The Spirited Actor - Yolanda Hunt (02/08/2020)

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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 transitioned to
a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New
Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Domez.
I auditioned every rapper from biggiees Balls to Tupac, and

(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 Yee 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 opportunity

(01:06):
does not send letters of introduction, Naomi Simms. We need
to be able to recognize the signs that are before us.
Miracles have a way of appearing through other people, or
through something as simple as reading an article in a newspaper.
When I am against the wall, I sit back, quietly
and patiently wait for the right answer. I have learned

(01:31):
to not only recognize the signs, but to expect them.
I will have my antennas out and ready to grasp
the right opportunity. Welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with
me Tracy Moore, and going along with our theme this month,
which is January is renewing your talent. I would like

(01:55):
to renew your thoughts with my guests today. I get
warm and fuzzy when certain people come into the room
because casting director, truly casting director extraordinaire, Yolanda Hunt is
with us today. And Yolanda is one of those people
that I don't have to see her every day, but

(02:17):
when I see her, the spiritual connection is there, and
then I miss her more and wonder why don't I
hang out with her? But I know she's busy, But
this is a reconnection renewal. I'm just so happy to
have you here, Yolanda Hunt. Thespians, put your hands together
because you are about to hear the truth and We're

(02:40):
going to dispel these myths because the truth is sitting
and you're listening to the truth right now, Yolanda Hunt,
put your hands together.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
I am beyond thrilled. Oh yeah, yeah. Are we going
to schedule something because we're going to eat and we
gonna chat. Yes, they're not ready. No, they're not ready
for you, Yolanda. I'm going to start out by asking
you to, you know, tell us a little bit about
how you started as a casting director, your journey as

(03:12):
a casting director, and then I need actors to whatever
you use to document, whether you're physically writing on pen
and paper or in your phone. There's going to be
so many jewels dropping right now. Treasure Chess is here,
Treasure Chess here we go, hope.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Well, just to give you a little bit of a brief,
you know, my journey.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
I started off on this little project called Poetic Justice
as an intern, really little yes, And for one week
I interned and Robbie came to me and said, we
want to hire you as my sister.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Okay, and that's Robbie reed, ladies, and I'm sorry.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Robbie read, by the way, one of my mentors and
along with my journey of my career has been fundamental
to my career and especially my growth and to this day.
And that started my journey. I got bit by the
bug and it was.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
You know, no holds back.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
And then I you know, went on to did another
project called Minister Society with Tony.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Lee, another little project.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
Well, she was Robbie Read's associate, and then he became
casting director for that. He brought me on that project
and just kept going. And then Ralph Farquhar came into
my life. Oh, and he gave me the opportunity to
learn the back into production.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Okay, so he brought me in a Moesha. So I learned.
I was his assistant and I learned to do all
of that.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
And he asked me when I wanted to you know,
when the show got picked up, what did I want
to do?

Speaker 2 (04:33):
I want to do casting.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
I mean, that's what I do, right, And so he
got me and Kim Harden together.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
I love Kim Harden. Shout out to Kim Harden.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Loved Kim Harden.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
That's another one of my mentors that definitely you know,
is influential in my life today as well. She hired
me and it's a funny story. She hired me to
do Moesha, and at that time she didn't feel I was.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Ready to be an assistant and she fired me.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
But you know what, that was an experien for me
to know that I had to do better. So right
after that, I got hired as an associate on with
recub Bradmon Garcia, another.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Vent Billy Hopkins, Yes, Billy Hopkins.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
And Garcia, they were partners. And then she branched off
and did her own thing. She was doing Speed Speed Too.
Oh okay, So I got put on and I wasn't
the associate for Speed Too, and I was an associate
for The Flood, starring a minie driver and Rickay Harris
ress in Peace, one of my favorites all time. And

(05:33):
it was just kind of like I just kind of
took off from there. And did you know, I planted
seeds to myself that I wanted to do, said I
want to do a movie in New York. Two years
later I was doing Crookland. I was here as an
associate in Crookland. I mean, I've had such a great journey.
Then after that Best Man, Yes, Best Man kind of
really put me on the map.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
I was a true associate on that project.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
I was like hands on from day one and just
seeing how the handpick and bringing that great talent to
Malcolm and Sam.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
It was just Malcolm brilliant.

Speaker 5 (06:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
Sam, by the way, and.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
I worked with Monica Calhoun. I coached you.

Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yes, Monica Calhoun is is. She's an extraordinary actress and writer. Yes,
it's one of also one of my close friends.

Speaker 4 (06:21):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
And she's still writing right now to this day, so
she's got a lot of things going on with her
as well. And that cast it just brought people to
pay attention to what I was doing and what I,
like I knew I had is that I had a
mine for talent right and it was like, Okay, we
can take a chance.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
And that's all. That's how she wrote.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
I moved to New York sixteen years ago and I
was working at BET and I've been there in house
freelance casting director ever since.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
That's a brilliant, brilliant journey and actors, I need you.
I always stress for actors to IMDb dot com so
that they can see the credit, to know the credits.
But Yolanda, you have been a part of UH cinema,
Black cinema history, like, these are classics that you're talking about.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
I feel so, you know, there's a lot that I've
left out. Black Panther.

Speaker 3 (07:12):
Yeah, I was gonna say those are all like I
felt like when I was coming up into this, I
was I was in the gut of great African American
art being actually being on TV.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (07:25):
So I was given that opportunity to work with the
Keenan Irvy Wayians right and working on his variety show,
and then I had that gave me a little real
fast track of how I had to you know, got
to call at ten o'clock in the morning and I
had to have a cast by four.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
So that really gave me my my like chops. Yeah,
and then you know, working on those kind of shows.
And then I mean, my journey has been so long.
Kingdom come getting to work, you know, with everyone.

Speaker 1 (07:50):
And she still looks the same. Ladies and gentlemen, you
don't see her, but she doesn't. She look to say, yes, well,
I think Paul and Will and may Hunt I attribute
that to my care when we thank them too. Yes,
but this journey has been so great. But I'm not
done having that's my journey. I'm just getting right there.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
And now that I'm really starting to teach my acting
classes here in the Tri State and we need coaching,
and it's just been a whole other platform when I'm
like so happy that I'm being able to share to
people what I'm looking for in the room when they're
coming to audition for me, as opposed to what you think,

(08:32):
because you got those three minutes to shine, and if
you don't give me those three minutes of what I
remember you, then.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
You're going to need the fundamentals and I'm gonna try
to give you to that.

Speaker 1 (08:43):
So one of the things that you said, and I
can honestly say I went to one of your classes
and you were a totally different you are as a
caustie director, which I love. Yes, I mean, this is
what we're talking about. We're talking about the truth.

Speaker 2 (08:57):
So absolutely, I feel like I'm unorthodox.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
You're not gonna go get oh, this super training and
I'm going to get this kind of the Meisner technique, right, No,
you're gonna get the technique of Yolanda that's telling you
this is what you need to do when you get
into a room to get a call back, which you
know that's.

Speaker 2 (09:13):
What I know.

Speaker 3 (09:13):
This is what I'm I'm I'm actively working. This is
I'm still casting. I'm still looking for talent, right, so,
and I'm I'm looked to as the person that brings
new talent. So I'm always looking for the underdog or
somebody that hasn't had that exposure, or doesn't have an agent,
or doesn't have a manager, doesn't have headshots. Those are
the ones that really are the underdogs, right, And I'm

(09:34):
always looking for those. And that's why I give that
that platform and I do my acting classes to you know,
give them the pillars that they need and the points
that they need and those kind of molding that they
need to become an actor, a real Thespian.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (09:51):
And the thing about that casting room that you know
we live in it, right And so I transition direct
ninety seven ninety eight when I just came on board
and really live with Buster runs and Eve as their coach.
But the generation shift and they change.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
I want to.

Speaker 1 (10:15):
I want to you guys don't see the soul, but
I want you to talk about because Yolanda, I feel
like because I started my career in eighty seven at
MTV and it was just myself and Kevin Powell. So
in terms of people of color, Okay, I'm exaggerating, but anyway,

(10:35):
there weren't a lot of people of color at that time.
So work ethics and me and my work ethics and
how I pushed myself beyond what the expectations were and
I felt that that is the position that I was in,
and so generationally, I just I want you to tap
on some of that, but also talk about this generation

(10:55):
that your experience in your casting world and their work
ethics or beliefs.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
When I started out, you know, you had to do
the work. You had to put the work in. You
looked at you know, TV shows, you looked at movies,
you you studied actors. You had to know actors' names.
You had to know who people were. You had to
know their resume. You had to know producers, and you
had to know dire directors. You had to do your research.
And I didn't have that Internet to do that when

(11:23):
I was coming up, So I needed to do my research,
you know, go look at their resume and really get
you know, the actual work.

Speaker 2 (11:31):
Of what they things.

Speaker 1 (11:32):
Facts exactly exactly.

Speaker 3 (11:34):
The computers were, you know, we were just tapping into those.
We were still using typewriters when I started work process,
so exactly. You know, so I see that this generation,
this wave of actors that I have seen lately, I
feel like they're old. It's I'm not supposed to wanting
to do the work. They don't want to do the research.

(11:55):
And I really when doing this last project that I
worked on one night in Miami, Gina King's directorial debut.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Associated on that along with.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
Kim harden Is, the casting director, and I noticed that
it took me about four months just to you know,
get people to really audition correctly for Muhammad Ali and
actually he was Cash's Clay at that time, so it
was like people wanted to come in and they wanted
to come in as Muhammad Ali, but it was like,
did you do your research? Did you know who Cash

(12:26):
as Clay was the Muslim? So it's like you have
why he did that exactly, Like you need to do
your research and know who these these talents are, who
who Jim Brown really was, and then you know at
that time and who Malcolm X was and what he
was making the transition of leaving the Nation of Islam.
People were not paying attention to that and they had
to do their research, and I noticed that that's what's

(12:47):
being done. It's like, if you're doing a bio on
someone that is an existing person, wouldn't you want to
do your research on them and be like them? And
it's a highway. You guys have it now. You guys
can go on the internet. You guys can go to Netflix,
you can go to Hulu. There's so much YouTube. You

(13:07):
can go to so many places now to do your
research on actress. But they still still like, you know,
it's the little baby steps that are going to get
you the job and the work. No, and especially when
you're dealing with a director that is an actor that's
a child actor that comes it knows the journey that
they have taken. So it's like an oscar exactly immy

(13:28):
multi actress actress. So it's like you have to know
that you're coming into audition for someone like that, then
you have to she's done her.

Speaker 1 (13:38):
Work, absolutely, you do yours, That's right.

Speaker 3 (13:40):
So I try to push my students to do the
research and to make sure that they know what they're
doing when they step into the room, because I know
what I'm doing and so they need to learn how to,
you know, to do the research an actors period, and
if you're doing a biopic, and.

Speaker 2 (13:54):
If you're creating a character, do the research stuff with
your friends.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
I have done so much to try to help actors,
and little do you know, people that my friends that
are actors, they take my personality and it will create
a character that has happened.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
I believe that it truly happens.

Speaker 1 (14:12):
That's great though, that.

Speaker 2 (14:17):
It truly happened. So I know that.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
I know that that's what you people you draw from.
So that's why I try to act. You know, I
try to teach my my my, my students. You know,
the first choice is the best choice. Don't overthink it
as an actor, right and just do your research. You know,
you can never be too perfect at acting. We have

(14:41):
the Denzel Washington still get coached. There's you know, there's
actors Nicole Kidman's they still get coached.

Speaker 1 (14:48):
Jennifer Lopez introduced me to her acting coach on The Hustler.
She was like, Tracy, I've been with him twenty years.
Why would I leave him?

Speaker 2 (14:56):
That's the point.

Speaker 3 (14:56):
If you really are truly dedicated to this, then that's
that's what you do. You do the work. And I
also have come across and this is going to be
a very touchy subject. Oh yay, that actors domestically are
not so great with international actors. You know, our British actors.
They feel like the British Is are coming over here
and doing all the work. But guess what, British actors

(15:17):
are doing a lot of work because they're learning our tongue,
they're learning our native song, they're learning how to be
to do our dialect. So why is it so hard
for you to learn to do their dialect? They go,
they come over here to do they do, do training,
over go abroad and do training.

Speaker 1 (15:32):
There should be no and you should want to as
an actor to work outside. I worked in Amsterdam recently.
I taught a workshop, and why not go to Amsterdam?
Why not explore outside of America to do work. But
one of the things that I wanted to touch base
when you were talking about the audition and people not

(15:52):
doing their work, do you find that actors don't read
action insides?

Speaker 2 (15:58):
No, they don't read the stage direction at all.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
Oh okay, they.

Speaker 2 (16:03):
No, it's not you. Oh it's not.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
And that's another thing that I teach my read the
stage direction. It's telling you what to do in the scene.
I mean, it's the most self explanatory thing ever.

Speaker 1 (16:14):
So I was coaching this actress and Gossip Girls coming
back and I said, yes, but but they were cussing
in the sides, and I said, ce w, it's on
HBO Max.

Speaker 3 (16:26):
Oh yeah, they did. They picked it up and so
it's like a reboot. There was some cuss it.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
So I said to the actress, you know Gossip Girls,
you know it was out before and she was like, yeah,
I know. And I said, well, have you seen any
episodes of the and she was like no. And I
was like, so what I'm gonna need you to do?
And I'm gonna need you to see the episodes so
that you understand they're bringing it back. So just so
you can get an understanding, right, there was a line

(16:54):
the character is an African American girl, and what the
information that we did not have is who she was.
But she has a line that she says to this
white girl, Jane. She says, well, who are you an
heir to the Kogate dynasty or the niece of the
Earl of Kensington. So I said, do you understand the
wealth of the school that you're going to? And she

(17:17):
was like, oh, you know, it's like, you know one
of the schools in Manhattan, like a private school, said no, no, no, no, no, no.
The air Cogate air if you get fortune five hundred
the richest people in the world. When that addition comes out,
they list the heirs of like Walmart, Pampers, you know,
and hers, Okay, all of them, and these people are

(17:37):
like seventy eighty ninety. But when you deal with that
type of money, you're getting installments, like every two or
three years, you're getting millions, like you know, eighteen, you're
getting millions twenty one. Like and I have a friend
who is an heir, so I don't know how much
she gets, but like she gets this money in increments.
So these people seventy eighty nineties Kogate still getting money.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
So I said, you have to do.

Speaker 1 (18:01):
Your research to understand. And then it says the Earl
of Kensington, this is not a sat earl and the information.

Speaker 2 (18:11):
I guess.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
My challenge is how do we help actors today because
in this climate, I know what it's like to stand
up for like twelve hours exterior Chicago coaching eve On
barbershop sixteen hours a day six days a week, and
I wrote this book on my day off for three months.

(18:35):
So what do we do about the work ethic of
these actors?

Speaker 3 (18:38):
I mean, we have platforms like this right here to
be able to promote what they need to know.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
It's just it's on the receiver.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
And I could beat you in the head all day
long and tell you know it's green, but you're gonna
say it's blue no matter what.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Right I can't.

Speaker 3 (18:56):
I can only give you all of the fundamentals that
you need, okay, And I'm giving you all of those things.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
It's not in the orthodox way.

Speaker 3 (19:02):
It's the way that I know, as a working casting
director expert in what you do, that this is.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
What I need to see. I need to see this.

Speaker 3 (19:10):
I'm telling you that this is whatever casting directors need
to see as well. When you were walking into a room, right,
I try to teach you the etiquette. You know, It's
like I make you feel like when you walk into
my room, like you've known me for years, but you
don't know me. So there's a there's there is a boundary,
there's a personal way of you coming in, be it

(19:31):
feeling comfortable because I would be doing a disservice if
I made you uncomfortable to myself and you because I
need to cast a role. So if you're not comfortable
in doing the character, how am I going to How
am I going to get my cast role? So I
set that promise, But people need to know the etiquette
of it.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
You know, it's not you.

Speaker 3 (19:49):
Know, hey, home girl, no you know. And I've come
across that because you too. Some people feel like they
do know me in it. And that goes back to
social media now allowing people to get closer to you
casting director. You know, in the eighties and the nineties,
we didn't have that connection.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
You didn't even know what I looked like.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
So, you know, social media came out to play the facebooks,
and then you know people wanting to, you know, know more,
and then you know, the avenues of technologies is getting
bigger and bigger and bigger, and just trying to stay
in the know of that, and you can't be archaic
in our game.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
We have to be in the know.

Speaker 3 (20:21):
Even though I might not, you know, be on social
media as much as I should be. I am active, right,
I still try to stay active. I try to let
people know what's going on with me because you want
to know why I'm working. I want to keep you
guys employed. So if I'm not on social media as much,
it's just because I'm working to try to keep you
guys working.

Speaker 2 (20:39):
And if not, I'm teaching classes to keep you guys
working exactly.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
So it's a process and I'm constantly trying to stay busy.
I have another sex seven week course coming, so let's
talk about your classes. Where do you teach? Where can
we get the information because actors need to be there. Well,
I teach at Express New Work. In my new seven
weeks course is going to be every Wednesday, sorry, January twenty.
I give seven weeks, and I give you the fundamentals

(21:04):
of what I'm looking for to get a call back. Okay,
you're gonna do monologues, you're going to do comedy, you're
gonna do drama, you're going to do improv. You're going
to give me character build. I'm going to give you
a character. I want you to build it and you're
going to act it out.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
I give you.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
I do those things because you need to be able
to be just as creative in the room as you
are is doing an audition, because that's how you bring
a character to life. So I try to give them
all those fundamentals. And this is my next one is
kids yay. This is my first challenge with that. I'm
doing it with two other cast and directors who actually
a casting director and.

Speaker 2 (21:37):
A talent agent.

Speaker 3 (21:38):
Charlie is out of Los Angeles and here he does
his workshop here and Sandy Mendelha Mendenhall. She's like, you know, yeah,
Sammy is more of a reality commercial talented cast in
Virgil like she did kids say the dardest things, so
she does like those kind of cat talents.

Speaker 2 (21:55):
And then it's me coming in showing the theatrical. Nice.

Speaker 3 (22:00):
So you got your talent agent, you've got your commercial
and commercial modeling, and then you have your theatrical. So
because those are all kids, that's great. And that's my
one day seminar coming up on February first, February first
at expresswork as well.

Speaker 1 (22:14):
So where can we actors?

Speaker 2 (22:17):
Event right? Event right?

Speaker 3 (22:19):
Got all of those guys my upcoming events, and then
I promote everything on my social media. You're Line behind
Entertainment on Facebook okay, and also my ig okay Casting Diva, all.

Speaker 1 (22:33):
Right, Casting Diva. Yes, we have a cast DIVA recognized.
So in your classes, I want to ask you because
I used to sort of gauge, right, like, let's say
you have twenty students in your class. Out of those

(22:55):
twenty students, how many are going to take your jewels
and parlayed to the next level in their acting class?
I mean, in their acting career.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
It's so funny you said that because the last class
I just had, I gauged. I started off with twenty
five students, wonderful, amazing. First class was like, oh my
god too. They had to know what the work was
going to be. Oh by the time I was done,
I had six. So that's a third of my class.

(23:24):
That's a third of the people that want to do
the work, that actually want to learn, actually want to
feel like they're doing something and not being given something.
Because I also realized that people when they take my class,
they think, because I am a vet in this game,
they're going to get something out of this. Now I'm
giving you all of the things that you need to know.
Oh my god, it's not about you. You learn from me.

(23:45):
You get an audition just so happens. Sometimes you might
get blessed with that because you might be that talented
at what are a project I'm working on at that time?
I'm going to give you an audition. I give you
shots all the time. I have students that I haven't
seen in five years. Yeah, but I think about them.
I remember for them. I've given them auditions. Right, one
of my former students got I called me and asked me.
She said, I really want audition for Coming to America too.

(24:07):
It was a phone call away. I called Lea Daniels Butler,
go out of the audition. She put herself on tape.
That's the kind of thing is if I know that
you are well worthy of that and you've done the work,
they I'm actually going to do it.

Speaker 1 (24:18):
Wow. Let me just say this. I love my casting
director friends, and I celebrate them. So, if you thought
this was the last time you were going to hear
from Yolanda Hunt, you are sadly mistaken. Landa. You are
coming back. There's too much to oh, thank you. I
didn't even ask her. I apologize. I just assumed, sorry,

(24:41):
will you come back?

Speaker 3 (24:42):
I just feel like there's things that still need to
be covered. Yeah, I guess definitely. The Cassy Divas coming back.

Speaker 1 (24:48):
Yay, Okay, So in these moments that I have with you,
I want you two things. One, I want you to
share your pet peeves. Give us a couple of your
pet peeves. Okay, my biggest pet.

Speaker 3 (24:59):
Peeve is, like I said, when you come into the room,
you should never want to shake my hand. That is
one of my biggest pet pees. I see fifty plus
people a day. I don't want to give you anything,
and I don't want you to give me anything that
is really truly.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
That is one thing.

Speaker 3 (25:12):
I'm not a germophobe, but I just am conscious of
the fact that I am dealing with a lot of
people on a regular basis.

Speaker 2 (25:18):
Okay, I love it. My other pet pee don't call
me maum, do not call me.

Speaker 3 (25:24):
Mout I dropped the mic. I agree, I'm not your mouth.
I'm just a casting director. Yes, Miss Hunt, Miss Landa,
I have no problem with that.

Speaker 2 (25:34):
But ma'am, I.

Speaker 1 (25:37):
Don't jenya flect exactly saying I just I'm saying I,
like you said, nobody can see me what I look
like right now, but I know I don't look like
a mound. Okay, No, she does not, thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (25:49):
Okay, Yes, and.

Speaker 3 (25:53):
I'm sorry, do not say I'm sorry. When you're auditioning
and you fumble, that should have actually been my number
one because we go switch it. Honestly, when you're auditioning
and that's that you're three minutes, I'm okay with you
missing a couple of lines or you having to stop
and start, because that's gonna make you better. But as

(26:14):
soon as you say i'm sorry, you broke character, you
broke my interest, you broke my whole attention. So now
I'm gonna just go through the motions because now you're
gonna mess yourself up even more because when you're saying
I'm sorry, it's just like now you're fumbling, right then
the bees, the sweat come out on your gros and
then everything and then the little brow comes out, and
then you're looking at me like for an answer, like

(26:34):
I'm a lifeline.

Speaker 2 (26:35):
I'm not.

Speaker 3 (26:36):
I'm not a lifeline. Now, I'm just I'm watching you
just do what you do, so don't say you're sorry.
Give yourself three seconds, count to three, breathe, pick up
from that last line and keep going. We're not gonna
stop you. We're gonna let you go ahead and go
because we want to see you shine. You want to
see you deliver. We want to see you be able
to win. So when you start saying I'm sorry, you're

(26:57):
you're shooting your own.

Speaker 1 (26:59):
Self and the actors, I listen, I'm so excited because
whenever I have a casting director, I feel like we
speak the same language and I'm like, thank you, thank you, like.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
We do, we have our code of we do.

Speaker 1 (27:17):
But it's I just there's just such a comfort in
knowing that there's someone like you that I am not
consistently casting anymore, but to know in terms of casting
and teaching that you are out there that honing these
actors empowering because that's what you're doing when when you

(27:37):
are talking about the etiquettes and when you're talking about
research and all of this stuff is empowering. And so
we need you guys to receive it. No, it is.
It is. And so when we come back for part
two of Casting Diva extraordinaiy Yolanda Hunt, We're going to
have some other stuff that we're going to touch upon
as well. But the great thing is is that we

(27:58):
still have Yolanda for our next segment, class and session
with Spirit Actor alumni who you know as well, Leanne
Amado and Amani Patterson is going to be calling in
for us.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
Okay, I look forward to it.

Speaker 1 (28:13):
I do too. Oh my god, my heart is filled.
I could just levitate for the rest of the day.
Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (28:21):
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 3 (28:22):
Thank you for, like you know, allowing my voice to
be heard to the actors that I would love to
reach and meet.

Speaker 2 (28:27):
So absolutely well.

Speaker 1 (28:28):
We're also going to reinforce all of this information about
your workshops and your classes for the adults and children
as well. Thank you, You're welcome, oh man, okay, thank you.
And next we'll have class and session with Spirited Actor
alumni Leanne Amado. Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast

(28:48):
with me, Tracy Moore and Yolanda our casting director of
Stoord and they are casting. Diva is still with us
and I'm so excited. Thank you, Landa, thank you for
still having me. Yeah we go kidnap. You look want
some good spirited stuff though, absolutely yes. So we also

(29:09):
have Spirited Actor alumni Leanna moatdo helean Hey, so glad
you're here. Okay, I apologize, and spirit Actor alumni Emani

(29:34):
Patterson Imani Hey, Hello, Hey, we're great, Thank you so much. Okay,
so let's get started, you guys. So this is how
we play this game, Landa. I will read the slug
lines the action, and then Leanne and Imani are just
going to read their lines, and you know, we're going
to breathe life into it for Yulanda so that she

(29:55):
can give you guys some constructive criticism, and then we're
going to read it again. Lani and I will not participate. Okay,
here we go. Interior living room night. Rebecca and Eric
sit at the opposite end of the couch. The tension
fills the room. Eric leans forward.

Speaker 4 (30:13):
Do you want to talk?

Speaker 1 (30:15):
Rebecca glances sharply at Eric.

Speaker 5 (30:19):
You know what's funny to me? Now?

Speaker 2 (30:22):
You have lots of.

Speaker 4 (30:22):
Conversation, Rebecca, I don't know what to say.

Speaker 5 (30:30):
Well, I cannot take another apology from you.

Speaker 1 (30:33):
Eric.

Speaker 4 (30:34):
Rebecca, I am sorry.

Speaker 5 (30:37):
I'm not accepting your apology.

Speaker 4 (30:42):
What do you want to do?

Speaker 1 (30:43):
Rebecca laughs and cries at the same time.

Speaker 5 (30:46):
You want me to make this easy for you. You want
me to end this. God, you're so pathetic.

Speaker 4 (30:57):
I'll accept my responsibility, but approaches him.

Speaker 2 (31:00):
But what.

Speaker 5 (31:04):
I have some responsibility in this?

Speaker 1 (31:06):
Eric walks away. She stands in his way.

Speaker 5 (31:08):
No, no, no, don't walk away from me.

Speaker 2 (31:11):
What do you mean?

Speaker 1 (31:12):
Eric tries to get away without touching her.

Speaker 4 (31:14):
All right, Becca, all right?

Speaker 1 (31:16):
Rebecca slowly backs off.

Speaker 4 (31:17):
She sits, I never meant to hurt you. It wasn't
supposed to happen this way. I had too much to drink.

Speaker 1 (31:28):
Rebecca laughs.

Speaker 4 (31:29):
I got a lift share I was on my way
home to you.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
Rebecca tears up.

Speaker 4 (31:34):
What are the chances that my ex girlfriend would get
in the car. It didn't mean anything, I never does.

Speaker 5 (31:47):
Do you want this to work?

Speaker 2 (31:48):
Eric?

Speaker 4 (31:49):
Of course I wanted to work.

Speaker 5 (31:52):
Even after you had sex with your ex Yeah, ex
girlfriend on your way home engagement party. Yes, you don't
think that might be a problem.

Speaker 1 (32:07):
Eric paces thatca.

Speaker 4 (32:11):
It meant nothing and it will never happen again. I
promise you that.

Speaker 5 (32:17):
Yeah. I really want to believe every word coming out
of your mouth.

Speaker 2 (32:19):
But I can't.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
Rebecca removes the ring from her finger and places it
in Eric's hand.

Speaker 4 (32:28):
Keep it, you deserve it.

Speaker 1 (32:32):
Scene. Eric walks out the door. Okay, thank you, thank you. Wow, Okay,
it's on you.

Speaker 3 (32:41):
First off, you guys have a good chemistry together, but
I am going to have you do it again and
leanne the key thing is is that when she's doing
those stage directions, when she's making those those points that
you laugh, and then you need to add those in
that incorporate that because it makes us seem a little
bit more real, and just watch out for the beats

(33:03):
that you guys are allowing the space and didn't have
the real moments. You know you've experienced some kind of
you know, heartbreak and maybe not this magnitude, but you
know that you've had that, and you're pleading should be
really sincere. I should be able to really know that
you're dead wrong for actually sleeping with some of your

(33:23):
ex girlfriend on your engagement. That's what I want to feel.
But I definitely want you to pay attend to the
day stage direction because those are they're they're playing a
factor with you giving your emotion off.

Speaker 1 (33:33):
Okay, Okay, so Emani and Leanne, I'm not reading the
stage direction, but you know where those moments are. Okay,
so let's incorporate what Eolanda has given you. Take a
breath and you guys ready, okay, yes, and action?

Speaker 4 (33:55):
Do you want to talk?

Speaker 5 (34:00):
You know what's funny to me now you have lots
of conversation.

Speaker 4 (34:05):
Well, Becca, I don't know what to say.

Speaker 5 (34:14):
I cannot take another apology from you, Eric.

Speaker 4 (34:18):
Beka, I am sorry.

Speaker 5 (34:21):
No, I'm not accepting your apology.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
Yeah, what.

Speaker 4 (34:29):
What do you want to do?

Speaker 1 (34:32):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (34:32):
You want me to make this easy for you?

Speaker 2 (34:34):
Right?

Speaker 5 (34:35):
You want me to end this?

Speaker 2 (34:39):
You're pathetic.

Speaker 4 (34:45):
I'll accept my responsibility, but what.

Speaker 5 (34:51):
I have some responsibility in this? No? No, no, no,
don't walk away from me.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
What do you mean?

Speaker 4 (34:58):
Hmm, I'll write that guy? All right? I never I
never meant to hurt you, all right? Was it supposed
to happen this way? I had so much to drink,

(35:19):
I got a lift share, I was on my way
home to you. What are the chances that my ex
girlfriend would get in the car? Didn't mean anything?

Speaker 2 (35:33):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (35:34):
It never does. Do you want this? Do you want
this to work?

Speaker 1 (35:41):
Eric?

Speaker 4 (35:41):
Of course, someone at the work.

Speaker 5 (35:44):
Even after you had sex with your ex girlfriend on
your way home from our engagement party. Yes, and you
don't think that might be a problem.

Speaker 4 (35:55):
That's as it meant. It meant absolutely nothing will never
happen again. I could promise you that.

Speaker 5 (36:03):
Yeah, I really really want to believe every word that's
coming out of your mouth, but I can't.

Speaker 4 (36:17):
You keep it you deserve it.

Speaker 2 (36:22):
And see much.

Speaker 1 (36:26):
They listened to you.

Speaker 3 (36:27):
Besides, I don't know, I'm glad. Yeah, that's what I
consider myself. Workable actors that take direction and apply it
and use it and go ahead and redo the scene
and actually make me feel I felt like that second
time around, you guys were more into it and felt
it and it might be channeled to somebody else's relationship

(36:47):
or your own or a present or current, you know,
a previous situation, but it actually was in corporate.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
I believed it. I didn't want to pay attends to
the paper. I wanted to pay at terms to the
actor me too.

Speaker 1 (36:57):
Wow, great direction, miss Yolanda Hunts, and thank you, Amani Patterson.
We appreciate love you.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Yeah, yeah, I'm a menum you and Moni. I'm looking
forward to seeing and meeting you.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
Okay, Somni, this is this is how it's going down.
This how's going down because your lot is coming back.
So when Yolanda comes back, I'm going to have the
date and then you come in live and you and
Leanne will have another scene.

Speaker 2 (37:30):
To work with the hands on.

Speaker 1 (37:31):
Yes, okay, so that's that's a date that's done. Okay,
thank you, so much Leanne, and I was getting ready
to cry.

Speaker 2 (37:39):
Leanne always you know, she's a tears man, She's passionate
about her craft.

Speaker 1 (37:46):
She is I'm going to levitate today because of the
love that I have received on this show. I can't
even tell you Landa like how you've touched my spirit
and it is just it's beautiful to know that after
all these years, we still know each other.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
I know we still are in touch.

Speaker 1 (38:05):
With each other.

Speaker 2 (38:06):
That's wonderful thing.

Speaker 1 (38:06):
And we love each other. So this has been a
really really powerful, powerful show and you guys have to
tune in again because part two is going to be
even more explosive. I'm going to ask you to put
on seatbelts for part two because I know, listen, she
what and I know you all just go go home
and she gonna be like, yeah, I guys, bring it.

(38:29):
You allowed to bring it for part two. Thank you
so much, thank you, Thank you guys out there as well. Yay,
and thank you again Amani for jumping on board.

Speaker 2 (38:40):
Okay, thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (38:42):
Yay, thank you, thank you for class in session. And
now it's time forgive love. So I went to Amsterdam
in October and incurred a large amount of expenses on
my cell phone. And I'm not going to say who
the carrier is, but I called my carrier to see

(39:06):
if I could negotiate some of these additional fees, which
kind of exceeded into like six hundred dollars, right, So
I called the carrier and the guy picks up the
phone and he says, hello, miss Moore, how can I
help you? My name is Jesus. You cannot make that up.
I said, excuse me, sir, what is your name? He said,

(39:28):
my name is Jesus. I said, are you sure your
name's not Jesus. He said no, my name is Jesus.
I said, thank you, Jesus. I know a miracle is
going to happen now because Jesus is on the phone.
And he was like, yes, miss Moore, I will see
how I can help you. He said, can you hold
on the line, Miss Moore. I said, yes, Jesus, I
can hold all the line, knowing that a miracle is going.
Happy Jesus. So he put me on hold and he

(39:50):
came back and he said, miss Moore, I think we
can help you. I said, oh Lord, thank you Jesus.
I knew you were going to help me, Jesus. I
knew from the minute you picked up the phone, Jesus,
that you were on my side. Jesus, I am here
to tell you. Signs are everywhere. What are the chances
that I needed help? And Jesus answered the phone. The

(40:12):
moral of the story is pay attention to the signs.
They are right in front of you, and Jesus is
always on the line. Thank you for joining us on
the Spirited Actor podcast with me Tracy Moore. I look
forward to our next Spirited podcast. Thank you