back to some
(20:15):
of this stuff that you just had that said about
bringing in props. That's a great note. You know, my
job is always looking. It's asking questions, it's you know,
it's stealing moments. It's finding people like you that said, hey,
what are they looking for? Hey? You know, it's being
in the inquiry of everything because you're given one day
(20:39):
to bring magic to that guest star role. And if
you're lucky enough, you're got to be a series regular
or featured player. And you know, one thing too that
I want to say is I've had some amazing parts
that our coach stars. They've prepared, you know there's they're
the saying is there's no small part. There's not just
fuel your magic. It fuels your creative. It gets you
(21:04):
in there. And so that's that's when again long answers,
it's your work and hang up your clothes and your trailer.
M hm, that's a hang up your clothes and growing
away your plates. Nobody is your maid. Um, the person
(21:24):
the caterer asked them how they are talked to the
person that does craft services. Um, you have the wardrobe
or the costumer and how she is today. It just
makes it an amazing experience. And that assistant. We'll talk
to the customer, we'll talk to makeup, we'll talk to
(21:44):
the best friend who's married to the director. And that's right,
that's right you are. But what's what you are saying
is something that I UM often stressed to actors is
un are standing how to work on a set. Because
I've seen a sound person on barbershop. One refer an
(22:08):
actor that we were working with to another film in
Los Angeles to the director because him and the director
are close and they didn't have to audition. Based on
his word, they were cast, so you have to understand
the relationship. And also I think too that you know,
with being as um an acting coach and being a
(22:31):
celebrity acting coach, onset with my clients, I take them
to their apartment or wherever their environment that they're playing,
and I make them go in the refrigerator and I
know a set, you know, designer and the proper person
put everything there. But this is there point of view
(22:51):
of what you eat, of how you live. So not
only do you settle in that environment, but if you
understand the relayationship between you and the other crew, you
can say, you know, I wouldn't listen to those records.
You know, I wouldn't have those records there because someone
like you, Gregory, who really goes in for the jugular
(23:13):
of your character, you would have a reason to say
to the director, this is the reason why I wouldn't
have those albums, and the director would say, you know what,
You're absolutely right, let's strike those albums from this, you know,
back to you know what I mean, you know, back
to two experiences on Criminal Minds. When I was on
(23:34):
set and I was directed by Leona Shasa, who's an
amazing director. I was sitting at desk and I looked
and I said, some of this doesn't feel right, and
he let me set up my desk. Going back, Trey,
Trey had me. They had me on a film with
Rumor Willis and I and they said, okay, you know
(23:55):
you first day you have an office and I said,
I have to decorate my office. It needs to be mine.
I need to. And I was this over the top
producer that it was all about me, surprise, an actor's dream.
But and I decorated my desk and when props came in,
they but I'm like, nope, it doesn't work. They even
(24:16):
gave me um a whiskey glass and I went, it
doesn't feel right when they brought me another glass because
you have to fee and use the most times out
of that they want you to bring your best game
to what this character is has a definite job. They
have to get all these things down. However, you created
(24:41):
so it feels most like home to you at that
given situation. And Tracy, I want to go back to
walking into that movie, meeting you and you guiding me
into this situation. Is you took me on this journey
as to and I'm sitting here reminiscing about there but
(25:06):
you and I downstairs and getting situated, and you were
allowing and assisting and caring for me in such a
way that allowed me to create that magic. And for
anybody that's listening, that's just acting gold two. Have somebody
(25:31):
on a production walk you and assist you and be
present with you enough to create that beautiful story. And
in uh, I mean, I want to just forever grateful
for that, because you you always walk onto something that's
already working, and so that's that's really grateful that for me. Um,
(25:59):
the producing side of it. Um, you want everything to
go right when all the and plus I think Carl
was back in New York at the time, so I
was really represted, and so you just want things to
go seamless. But anybody who is in production knows expect
the unexpected, and so you just kind of pivot and
(26:22):
you just loose. So UM, I did have a relationship
with the crew by then, um, the actors, and so
it was important for me that not only did you
have a comfort, but this was such a pivotal moment
in the story, and that was another responsibility to make
(26:43):
sure that we told that part of the story, and
you did, and you know you did, and and and
then when you it's like, once you guys get the permission,
then you soar. And the permission is that you allow
yourself when you you stopped thinking. I love when you
said you say your lines out loud, people like he's
(27:04):
reading his lines out loud. That's the artist in you,
who cares. You know, I don't care what anybody thinks.
You just that's and that's a freedom. And not everyone
has that freedom to exist in a world as themselves
to live the truth. Because your job is to live
the truth of these characters. But if you don't know
(27:25):
the truth of Gregory's life, how can you be somebody else?
Absolutely you know it's true. I uh, that's that said.
That's a that's a great point. And yes, you know,
back to where you just said, you work Harl's eyes
and takes for being sent to him via and you
(27:50):
came to me and you're like, he know's what you're doing.
And then we moved on. And here's what you know
a lot of people say, Okay, that was great, let's
do another take. That doesn't mean give it up. It
just means stay the course. But for me, it's what
can I also do? Since I think given, here's the thing,
one thing that I do want every job. As I
(28:10):
talked to my director, tell me what you're looking for?
What are you looking at? And if they say, just
do what you get Jonathan Nolan, I said, Jonathan, are
you happy with all that's going on? And he said listening,
I don't like what you're doing. I'm gonna be up
to your butt. And I said, that's fantastic, greg And
he gave me a lot of people are afraid of
your director, director, so have a chat with that, say
(28:33):
good morning, see what's going on? All of you were
telling the story. So it's uh, but you know what
also to um and maybe you can this goes by
too fast, Gregory. You know, I would love to extend
another invitation because I just got the countdown in five minutes.
(28:54):
But I gotta squeeze in some jewels and pearls from
from you to our listeners, which um, and especially right
now where they have time to hold in their craft
and nurture and do these things. UM. But it's like,
you know, you have a different there's a different energy
(29:15):
that you bring because being on these sets, most directors
are setting up shots. And so if you want to
have a conversation with the director, that director has to
have an understanding of acting or or a love a
passion of actors, because that's where they When I did
Finding Forrester with Buster Rants and I was able to
(29:39):
have a conversation with gust van Zand about some things
about you know, Buster's character, to bring back the Buster.
He's an actor's director. He wants that conversation. He wants
you to develop. So you're right, you should have a
relationship where you can talk to your directors. But not
(30:00):
all directors have that conversation with actors. No, but that's
when the assistant director is gold. Yeah, you know, I
got I mean, but you have to know who. You
have to know the relationship going back to knowing and
how is set runs, you have to know what the
relationship is of a d You ask you listen, there's
(30:22):
there's a p A. You talk to your p day. Listen.
I need to if there's anything that I can talk
to my director of my great If not, can you
and I talk? You know you? And here's the thing,
it's all you're doing is asking a question. Yeah, there's
been some directors that didn't want to talk to me,
and there was nothing other than they wanted to see
(30:44):
what I brought. And to me, that's magic too. That's like, Okay,
I was hired for something I'm going to bring again.
And one thing that actors, you know, we always wait
to get a note from the actor, and then a
lot of the times the director will say, you know, Tracy,
give me giveme Tracy's give me give me a Tracy shot,
you know, like they say, or give me a give
(31:05):
me a Gregory take. The day it's the end of
the day, You've done dirty takes, give me give me
we just one for Gregory and you finally do your
freedom shot as you and they're like, why didn't you
do that? Thirty tastes ago. So I walked into every
job giving a gregorys take. Yeah, well, because then it's
you hired me to give you Gregory stake. That there's
(31:29):
and I truly believe if there's something that they didn't
like on Westworld, still shooting right right, being fearless and
free and you got the job. How fun you got
the job, You get a play, and it's if somebody
(31:49):
doesn't like what you're doing, you're gonna hear about it.
And when you get a note about hey, you know,
can you bring it down or hey they didn't like that.
You're not getting shamed or fault. They're like, just give
us something different, right, that's all because you may you
may hear something different, feel something different, Listen to different
way listening. Okay, Gregory, You've got to give me some
(32:13):
girls and so jewels. And then I'm going to thank
you Matthew because I know Matthew was on and I
just want to give him a shout out. Matthew Gibson
your he has been wonderful connecting us. Oh yeah, we're
give me a match up. So I'm gonna get in
touch with Matthew and ask Matthew if you can come
play again because we need to talk about West World.
(32:36):
I want to talk about also the difference between soap
operacting TV film. You've done it all and there are
different preparations and you know, so I want to get
into that, um but I just want to say, man,
like I don't even have words, Gregory, Like I don't
(32:56):
because you know you already know like you do. You're
making me cry. Oh no, don't cry. Just come back
on the show. I'm on the show. And here's what
I love though, is I know I gotta wrap out
is especially with where we are in the world today
at this moment, moments like this on taking for granted
(33:19):
and you know, seeing you and feeling you know, I
remember hug on the street. Yeah, taking that photo of
you and me hugging on the street, and we created
this relationship from a great last minute. Hey, you gotta
be at this house and you're playing a pastor, right,
so try Destin Films. Thank you because they gave this
(33:42):
beautiful relationship. I agree, and I definitely cherished this relationship.
I'm so grateful Gregory. Ladies and gentlemen. Once again, after
extraordinaire gregorys Zari, Yay Gregory, and you're gonna come back.
He's gonna come He's gonna drop some more jewels, Okay,
and we're gonna come back with our next segment. Class
(34:06):
in session. Gregory is going to read with Lean, so
stay with us. Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast
with me Tracy Moore. And you know this is my
favorite segment Class in session and we are still blessed
to have Gregory's arian with us. Actor EXTRAORDINARIY give it
(34:28):
up for Gregory. Yeah, and joining us in class in
session always miss Lean a motto hey leanne Okay, Okay.
The seat is called coming out, um and I will
(34:48):
read everything the slug line and action and whenever you
guys are ready, Lean Gregory okay. Interior living room day.
The couple sits in their living room with space between them.
The tension is loud. They're barely able to face each other,
unable to find their words. I knew, he looks at her.
(35:15):
I I love you so much that I didn't even
want to consider the thoughts of it, so I just
I ignored it. But I knew all this time. I knew,
And he looks back down. I mean, you would just
show me little things and signs and I would just
(35:35):
shrug it offer I would just find a way to justify.
I never wanted to hurt you. I mean a figures
it would have been a good time to talk about it.
Trying really hard to be understanding, he hesitates and says nothing.
(35:56):
Then I'm I'm still confused myself. HM, Well, you'll have
all the freedom now to figure it out. Stop. This
is not how I wanted, you know, Rob please, I'm
(36:21):
really trying here, and that's the last thing that I
need to hear. She feels bad. I'm sorry. I'm just
say I want to try to wrap my head around
it because everything just feels like a line now, like
it wasn't It doesn't even feel like we never even
(36:41):
had the real thing. She looks at him with her eyes.
That would kill Crystal. It's it was real. You are
the best thing that's ever happened to me. You You're
my best friend. It's it's why I struggled so badly
with this. You know, it would have been better if
(37:04):
it was a woman, because at least that we could
have came out of I based my whole life on you. What? What? Maybe? What?
What do you? What do you want me to say? Crystal? What?
I am sorry? I'm sorry, I can't go back and
I I have to figure this out. Wait? Am I
(37:32):
Am I wrong to say that? Damn? Wow? Interested that
it feels good too to say it out loud? Wow?
And seeing now that's very nice. Always called reads ladies
(37:53):
and gentlemen. So Gregory, UM, what would you like to add? Subtract?
It's on you? Um, Here's what I loved about you? Know.
One thing that's important for me when I work is
(38:13):
to connect that idea ways out. I always asked the
person that I'm working with three questions, three personal questions.
What's your favorite flower, what's your favorite color? And what
makes you happy? Is just so I can get an
idea and I have a little bit of history. So
when I look at you, when we didn't do it,
but I always like to get in personally. When I
(38:35):
loved about what you did is even though we resooming,
you looked at me, you you took positives. I felt
like you were in it. Um really really uh enjoyed that.
One thing that I just want to say is if
you want to get mad, get mad, you want to
(38:56):
be the trigger being betrayed. And here's here's what I
love about when you said if it was a woman.
One of my very very best friends was in a
relationship and he ended up being in love with a man.
And when I was helping her through it, I said,
you don't have the same plumbing, so it's so you
can't compete with that. You get to be piste and
(39:18):
even though it says angry, you get to be pissed.
You get it. You know it. The only thing it
said to me is it said for me character wise,
is that I take a beat. I pause, you know,
h looking at you and getting experienced. Okay, I didn't
plan on tears to come, so you invited that in
(39:40):
with me. There's a delicateness to you that was really tender.
But my one note is feel it be pissed. Have
you ever been cheated on m hm? It sucks and
you can't compete with the plumbing. So just allow yourself
to be fearless on not and go all out. And
(40:03):
Tracy will give us a note and say, hey, bring
it down, bring it back, go here, go there. You know,
she just what she wants to see, what we authentically
bring to it. Mm hmmm. That was yes, No, that
was It was beautiful. I love the fact that at
the end I felt like you had you had a resolve.
(40:27):
You had time to have this cover you, you know
what's going on with yourself. She did not have time
to prep this, um to even think that this was possible.
All of this was very jarring to her. Um. But you,
like you said, I was ushering you. I felt you
(40:49):
were ushering her through this and letting her you know,
it is difficult. It is something that you know she
is going to compare herself and try to figure out
and all of these things which you'll never know. But
I saw the best friend in you. That's what I saw,
and that was nice. That was very nice because it
(41:11):
wasn't selfish. You know, you cared about her, cared enough
about her feelings. So we can just I'm not reading anything.
You guys just want to exchange some lines and see
now with that land and apply that. Okay, yeah, all right,
whenever you guys are ready. I knew I love you
(41:38):
so much, and I was just I didn't even want
to consider the thought of it, so I just ignored it.
But all of this time I knew you give me
little things and signs, but I would just shrug it
(41:59):
off and I would just find a way to justify it.
I never wanted to hurt you. I mean, a couple
of years in I would have been an appropriate time
to say so. I'm trying really hard here to be understanding.
I'm still confused myself. Well, you have all the freedom
(42:30):
now to figure it out. Stop. Stop, this is not
I would wanted Rob, Please, I'm trying here. It's the
last thing I need to hear. God, I'm sorry, I'm
(42:51):
just I'm trying to just wrap my head around it.
Do everything feel like a line now? Like it wasn't
It wasn't even the real thing, baby, No, no, no, Crystal,
it was real. You are the best thing that's ever
(43:14):
happened to me. You are my best friend. It's why
I struggled so bad with this. M If it was
(43:35):
a woman, we could have came back from this with this.
I think my whole life on you stop. What do
you want me to do? What do you want me
(43:57):
to say? Christa? What? I am sorry, I'm sorry, I
can't go back and I h I have to figure
this out. H m hm am I on to say that?
(44:28):
Damn mm hmm. It feels good to say that out loud,
seem till I'm crying. Both of you touching, very touching now.
(44:55):
And that's just the second read. Imagine the work and
this and I love the preparation Gregory manby Lee and
what here. Thank you because you took me on some
a different ride like I don't even when Tracy getting
out about being my best friend like you, it's a
(45:19):
great game of tennants. You served as her back. We
had there's a volley so good and so beauty like it.
I was questioning my resolve this time more because of
what you gave me. To the very end, I'm like, well,
(45:40):
wait a minute, I can't hurt you anymore, but I
got to see what it is. So hats off to you.
That was fantastic, Thank you, beautiful to you, and I
felt Tracy said it exactly before, Um, I really feel
I still like, I feel the friend in you. Oh.
(46:03):
I don't want to be mad at you, but like
I am so like I try to take your your
point out angry. I'm so angry what I feel. You're
you're warm. I like, I love you, but this is
going about to what you It's it's not personal like
(46:25):
I love you, I don't want I don't want to
not have you. I just you don't have the plummet
and it's and it's not your fault. This is not
your fault. So it's um in the head again. How
beautiful that we made each other cry? Yeah, God, Grid,
(46:47):
that's kind. Oh my god, that was riminating you guys,
Thank you so much. Wow. Okay, well that's it for
class and session. And now you know why I call
him Gregory Zarian after extraordinaire ladies and gentlemen, put your
hands together from Mr Gregory Sarrian. He's gonna go back.
(47:09):
We're gonna go back. I might have to give comedy
to you and lean because you got us falling over. Okay,
all right, okay, and now it's time for give love
on The Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. Thank you,
and now it's time to give love. I like taking
(47:32):
the time and looking through a child's eyes. And my granddaughter,
Sara is seven years old. And when the coronavirus first
hit and we had to stay inside, Um, you know,
she's a kid, she's seven. I thought she was gonna,
you know, kind of freak out, like you know, I'm
not gonna be around my friends. We can't go to
(47:54):
the playground, what about going to get pizza all of that. However,
to my surprise, um, she said, well, Grandma, are you
gonna be here? And I was like, yeah, I'm gonna
be with you. And she was like, well, I have
much toys, have cable, we have internet, I climic games
since the YouTube, and we have food, and we have
(48:15):
heat and my favorite blanket or mermaid blanket and as
she was laundry listing all of these things, I was
just saying thank you. I just remember being grateful for
everything that she was saying, because you know, we're at
a place in humanity where we have to look out
(48:36):
for everybody because everybody doesn't have toys and and everybody
doesn't have food at a home. And so I was
really grateful that she was grateful and that somewhere along
the line I've given her that I've been a part
of that. And so it's not about what we have,
because at the end of the day, we all are
(48:59):
on the same and page. Regardless of anything else. We
all are going through this together around the world. So
she teaches me every day to keep it simple. She
teaches me to stay present. She teaches me to understand
that when we stay present, we are building our future.
So in being present, I want to keep it simple.
(49:22):
I want us all to keep it simple. I want
us all to believe and know we're going to get
through this. We're gonna be different, things are going to
be different, but we are going to get through this.
Keep it simple. Thank you for joining us on the
Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I look forward
(49:43):
to our next Spirited podcast. Thank you,
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's Balls 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 my
casting director, that is powerful meditation of the day. If
(01:06):
you really want something, you can figure out how to
make it happen. Share. I learned very early in my
career to jump hurdles if you allow other people to
control your life, you will never succeed. When people tell
me it can't happen, I get fueled up because I
(01:26):
love the challenge to make it happen. I have a
burning desire to do what I do. I love my job.
When you feel the passion for what you do, you
create for yourself. Regardless of the obstacles. Today, I will
leap over hurdles that try to block my path. Welcome
(01:50):
to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, and
I am very thrilled, very excited to introduce to you
actor Gregory Zarian. And you may know Gregory from Let's
See uh West World. Uh. You may know him from
(02:11):
Venice the series, or you may know him from Days
of Our Lives. That's just a few of his credits
on IMDb dot com. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you
to put your hands together because you are going to
once again the knowledge, the insight, and what I love
about Gregory from the first time I met him was
(02:33):
the love and his love of the craft. So I
want to introduce to you, ladies and gentlemen, Gregory Zarian. Yeah,
good morning, I'm great. Thank you for waking up. UM,
I just want to let our listeners note that you're
(02:56):
in Los Angeles, so it's eight in the morning for
you right now, you know, and considering like it was
nice to wake up and grow on a dress, shirt
and sweater and get it ready for my Tracy no, I, uh, well,
I want to let everyone know that, UM, I have
(03:16):
a pleasure of working with you, UM in Los Angeles
on a film called The Choir Director. Uh. Carl Webber
was executive producer and I was producing a film with
him and UM. The reason why I know it was
a Friday is because UM, one of the producers had
like an appointment that was scheduled every Friday, and so
(03:41):
I was kind of left in charge to you know,
I just make sure things were moving smoothly and holding
everybody else down. UM. And and it was your scene
in the house. It was and here's an here's what
it was. And I'll never forget this job is because
(04:04):
one of the actors fell out and with it was
Eric Roberts. With a couple of days, my manager at
the time called me and she goes, You're in a movie.
It's called a wire director. You're playing Pastor Giannetti. You Um.
In your first scene, you have a gun in your
hand and I went, wait what And I walk into
(04:25):
this beautiful home it was it was Dr Lama's home.
And I remember walking in and let's see of people
and kind of being like okay, hi, and you came
up to me, you greeted me. And what I love
is you became an anchor for me on that project.
(04:46):
Oh well no, but here's because I'm walking into something
that's already being found. Right, I'm walking into a family.
You know, it's it's product. You know they've been and
because is about They've been so lovely to me, but
it's his family and an actor all the time, walk
into something that's already being done. Um, you know I did. UM.
(05:11):
I did a Criminal Minds a year and a half
ago and Montana was so wonderful to me and he
sent me an out and he said, I have to
give it off to you. Guessed our actors, because what
you do is so hard compared to what we do.
We are given a day or two days or five
days to create this life, and they are given seasons
(05:36):
to embody these worlds. And it so from the minute
you walked through that door on No matter what. And
what was so great about you is I didn't I
didn't know you, and I didn't know your purpose or
what your job was, but we said hello. What's so
(05:57):
great is you had me at Hello. And you know
it's true, Tracy, you you totally just grabbed my hand
and my first scene is I'm bowing upstairs holding a gun.
You just really watched over me, and I am forever
grateful on that. So that's why you know, every time
(06:18):
I'm in New York, I make sure that we see
each other. And because you took care of me in
a moment where I was the new kid on the block.
And as you say, for most people find somebody on
a job or a set that you can just even
look at that gives you a little bit of foundation.
A lot of times it's wardrobe, it's hair and makeup,
(06:39):
it's and I know your purpose or what you were doing.
But I asked. You know a lot of people don't ask,
They just make about here and I'm doing my job,
is asked ask hey, how are you part of this?
What do what do you do? And yeah, I fell
in love it Hello, so so did I. It was
just it was an energy and it was a communication
(07:02):
and a respect for acting. And I have to say that. Um.
That's one of the things about Try destined with Indie
UM for those of you don't know Indie Brown, trade
um man Um and Veronica. I mean there if I
walked into a family myself. UM. But in terms of actors,
(07:25):
they have a pool of actors who are so dedicated
to them and committed because you know, they treat them
like people as well. So UM, for me, I I'm
just an actor's person. So coming from a casting director
and champion you guys, and then um as an acting coach,
being on the set and really understanding, I love what
(07:49):
you said about you know, there's a lot of things
going on on the set, you know, wardrobe and you
know there's hair and all of this, and there's this
environment like law and order. It's there's a template. Rectors
come in. They can't come in with ideas. This is
the tiplate is how we shoot the show. Right. So, UM,
(08:09):
how do you, as you know, guest starring, like, what
is your preparation into creating these characters and becoming these
characters in such a short time. You know, that's that's
a great question, you know, I you know, you get
the audition or form. For me, you get the audition.
(08:30):
Uh what I do was I get the audition and
I just read it once. I then read the scene
out loud. I then take a moment and try to
take a walk, and then I write a letter to
the person I'm playing opposite, or a letter to God
(08:53):
just about the character, just to get an idea to
you know, one thing that I have found really works
for me is, you know, we all have mannerisms, we
all have actions. I've recently noticed them. You know, Jennifer
Aniston really breaking great life. And when I say life,
(09:15):
I'm talking about you know, there's actors that don't move
and super and I'm not so super talented. But then
I was again, just watched a movie with her, and
she put her hair behind her ear, she adjusted her caller,
she moved her ring. She was living in that moment.
(09:35):
And what I have realized is within every character, after
reading it out loud or possibly writing a letter or
taking a walk and seeing what he feels like, is
when I'm reading it, I see what I'm authentically doing.
Taking my hand and going up to my eyebrow. Am
(09:57):
I rubbing my hand through my hair, am I just
sitting still? I feel that the movement or the adjustment
physically brings life to the words, and in in here's
the thing and what we did together. I'm giving a gun.
(10:19):
And it was a day a day and a half
of these pages. And I'm not getting for those of
you that Donald care whether he's he's a phenomenal writer,
he's what is the New York Times bestseller or Times?
You know right now? They're during the Family Business season two,
So and you're in that congratulation fingers crossed. I was
(10:42):
in one fingers crossed. I'm putting it out there, thank you.
But he's a storyteller, and so our job is to
bring in great storyteller. And I I get to know
who my character is by the gesture, by the moment,
(11:03):
by the feeling every what am I doing? Okay? In
the bi director gun in hand, I assume my wife
is upstairs with the right. What the hell right? So
it's this conflict of me and God and a gun,
what's what's my story? Why am I? Why am I
(11:24):
a pastor? So it's all of that and that's how
I get prepared. And then the beautiful part of all
of it is you then get an amazing scene partner
that delivers you know, you know again Alexander Jews who
played my wife in the film, it was boom, let's get,
let's get, let's get messy, you know, you know, let's
(11:47):
let's go and again back to Tridestine. Is they just
let you get on the playground And Dave, we as
actors just want to be fear to listen play because
you was a casting director or director against your growing
that modification. Like I love it when somebody says, can
(12:08):
you bring it down a little bit? Absolutely, because you
know I can already get there right right, so and
you want a casting director to say that to you
as opposed to can you give me a little more energy?
You know? Um, something else? You know what I'm saying
is you know it's easier to bring it down than
(12:30):
bring it up. Yes, yeah, yeah, I love. I want
to ask you about reading out loud because Um, I
was doing a film years ago with a director named
Jeff Standler. Um. It was called Jumping at the Bone Yard,
Tim Roth's first American film, independent Um Alexis Arquette, real
(12:54):
gritty independent film. And I was auditioning all of these
white guys is from in there like mid to like
late twenties. It was like Ethan Hawk and you know,
real New York actors at that time. And Gary Senesis
came in and oh my god, he blew us away
(13:17):
right and then um, Jeff was like, uh, you know what,
let's bring in this other actor. Um and and he
was like, you know, Tracy, give him some different sides
because he's so good, Let's get him a bigger role.
And he literally picked up the sides like this in
(13:38):
the audition because I was like, you can go outside
whenever you're ready, let me know, you can come in,
take the time, the whole speel right. And he was like, no,
I'm good. And we were like, come boy, we know
you haven't seen the script. We know, no, go outside, man,
take a time. This whole new character he blew us
(14:00):
away and I was like, ha ha, how did you
do that? How right? He was like, you have to read.
Actors have to read aloud all the time. You have
to get comfortable putting other people's words in your mouth
and hearing that because not everybody speaks how you speak.
So I'm curious to know your process and reading out loud. Um,
(14:22):
what that does for you, because actors need to know that.
What it does for me is that it's exactly what
that is. It has me hearing the word it's you know,
Sandy Logan, another cast and direct to hear in Los Angeles. Uh,
she did, Uh, she did, Nancy Drew the New he drew,
(14:45):
she did Dynasty, and she's done everything. She actually says.
When you get sides, and here's the thing, a lot
of times now you on the side off book, you
want to memorize, you know these, you're familiar with your pages.
When you say it out loud, you memorize it better.
When I read it out loud the very first time.
(15:08):
My saying it out loud is actually not even really loud.
It's more of a whisper, because when you're saying it
out wild, the whisper is more personal. So already the
first time I read it, I'm getting an idea of Okay,
what is this? Okay, great? Got it, got it, And
I'm just making it my own. They're your words, but
I'm making them my own. And it's just and you
(15:30):
hear it, and then you you pay attention more to
the punctuation that dot dot dot the comma the you know,
it pauses a beautiful you know, saying nothing saying everything.
Oh my god. That's so that's what that is for
me is uh. I mean people see me like I'm
(15:51):
reading my script out loud and they're like, he's crazy
because I'm saying my words and I'm getting them down
and then seeing how my character would do this walking, talking, speaking,
and I also become very familiar with what the person
had just said and what they're gonna say. Just part
(16:12):
of the playground. You know, on the playground, you have
the swing set, you have han box, you have the
grassy field you have so it's part of all of
that for me. And what I do love about what
you said when Gary's and he came in and he
had two seconds and he read it out loud is
you don't think about it right. You don't sometimes as
actor as we over prepare, and that's about it. It's
(16:36):
most authentic. And I also give myself a cut off time,
like once i feel like I've had it down for
that day, I got it again, because I'll wake up
and I'll be book because you are asking director, You're
not gonna not hire me because I missed a couple
of words, You're gonna not hire me because when I'm
(16:56):
not right for the party too. I came in and
I'm prepared in three the director wanted somebody with red hair,
you know what, right, right, And there are those elements that. Um.
What I always say to actors is it's so important.
I know actors want the gig. I get that, but
to be remembered is so much more powerful because that
(17:19):
casting director will speak to other casting directors about you. Um,
your name starts to circulate, they will keep calling you
in until you book something. UM. So it really is
about the work. And that's what I also appreciate love
about you is the work. The work that you put in.
I don't it doesn't matter if your day player, doesn't
(17:41):
matter if your contract player. The same work applies. Um.
And another thing. Um, And that's what I wanted to
ask you in terms of the work. UM. You know,
I know that there are actors that are listening and
saying because they're in my classes, a lot of times
they want to skip through certain processes and it's like, yeah,
(18:03):
I just want to get a job. I just want
to get a job. You are a working actor, a
consistently working actor. You still put in the work. Ohr,
I do. And here's and here's one thing that I
say it is, but here's here's the truth too, is
the work is the word. There's also a lot of
work outside of the audition in getting the job. The
(18:26):
work is. You know, when you walk into an office,
you said hi to the casting associate. When you walk
into an office, you're you're a gentleman, you say thank you,
pleads you're courteous too, fellow actors. You you're kind. You know,
when you walk into a casting session, you you suss
out the session and you say hello, you you you
(18:50):
are you are an utmost professional. You know. The work
is when you get a job, you send that handwritten
no you know, I I I'm like with such it's
such a huge job and it was such a huge experience.
Um I sent h thank you gift to Jonathan Nolan
(19:12):
and his wife and my jo because they were candles
and they were they were, but they were also they're
they're also very dear to me and might say that
a handwritten note. Oh yeah, but that that's your job,
you know. People know when I when I was on
(19:33):
a West World, the script supervisor worked with me a
year and a half ago on counterbook and she said,
and she's great, and but there was this connect going
back to what I said earlier. So and everybody, your
script supervisor will save you. Yes, people say who is that?
It's the woman and that's holding the book, that is
(19:55):
making sure you get every word right. That's right. So
it's so you're like, my job today is spending time. Seriously,
I wrote down one of those as you said, be remembered.
You know, since I knew I was gonna see you,
I kind of stopped you and I watched your podcasts.
I mean I listened and I went back to some
(20:15):
of this stuff that you just had that said about
bringing in props. That's a great note. You know, my
job is always looking. It's asking questions, it's you know,
it's stealing moments. It's finding people like you that said, hey,
what are they looking for? Hey? You know, it's being
in the inquiry of everything because you're given one day
(20:39):
to bring magic to that guest star role. And if
you're lucky enough, you're got to be a series regular
or featured player. And you know, one thing too that
I want to say is I've had some amazing parts
that our coach stars. They've prepared, you know there's they're
the saying is there's no small part. There's not just
fuel your magic. It fuels your creative. It gets you
(21:04):
in there. And so that's that's when again long answers,
it's your work and hang up your clothes and your trailer.
M hm, that's a hang up your clothes and growing
away your plates. Nobody is your maid. Um, the person
(21:24):
the caterer asked them how they are talked to the
person that does craft services. Um, you have the wardrobe
or the costumer and how she is today. It just
makes it an amazing experience. And that assistant. We'll talk
to the customer, we'll talk to makeup, we'll talk to
(21:44):
the best friend who's married to the director. And that's right,
that's right you are. But what's what you are saying
is something that I UM often stressed to actors is
un are standing how to work on a set. Because
I've seen a sound person on barbershop. One refer an
(22:08):
actor that we were working with to another film in
Los Angeles to the director because him and the director
are close and they didn't have to audition. Based on
his word, they were cast, so you have to understand
the relationship. And also I think too that you know,
with being as um an acting coach and being a
(22:31):
celebrity acting coach, onset with my clients, I take them
to their apartment or wherever their environment that they're playing,
and I make them go in the refrigerator and I
know a set, you know, designer and the proper person
put everything there. But this is there point of view
(22:51):
of what you eat, of how you live. So not
only do you settle in that environment, but if you
understand the relayationship between you and the other crew, you
can say, you know, I wouldn't listen to those records.
You know, I wouldn't have those records there because someone
like you, Gregory, who really goes in for the jugular
(23:13):
of your character, you would have a reason to say
to the director, this is the reason why I wouldn't
have those albums, and the director would say, you know what,
You're absolutely right, let's strike those albums from this, you know,
back to you know what I mean, you know, back
to two experiences on Criminal Minds. When I was on
(23:34):
set and I was directed by Leona Shasa, who's an
amazing director. I was sitting at desk and I looked
and I said, some of this doesn't feel right, and
he let me set up my desk. Going back, Trey,
Trey had me. They had me on a film with
Rumor Willis and I and they said, okay, you know
(23:55):
you first day you have an office and I said,
I have to decorate my office. It needs to be mine.
I need to. And I was this over the top
producer that it was all about me, surprise, an actor's dream.
But and I decorated my desk and when props came in,
they but I'm like, nope, it doesn't work. They even
(24:16):
gave me um a whiskey glass and I went, it
doesn't feel right when they brought me another glass because
you have to fee and use the most times out
of that they want you to bring your best game
to what this character is has a definite job. They
have to get all these things down. However, you created
(24:41):
so it feels most like home to you at that
given situation. And Tracy, I want to go back to
walking into that movie, meeting you and you guiding me
into this situation. Is you took me on this journey
as to and I'm sitting here reminiscing about there but
(25:06):
you and I downstairs and getting situated, and you were
allowing and assisting and caring for me in such a
way that allowed me to create that magic. And for
anybody that's listening, that's just acting gold two. Have somebody
(25:31):
on a production walk you and assist you and be
present with you enough to create that beautiful story. And
in uh, I mean, I want to just forever grateful
for that, because you you always walk onto something that's
already working, and so that's that's really grateful that for me. Um,
(25:59):
the producing side of it. Um, you want everything to
go right when all the and plus I think Carl
was back in New York at the time, so I
was really represted, and so you just want things to
go seamless. But anybody who is in production knows expect
the unexpected, and so you just kind of pivot and
(26:22):
you just loose. So UM, I did have a relationship
with the crew by then, um, the actors, and so
it was important for me that not only did you
have a comfort, but this was such a pivotal moment
in the story, and that was another responsibility to make
(26:43):
sure that we told that part of the story, and
you did, and you know you did, and and and
then when you it's like, once you guys get the permission,
then you soar. And the permission is that you allow
yourself when you you stopped thinking. I love when you
said you say your lines out loud, people like he's
(27:04):
reading his lines out loud. That's the artist in you,
who cares. You know, I don't care what anybody thinks.
You just that's and that's a freedom. And not everyone
has that freedom to exist in a world as themselves
to live the truth. Because your job is to live
the truth of these characters. But if you don't know
(27:25):
the truth of Gregory's life, how can you be somebody else?
Absolutely you know it's true. I uh, that's that said.
That's a that's a great point. And yes, you know,
back to where you just said, you work Harl's eyes
and takes for being sent to him via and you
(27:50):
came to me and you're like, he know's what you're doing.
And then we moved on. And here's what you know
a lot of people say, Okay, that was great, let's
do another take. That doesn't mean give it up. It
just means stay the course. But for me, it's what
can I also do? Since I think given, here's the thing,
one thing that I do want every job. As I
(28:10):
talked to my director, tell me what you're looking for?
What are you looking at? And if they say, just
do what you get Jonathan Nolan, I said, Jonathan, are
you happy with all that's going on? And he said listening,
I don't like what you're doing. I'm gonna be up
to your butt. And I said, that's fantastic, greg And
he gave me a lot of people are afraid of
your director, director, so have a chat with that, say
(28:33):
good morning, see what's going on? All of you were
telling the story. So it's uh, but you know what
also to um and maybe you can this goes by
too fast, Gregory. You know, I would love to extend
another invitation because I just got the countdown in five minutes.
(28:54):
But I gotta squeeze in some jewels and pearls from
from you to our listeners, which um, and especially right
now where they have time to hold in their craft
and nurture and do these things. UM. But it's like,
you know, you have a different there's a different energy
(29:15):
that you bring because being on these sets, most directors
are setting up shots. And so if you want to
have a conversation with the director, that director has to
have an understanding of acting or or a love a
passion of actors, because that's where they When I did
Finding Forrester with Buster Rants and I was able to
(29:39):
have a conversation with gust van Zand about some things
about you know, Buster's character, to bring back the Buster.
He's an actor's director. He wants that conversation. He wants
you to develop. So you're right, you should have a
relationship where you can talk to your directors. But not
(30:00):
all directors have that conversation with actors. No, but that's
when the assistant director is gold. Yeah, you know, I
got I mean, but you have to know who. You
have to know the relationship going back to knowing and
how is set runs, you have to know what the
relationship is of a d You ask you listen, there's
(30:22):
there's a p A. You talk to your p day. Listen.
I need to if there's anything that I can talk
to my director of my great If not, can you
and I talk? You know you? And here's the thing,
it's all you're doing is asking a question. Yeah, there's
been some directors that didn't want to talk to me,
and there was nothing other than they wanted to see
(30:44):
what I brought. And to me, that's magic too. That's like, Okay,
I was hired for something I'm going to bring again.
And one thing that actors, you know, we always wait
to get a note from the actor, and then a
lot of the times the director will say, you know, Tracy,
give me giveme Tracy's give me give me a Tracy shot,
you know, like they say, or give me a give
(31:05):
me a Gregory take. The day it's the end of
the day, You've done dirty takes, give me give me
we just one for Gregory and you finally do your
freedom shot as you and they're like, why didn't you
do that? Thirty tastes ago. So I walked into every
job giving a gregorys take. Yeah, well, because then it's
you hired me to give you Gregory stake. That there's
(31:29):
and I truly believe if there's something that they didn't
like on Westworld, still shooting right right, being fearless and
free and you got the job. How fun you got
the job, You get a play, and it's if somebody
(31:49):
doesn't like what you're doing, you're gonna hear about it.
And when you get a note about hey, you know,
can you bring it down or hey they didn't like that.
You're not getting shamed or fault. They're like, just give
us something different, right, that's all because you may you
may hear something different, feel something different, Listen to different
way listening. Okay, Gregory, You've got to give me some
(32:13):
girls and so jewels. And then I'm going to thank
you Matthew because I know Matthew was on and I
just want to give him a shout out. Matthew Gibson
your he has been wonderful connecting us. Oh yeah, we're
give me a match up. So I'm gonna get in
touch with Matthew and ask Matthew if you can come
play again because we need to talk about West World.
(32:36):
I want to talk about also the difference between soap
operacting TV film. You've done it all and there are
different preparations and you know, so I want to get
into that, um but I just want to say, man,
like I don't even have words, Gregory, Like I don't
(32:56):
because you know you already know like you do. You're
making me cry. Oh no, don't cry. Just come back
on the show. I'm on the show. And here's what
I love though, is I know I gotta wrap out
is especially with where we are in the world today
at this moment, moments like this on taking for granted
(33:19):
and you know, seeing you and feeling you know, I
remember hug on the street. Yeah, taking that photo of
you and me hugging on the street, and we created
this relationship from a great last minute. Hey, you gotta
be at this house and you're playing a pastor, right,
so try Destin Films. Thank you because they gave this
(33:42):
beautiful relationship. I agree, and I definitely cherished this relationship.
I'm so grateful Gregory. Ladies and gentlemen. Once again, after
extraordinaire gregorys Zari, Yay Gregory, and you're gonna come back.
He's gonna come He's gonna drop some more jewels, Okay,
and we're gonna come back with our next segment. Class
(34:06):
in session. Gregory is going to read with Lean, so
stay with us. Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast
with me Tracy Moore. And you know this is my
favorite segment Class in session and we are still blessed
to have Gregory's arian with us. Actor EXTRAORDINARIY give it
(34:28):
up for Gregory. Yeah, and joining us in class in
session always miss Lean a motto hey leanne Okay, Okay.
The seat is called coming out, um and I will
(34:48):
read everything the slug line and action and whenever you
guys are ready, Lean Gregory okay. Interior living room day.
The couple sits in their living room with space between them.
The tension is loud. They're barely able to face each other,
unable to find their words. I knew, he looks at her.
(35:15):
I I love you so much that I didn't even
want to consider the thoughts of it, so I just
I ignored it. But I knew all this time. I knew,
And he looks back down. I mean, you would just
show me little things and signs and I would just
(35:35):
shrug it offer I would just find a way to justify.
I never wanted to hurt you. I mean a figures
it would have been a good time to talk about it.
Trying really hard to be understanding, he hesitates and says nothing.
(35:56):
Then I'm I'm still confused myself. HM, Well, you'll have
all the freedom now to figure it out. Stop. This
is not how I wanted, you know, Rob please, I'm
(36:21):
really trying here, and that's the last thing that I
need to hear. She feels bad. I'm sorry. I'm just
say I want to try to wrap my head around
it because everything just feels like a line now, like
it wasn't It doesn't even feel like we never even
(36:41):
had the real thing. She looks at him with her eyes.
That would kill Crystal. It's it was real. You are
the best thing that's ever happened to me. You You're
my best friend. It's it's why I struggled so badly
with this. You know, it would have been better if
(37:04):
it was a woman, because at least that we could
have came out of I based my whole life on you. What? What? Maybe? What?
What do you? What do you want me to say? Crystal? What?
I am sorry? I'm sorry, I can't go back and
I I have to figure this out. Wait? Am I
(37:32):
Am I wrong to say that? Damn? Wow? Interested that
it feels good too to say it out loud? Wow?
And seeing now that's very nice. Always called reads ladies
(37:53):
and gentlemen. So Gregory, UM, what would you like to add? Subtract?
It's on you? Um, Here's what I loved about you? Know.
One thing that's important for me when I work is
(38:13):
to connect that idea ways out. I always asked the
person that I'm working with three questions, three personal questions.
What's your favorite flower, what's your favorite color? And what
makes you happy? Is just so I can get an
idea and I have a little bit of history. So
when I look at you, when we didn't do it,
but I always like to get in personally. When I
(38:35):
loved about what you did is even though we resooming,
you looked at me, you you took positives. I felt
like you were in it. Um really really uh enjoyed that.
One thing that I just want to say is if
you want to get mad, get mad, you want to
(38:56):
be the trigger being betrayed. And here's here's what I
love about when you said if it was a woman.
One of my very very best friends was in a
relationship and he ended up being in love with a man.
And when I was helping her through it, I said,
you don't have the same plumbing, so it's so you
can't compete with that. You get to be piste and
(39:18):
even though it says angry, you get to be pissed.
You get it. You know it. The only thing it
said to me is it said for me character wise,
is that I take a beat. I pause, you know,
h looking at you and getting experienced. Okay, I didn't
plan on tears to come, so you invited that in
(39:40):
with me. There's a delicateness to you that was really tender.
But my one note is feel it be pissed. Have
you ever been cheated on m hm? It sucks and
you can't compete with the plumbing. So just allow yourself
to be fearless on not and go all out. And
(40:03):
Tracy will give us a note and say, hey, bring
it down, bring it back, go here, go there. You know,
she just what she wants to see, what we authentically
bring to it. Mm hmmm. That was yes, No, that
was It was beautiful. I love the fact that at
the end I felt like you had you had a resolve.
(40:27):
You had time to have this cover you, you know
what's going on with yourself. She did not have time
to prep this, um to even think that this was possible.
All of this was very jarring to her. Um. But you,
like you said, I was ushering you. I felt you
(40:49):
were ushering her through this and letting her you know,
it is difficult. It is something that you know she
is going to compare herself and try to figure out
and all of these things which you'll never know. But
I saw the best friend in you. That's what I saw,
and that was nice. That was very nice because it
(41:11):
wasn't selfish. You know, you cared about her, cared enough
about her feelings. So we can just I'm not reading anything.
You guys just want to exchange some lines and see
now with that land and apply that. Okay, yeah, all right,
whenever you guys are ready. I knew I love you
(41:38):
so much, and I was just I didn't even want
to consider the thought of it, so I just ignored it.
But all of this time I knew you give me
little things and signs, but I would just shrug it
(41:59):
off and I would just find a way to justify it.
I never wanted to hurt you. I mean, a couple
of years in I would have been an appropriate time
to say so. I'm trying really hard here to be understanding.
I'm still confused myself. Well, you have all the freedom
(42:30):
now to figure it out. Stop. Stop, this is not
I would wanted Rob, Please, I'm trying here. It's the
last thing I need to hear. God, I'm sorry, I'm
(42:51):
just I'm trying to just wrap my head around it.
Do everything feel like a line now? Like it wasn't
It wasn't even the real thing, baby, No, no, no, Crystal,
it was real. You are the best thing that's ever
(43:14):
happened to me. You are my best friend. It's why
I struggled so bad with this. M If it was
(43:35):
a woman, we could have came back from this with this.
I think my whole life on you stop. What do
you want me to do? What do you want me
(43:57):
to say? Christa? What? I am sorry, I'm sorry, I
can't go back and I h I have to figure
this out. H m hm am I on to say that?
(44:28):
Damn mm hmm. It feels good to say that out loud,
seem till I'm crying. Both of you touching, very touching now.
(44:55):
And that's just the second read. Imagine the work and
this and I love the preparation Gregory manby Lee and
what here. Thank you because you took me on some
a different ride like I don't even when Tracy getting
out about being my best friend like you, it's a
(45:19):
great game of tennants. You served as her back. We
had there's a volley so good and so beauty like it.
I was questioning my resolve this time more because of
what you gave me. To the very end, I'm like, well,
(45:40):
wait a minute, I can't hurt you anymore, but I
got to see what it is. So hats off to you.
That was fantastic, Thank you, beautiful to you, and I
felt Tracy said it exactly before, Um, I really feel
I still like, I feel the friend in you. Oh.
(46:03):
I don't want to be mad at you, but like
I am so like I try to take your your
point out angry. I'm so angry what I feel. You're
you're warm. I like, I love you, but this is
going about to what you It's it's not personal like
(46:25):
I love you, I don't want I don't want to
not have you. I just you don't have the plummet
and it's and it's not your fault. This is not
your fault. So it's um in the head again. How
beautiful that we made each other cry? Yeah, God, Grid,
(46:47):
that's kind. Oh my god, that was riminating you guys,
Thank you so much. Wow. Okay, well that's it for
class and session. And now you know why I call
him Gregory Zarian after extraordinaire ladies and gentlemen, put your
hands together from Mr Gregory Sarrian. He's gonna go back.
(47:09):
We're gonna go back. I might have to give comedy
to you and lean because you got us falling over. Okay,
all right, okay, and now it's time for give love
on The Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. Thank you,
and now it's time to give love. I like taking
(47:32):
the time and looking through a child's eyes. And my granddaughter,
Sara is seven years old. And when the coronavirus first
hit and we had to stay inside, Um, you know,
she's a kid, she's seven. I thought she was gonna,
you know, kind of freak out, like you know, I'm
not gonna be around my friends. We can't go to
(47:54):
the playground, what about going to get pizza all of that. However,
to my surprise, um, she said, well, Grandma, are you
gonna be here? And I was like, yeah, I'm gonna
be with you. And she was like, well, I have
much toys, have cable, we have internet, I climic games
since the YouTube, and we have food, and we have
(48:15):
heat and my favorite blanket or mermaid blanket and as
she was laundry listing all of these things, I was
just saying thank you. I just remember being grateful for
everything that she was saying, because you know, we're at
a place in humanity where we have to look out
(48:36):
for everybody because everybody doesn't have toys and and everybody
doesn't have food at a home. And so I was
really grateful that she was grateful and that somewhere along
the line I've given her that I've been a part
of that. And so it's not about what we have,
because at the end of the day, we all are
(48:59):
on the same and page. Regardless of anything else. We
all are going through this together around the world. So
she teaches me every day to keep it simple. She
teaches me to stay present. She teaches me to understand
that when we stay present, we are building our future.
So in being present, I want to keep it simple.
(49:22):
I want us all to keep it simple. I want
us all to believe and know we're going to get
through this. We're gonna be different, things are going to
be different, but we are going to get through this.
Keep it simple. Thank you for joining us on the
Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I look forward
(49:43):
to our next Spirited podcast. Thank you,
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