June 26, 2025 • 50 mins
🎙NEW EPISODE — S 3, Ep8: "WHAT IS THE "IT FACTOR?"
Welcome back to the ACTORS! YOU ARE ENOUGH!!! Podcast— the go-to space for aspiring and working actors who are ready to level up!
In this unfiltered, no-BS conversation, Amy Lyndon (Celebrity Master Acting Coach & creator of The Lyndon Technique) sits down with Ofelia Habelt, Talent Agent at Johnson Talent Agency, to break down what it really means to have the IT factor in today’s entertainment industry.
💡In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
· What makes an actor truly watchable
· How to discover and own your unique qualities
· Why knowing who you are is non-negotiable
· How to silence your inner critic and perform with freedom
· Why you should ignore the character breakdown
· How to turn past pain into presence and power
…and so much more raw, honest advice for working actors.
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📅New episodes drop every Thursday.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hey guys, welcome back to Actors.
You are enough. Oh yeah, enough.
Enough. You are enough.
This is episode 8. I, I think what I'm gonna name
this episode. What is the IT factor?
(00:23):
But before we get into that, youguys, if you like what we're
doing, please hit that little like like button or the star the
the what is it? The Heart.
Subscribe Follow do. It now do it now for you for
that right now we're given we wewe have a lot of free tips that
we are loving leaving you with and.
(00:46):
Yeah, I'm loving all the comments we're getting too,
right? I know I love the one recently
that was like, this is by therapy.
Like I'm like, Oh my gosh, This is why we do like This is why we
do this. Yeah, that's so.
Cool, spread the word you guys. If it's it's it's helping
people. So spread the word like a chair.
(01:09):
Subscribe. OK, so let's get into it.
Ophelia, when an actor comes to you, what do you think for you
is the IT factor? Like how can you look at them
and go? Yeah, that's a great question.
(01:30):
I think it's something every actor is kind of after somewhere
in inside of them and, and as you should, because that's,
that's what you, that's what you're wanting to have, because
that's what casting is, is responding to. the IT factor is,
you know, it's called the IT factor because it is very,
(01:50):
there's not a lot of other good words for it because it's very,
very difficult to articulate. It's kind of more like an
experience. Like if I see someone, I'm like
something in me is like, wow, they're like, I wanted.
I don't care what they say or do.
I just want to watch them, you know, or like I'm just drawn in.
(02:17):
That's like what we call there'ssome, there's some kind of like
energy, like life coming, comingout of them that is just like,
you know, magnetizing you to them.
And so that's kind of what we call the IT factor and.
I I have to tell you a story about the IT factor.
(02:38):
So I was managing guess who camein for us to represent him, but
Sean Hayes. This is before he got willing
grace and I was managing out of my house.
We had built this entire like back studio that was huge.
It was like the sunroom and but in the house right before you
(03:01):
walk in was a piano. That guy, not only did he light
up the room and he was all over the place.
OK, he ran to the piano. Nobody asked him to.
OK, guys, he ran to the piano. He started playing and singing.
And my partner and I were like, and that was right after he did
(03:22):
the movie Billy's First Kiss. It was like a, an indie movie
that blew up on the circuit. And I mean, we looked at each
other and said, we can't take this guy because he's he, we,
we, we can't. He would require a lot.
Right. OK, yes, he's that that kind of
(03:46):
a. Person he would have fired a lot
and we had such a full roster atthe time that maybe if we had
less people and we were making alot of money, we would have
taken him. It's a good thing we didn't
because the manager that he ended up signing with, he ended
up leaving right away after he booked William Grace.
Oh gosh, yeah. Thank God he didn't.
(04:07):
Yeah, but I will tell you he hadthe Ed factor.
Yeah, there you go. Someone sometimes it, it's
helpful to like think of like, like you just did like think of
people that you can refer to like, OK, that's an example I
would say, I mean, and there's several of them, right.
(04:28):
But like, I would say, like Austin Butler, there's something
when he's about his stage presence that it's like, you
know, like I, I, I have to keep watching.
I have to see what he's what's he's going to do.
I think Timothy Chalamet my favorite.
(04:49):
Young actor, I think he's the greatest young actor of our of,
of that generation. And I love what he said when he
accepted his award, that this isthe first of many and it's, and
it's inspiring to him or that it's, it's not like he's
slamming it or anything, but it's gives him confirmation that
(05:10):
he's on the right track and the goal is to be great.
Yeah, as. A matter of fact, he told his
girlfriend Kylie Jenner he didn't want to be in the
Kardashians because he wanted tobe considered a serious actor
and he is about everything that he's ever been in.
(05:35):
It's so interesting he and and this is some way one of the ways
you know some of the factors because he's not even like
traditionally or classically good looking I.
Mean. But he is just killing it.
And so, you know, he, he doesn'thave like a Hollywood body like
he, he's, but he has, there's something that you can't even
(05:59):
fully articulate that it that's why we call it the IT factor.
And he, he's, he's really good at what he, I mean, it really is
an art, you know, it really is an art for him and.
I I think as a as a coach, a lotof it is he leaves himself
alone. Oh, tell us, what does tell us
more about that? What it What does that mean?
He knows what he's doing, but not not how he's going to do it.
(06:21):
So he's, he's not in, he doesn'tcontrol his vehicle.
He sets it up, he lets it go andhe sees what happened, what's
going to happen. A lot of people are more
interested in the how they're going to do it and rather than
what are they doing, you know? Yes.
Film, film and television is just completely different in
film, if you're not thinking a lot.
(06:45):
Yeah. It's not going to translate
because that's what we we respond to.
We don't know what they're thinking.
Wow, look, you can anticipate. Yeah, they're just, they're
really present all the time. Like they're actively thinking
all the time. OK, explain actively thinking
(07:05):
versus being in your head? Well-being in your head, you're
only thinking about what you're going to say rather than what's
coming at you. Uh huh.
See you're thinking right now, OK.
And so you, that would be considered a film technique.
See, in television, you don't really have as much time to
(07:25):
think unless you're in like an AMC show or, and what kind of
show you're in, but like The Walking Dead or something.
But if you're in a network show,there's not as much time to
think. So there's a lot of television
people that have a really hard time moving over to film because
(07:48):
you have to be a complex thinking being to be very
interesting to watch on a biggerscreen.
Wow, that makes so much sense. That makes so much sense.
A lot of the IT factor has a lotto do with you being able to to
to breathe. That's weird.
(08:10):
But like you, you're not considering judgement from other
people and and you're not considering your own judgement.
Yeah. So you're free.
You're just. You're just.
Going. Yeah, you're just going.
You're free. And those are the people that we
(08:32):
want to watch. Right.
Wow. OK, that is a great way to
articulate what is behind the ITfactor.
Yeah. I mean, you think about Heath
Ledger as Batman, I mean as the Joker.
Yeah. You think about his performance
and why it was so brilliant. Or even in Brokeback Mountain,
you know, you think about why hewas such a brilliant actor.
(08:56):
Yeah, right. What's going on?
He was OK with silence. He was OK with just being in the
frame. What I like to call in the frame
rather than like in the moment in the frame, you know?
With. Within whatever the character
was thinking at the time. And but there's a lot of actors
(09:18):
that control that, and they're just not as interesting to
watch. Wow, what a great behind the IT
factor scenes. Yeah, mine the in factor scenes
that's. What it is what's going on there
with the in factor so do you think that I mean I I think I
think the this is true, but do you think that every actor has
(09:42):
the ability to have an in factor?
Absolutely. My gosh, let's.
There are some people, there aresome people that come to me and
I'm like, I don't, I, I might work on their, the structure of
their scene, but I'm not going to work on them because they
already know who they are. That's where it is the IT
(10:02):
factor. I think that's that's one of the
the ways to find the IT factor in you is starting with knowing
who you are. I remember you saying something
to me. So interesting.
We were talking about an actor. I'll let you say who it is if
you want, but we're talking an actor who you had, you were
(10:25):
coaching or had managed. You had managed and and like
they just came in like super confident from the get go.
Like they just like I think theyhad grown up with like almost
overly affirming parents, if that's possible.
But I'll let you explain what that means.
(10:45):
But they just completely were solike so comfortable and
confident who they were. They didn't have a lot of inner
brokenness and inner things to work out.
And again, we've talked about brokenness helps you become the
better actor because you can access things however you have
to. It's not just coming and staying
broken. You can't stay broken.
(11:06):
You have to get, you have to gethealing.
You have to pursue healing. Well, you can't stay broken and
run a business. OK, so so there's that.
So know where to put it, you know, so it's like I wrote, if
it's what you do during the struggle that's going to tell
(11:28):
the world who you are, you know,like, like that brokenness you
can use and at the same time be able to function.
Right. Right, but that person that I
was talking to you about was what I would consider overly
loved by his parents and a lot of and and his career went
(11:52):
skyrocketed very fast. And so did that other kid that I
like. I he was Mowgli.
He I represented, he did a threepicture deal with Disney for
him. He was Mowgli and he mom just
like loved the crap out of him and a lot of us didn't even know
where our dad or our moms were. Right.
(12:16):
You know, I mean like where or where?
Or we knew where they were. Or some people knew where they.
Were show up, I didn't know where they were drinking or
something. So they were so worried with
their own shit that they didn't have the capacity to over love
or love the way you needed to beloved.
(12:37):
So that's why we went to the theater where we went to film or
we went to acting class because the love of the class and the
love of our people. Yes, right.
Village is the same kind of love.
Yeah. But isn't it?
But it's going to be in the way of making you a star, because
(12:58):
the higher up you go, the more judgement there is.
Yes, yeah. And it's it is no joke.
It's real. It's real.
So that stuff has to get, that stuff has to get healed like at
the root, you know, not. Mess.
Yes. At the root, yeah.
And for some of us, it takes a really long time.
(13:19):
Yeah, yeah. And that's OK.
There's, there's at least there's progress.
But I think once you get, you know, get your identity
straightened out because that's very connected to healing, then
that's where you can find the ITfactor.
Because then you're like, I, I know who I am and I love who I
(13:40):
am and I am loved and I am enough and, and it and then it
and then it's like, oh wow, there they are, you know?
The other thought is what am I contributing?
You know, like what is my legacy?
What am I contributing? And that's a really good way to
get out of your own way. So I mean, you are the gift.
(14:02):
So when you come into the work, the work needs to be yeah, with
whatever's the character's goingthrough, and then you're
connecting with it. And then you, the cherry on top,
who are you? Yeah, yeah.
'Cause they're only going to call back 8 to 10 people, like
(14:23):
which slot are you going to fulfill?
And you're going to represent itin a big way.
So good, yeah. And that takes a lot of self
reflection because it's very difficult, especially a higher
up you go. And like one of my clients was
like I think 6 or 6 to 8 callbacks and she was getting
(14:44):
exhausted and feeling like why can't you pick, right?
So the theory is regular valid question.
Why can't why? Why?
What's the situation? Like?
Why aren't you picking? Yeah.
And the anger that went into, you know, when you get into #6
#7 #8 can't be there because youdidn't have it one through 5.
(15:10):
Right. And then you're suddenly gonna
show up different. Yeah, you'd be like, oh wait,
that's not who I called in. Yes.
To try to get to the. Character's gonna be skewed.
Yeah. So the character has to stay
pure. It can't be filled up with with
your anger because they haven't made a choice.
(15:32):
Right, right. But I will I will sincerely say
that if you are in your body andyou know who you are, the choice
would have been made sooner. Wow.
Oh, that is fire right there. It That's a word.
That is a really good word. Wow.
(15:56):
Yeah. And so that's the if factor is
based on like knowing where you fed and then really fully
showing up and not, not not caring about what it is they're
looking for. Yeah.
And I think that's I think that's such an important
(16:17):
distinction because when you also know who you are, then
let's say they do make a different choice at the end, But
then you're not thinking that you don't you don't start going
into, you know, this death spiral that you carry into your
next auditions. As you know, like, oh, I like
like an example, you know, one of her partners when she was a
(16:40):
kid, she was a kid actor. She she was like called in
multiple times for the role of Good luck Charlie for the the
best friend of girl whatever Hedy and and so they hadn't
(17:00):
picked Teddy yet. You know, they, they or or the
show hadn't come out yet. There's there's, you know,
casting. And so she was called in
multiple times, think 5 or same cover, and then they and
ultimately didn't end up pickingher and super disappointing all
this, all this stuff. But then when the show came out,
she realized she looked just like Teddy.
(17:22):
They couldn't, you know, like they couldn't.
And so with their best friend, they ended up picking was
African American and she was youknow, she was blonde and blue
eyed, just like Teddy was. So they it's like when you know
who you when you have enough of you know, I solid identity and
know who you are, like when you're not chosen, then there's
(17:43):
you know, you're not going. Oh, it's something about me like
you're like, oh, I don't know why, but it you know, they're,
they're they're, it doesn't haveto do with me, you know, like.
Well, you leave everything out on the table, OK, And you know
that you weren't tricking and tricking it out or faking it up
or whatever, or coming in at a 5.
(18:05):
Do you really feel that you camein at a 10/12 and you're you're
going to be OK? Yeah, exactly you.
Walk away. No, I, I I totally get it.
I get it if you want to go in another direction.
Yeah, 'cause I did AI know I dida great job, did a.
(18:25):
Great job. But you guys, the worst thing
you could do is read the breakdown and I'm going to talk
about that. Oh, do yeah.
Talk about like, why don't you do that versus it's really?
Bad for your age factor. It's really bad.
Like years ago they used to write a lot of comparisons, like
(18:45):
they would be like, we're looking for a Deborah Winger
type, OK. And I used to go out.
Does this one Deborah Winger wasreally hot, you know, and oh.
I remember that like. I'm like Deborah Winger, an
officer and a gentleman. Deborah Winger and tears of
endearment like Winger. Winger and what?
(19:07):
So the whole time I'm trying to be Deborah Winger and it's
really got in my head. AM.
I Deborah Winger enough now am IDeborah Winger enough?
And then it's like you read a breakdown that says she's wry
and she's, she's she's also sexy.
(19:29):
And she also is a little bit rough around the edges.
And she's also, you know, So what are you going to do?
You're going to go through the script and go, OK, I'm going to
be rough around the edges on that line.
Check. I'm going to be right there.
OK, check. There's different lines.
What the hell? The breakdown's been covered.
What about the story? Maybe the story is not the
(19:52):
breakdown. Maybe you'll look at the
breakdown and then you'll look at your script and you'll say I
don't know why they wrote that breakdown because the script
doesn't reflect it at all. Interesting.
Well, go with the script becausethat breakdown might have been
based in a previous draft, or maybe this character is in
(20:15):
several episodes and maybe it's later on.
Right, right. Let's just do your little slice
of pizza, OK? You got a slice of pizza.
It came in the mail, called thise-mail.
That's your slice of pizza and you get 1 scene and there's your
slice of pizza. Now, if you have two scenes and
three scenes, there's three different slices.
(20:37):
Different. Toppings.
Wow, that's so good. So look at it that way.
But if you're going to start picking off the breakdown, then
every time you pick something off, the less you are going to
show up. Wow.
That is not the Ed factor. No, that's not going to get you
(20:58):
the Ed factor. Now, like you talked about,
like, you know, when, when you get an audition, you go like if
it's something that's like it, like ATV, like it's something
that's already, you go and research, you go and research
the show, you go and watch it. Yeah, you have to do that.
You have to do that, but you're also not trying to copy Someone
(21:21):
Like You said, trying to DeborahWinger, like you're also trying
to copy someone's. How do you balance researching
something versus OK, but I'm nottrying to copy them?
Well, just don't go after the research for the character.
Go after the tone and the style and the genre.
That's there. It is right there.
OK, because you can be a great actor, but in the wrong show.
(21:43):
So on the wrong network. I mean, it could even come down
to am I really in HBO right now or am I in Apple?
Yes, Apple. You know, if you look at Apple,
Apple has a lot of sci-fi. Yeah.
Everything's very, very heavy onApple, very sophisticated and
(22:06):
heavy. I mean severance is.
On a complex like complex stories.
Yeah, like detailed, like the studio is on Apple, yes, black,
but it's very heady that that's also very heady comedy.
Right. And a lot of sci-fi.
Yeah. Is on Apple like of all mankind.
(22:29):
So isn't severance? Isn't severance.
Yeah, Severance is not Apple. Yeah, that that is like fantasy
meets. That's total sci-fi.
Yes, Oh my God. Beat and it's almost Brechtian.
Yeah, it's like thriller slash. Yeah, mix of stuff.
(22:54):
It's very, very interesting. Yeah.
I mean, you mind, there's a lot of people that don't like it
because they don't think that way, you know?
Right and. Then, you know, and then there's
Peacock, which is, yes, Love Island and all the housewives.
OK, so I mean like look at it. Yeah, yeah.
(23:19):
And yeah, look at definitely. Because even even like a like a
Disney thing, like I just had someone, you know, get a serious
regular Disney audition. And immediately when I first got
it, my mind just subconsciously,I assumed it was multicam, but
I, when I looked again, I was like, oh, this is this is single
Cam. So even that like you have to
(23:40):
know what does that mean first of all?
Musical High School Musical I think would be considered a
Disney movie musical and they were complex relationships.
Yeah, yeah. That like teen problems.
(24:01):
Right. Yeah.
They they did it in like a humorous way, but it was but it
was actually like real like issues.
Yeah, teen issues, but in a fastpick up your cues, pay attention
or punctuation. Yes, yeah, exactly.
You had a lot of. Cheesy elements.
(24:22):
Yes, yeah, very Disney. Disney.
Disney cheese, you know, and so understanding, you know, lean
into the cheese, but like then you get to look at law and order
has no cheese. Right.
No cheese to be had. Set in dry.
Yep, yeah, Yep. No cheese at all.
But then you look at a show likea Hawaii 5 O tons of cheese.
(24:47):
Right, yeah, they they just all have their own flavor.
And so you just, you want to really understand the flavor,
research the flavor. I love how you said like before,
like, you know, you'll get you'll get, you know, an
audition and you're like, I'm I'm, you know, binge watching
every show of the you know, justto get like, what is this, you
(25:09):
know, and not to copy anyone or you know, but to be like, what
is this? And then and then showing up as
your own self to know who you are as much as you can.
I love how you said it's the process like like don't put the
pressure on like I couldn't likeget healed completely and know
(25:31):
my exactly my identity is so I can like, you know, like it's a
this is not overnight, typicallynot overnight stuff and you just
want to be making progress. You know?
No, no, no. Like the batting order of
things, you know? Yeah.
(25:51):
Like I was actually talking about it in class the other
night that the in terms of the batting order, when when you are
like 10th on the call sheet, just do what's in the box, OK.
And then if you're like 8th or 7th and you're moving up and you
have a little bit more to say and you've got more pages than
(26:12):
maybe a second scene Co star. So now you can do a little bit
more and show up. Yeah.
Guest star, guest lead, front billing credits, right?
You can do way more because you're the story of the week,
(26:34):
but if you're a series regular you better have the Ed factor.
Yeah, right. That's really good.
Because especially if you're a series lead, I look at that guy
Justin, and I can't remember hislast name, but he was on This Is
Us and now he's starring in Tracker.
Yes, I. Justin Hartley, I think is.
(26:56):
Hartley Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know why they gave him that
it? Factor.
Yeah. So when you look at him, why
does he have the IT factor? Again, it's so hard to
articulate, but he's so comfortable with himself.
To see there's something that heis so comfortable with himself.
(27:18):
So relaxed. Yes, he's so relaxed and it and,
and, and you can almost feel even when he's playing a really
intense and heavy scenes like, and This Is Us, like there's
some kind of joy circulating in and or in and around him that
even in those dark scenes that he the heavy scenes that he
(27:40):
plays so well, there's still something in him that's there's
some kind of joy there, you know, and it's like, oh, I I
just want to keep watching like what's what's he going to do?
And you can't and you can't really anticipate what he's
going to do or you know, and obviously so many things play
into that, right? The directing, the writing.
(28:01):
But when you know everyone in inthat show and you know not, you
don't feel that way, but every single person to the same extent
as, you know, as him. So some of them you do, but it's
also like same writer, same director, but then some people
within that stand out. Yeah.
(28:22):
Understand why that is. That's why it's interesting they
gave him his own show after thatensemble piece.
He was virtually an unknown. Yeah, yeah.
You know, Lisa Kudrow was the only one of all the friends that
didn't have a deal at the studio.
Really. She I was so-called mad about
(28:46):
you and she had a Co star and the Co star.
Was really mad about you. I love.
That show, it was a great show. And she, I think, was I.
Forgot she was a Co star in that.
Yes, she was a waitress. She was the one like with the
board and talking the board. But anyway, she forgot that
character. Well, the producer, there were
(29:07):
some of the producers of that show went over to friends and
they said there's this one character that was recurring.
Yeah. Mad about you?
And that's the same character that she brought to Phoebe.
Oh my gosh. Yeah, all of those kids, all
those guys on Friends had a had a studio deal.
(29:29):
Very interesting, but. They're they were doing studio
deals. I don't think they do them
anymore, but. Yeah.
They're like promised to be in particular pilots.
Right. Yeah, there's, there's a
handful. That's why you saw so many of
(29:49):
the same actors in literally every single thing that came out
for those kind of number of years.
It's like, oh, everyone's the same, the same in every, you
know, every project. Yeah, people, the same people.
Yeah, but you know, I mean, like, you know, Jeffrey Dean
Morgan is right. Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
(30:11):
He was Katherine Heigl's boyfriend and earlier versions
of like the earlier seasons of Grey's Anatomy.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep.
He, his personality and the way that he was just catapulted his
career. It was a hot show at the time.
(30:33):
That's when Grace was at its height and he that was a very
big storyline between between him and Katherine Heigl.
Yeah. And after that happened, his
career just took off. OK, so also like George Clooney.
Oh yes. I mean, I could watch anything
that he's in, you know, and eveneven.
(30:57):
Likeable. He's so likeable.
Yeah, there's something about him that is like, again, he's
like so relaxed and so comfortable with himself.
Yeah, he spins it out like you guys, once you figure out who
the character is and then you find the connection to when you
(31:18):
are this character and it becomes yours.
And now you could spin it out, but don't do it ahead of time
and clown it up just to be different.
You're different because you're nobody shares your DNA.
You're you exactly. Yeah.
That I, I, I feel like OK, if people take anything away from
(31:39):
this, I feel like that is reallycentral.
You, you are different than anyone, everyone else because
you are you. But no one will know that if you
don't know who you are, you, or at least growing into that like
you. The more you grow into it, the
more you're going to stand out without having to do something
silly or quirky or ridiculous orunnecessary like you just show.
(32:06):
Stand out for stand out's sake. Yes, yes, exactly, exactly.
People ask that question that they, I hear that coming up a
lot. Like should I, should I kind of,
or they'll just submit an audition and, and they'll do 2
takes and the second one has, you know, they threw a little
improv in or a little button andit's like, OK, that's fine.
(32:26):
But like why, why did you do that?
Well, I wanted to stand out and do something different that
other people aren't doing. Well, that's the only reason
you're doing it like it doesn't.Mean that it's part of the part
and if you're, and if you're a costar and you're doing that,
you know, just be on the outfield.
Guys go catch some balls and you're on the bench and you're
(32:48):
batting like 10 for eight, you know, yeah, like that's not the
time to do it. The time to do it is when you're
auditioning for a series regular.
Yeah, or, you know, like, or thesame casting director has called
you in over and over and over. They trust you, they know you
and. And so it's like, OK, they know
me, they trust me. I'm maybe I can do something and
(33:08):
if it's. A film, you can do it for a
film, yeah. Every single role in a film is
important. There's no really batting or in
a film like every single I'm I'mmostly talking indie movies, not
really studio movies and indie movies.
(33:33):
It's the baby of the writer. It's the baby.
Yeah. And so absolutely they don't.
Have to write you in to move thestory along.
They're writing you in because you're making the bigger story
like the the big picture work. It'd be an element that's tied
(33:54):
in later on. Yeah.
Where they can't do that in ATV show because there's only an
hour or or really 45 minutes of material.
Yeah, that's it. That's right.
Pages or something? Right, right, right about. 44 or
45 pages in the 15 minutes is incommercials.
(34:18):
Right. Exactly.
Yeah, Yeah. That's a really good point and a
good distinction. Yeah, so they got to get to the
story for the series regular cause quickly.
OK, Yep, but in a. Feature why you're saying like
you don't, you're not that you're not doing as much
(34:39):
thinking and breathing in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Whereas in a feature film there's like 120 and 140 minutes
to kill. Yeah.
And you have to be such a complex, interesting person to
pop off the screen. Right.
(35:00):
You don't. It's not insignificance, you
know, like in television, sometimes you you won't even
notice the person. Right, Yeah, yeah, someone's
someone's not going to stay withyou in the same way as not all
the time, sometimes, but but I feel like more often than not a
film is is the the character andif Alma's gonna stay with you
(35:24):
longer. Look at Jo Beth William in
Kramer versus Kramer. She had a scene in the half, not
even 2 scenes and she won an Academy Award for best
supporting actress. Isn't.
That interesting? Yeah, that's that says a lot.
Just that example. What did she do in that in that
time, you know, right? Was she interesting to watch?
(35:50):
Yeah, yeah. And then and then of course,
Meryl Streep, you know, she's. Meryl Streep is is interesting
to watch because Meryl Streep does a lot of work, a lot like
on your scripts. Oh, really?
Like in terms of? Breaking it down and breaking it
down and breaking it down and breaking it down.
(36:12):
Wow. She does a lot of work.
She also does a lot of deep workto find the character in a deep
way. She's very deep, you know?
Right. Oh yeah.
She's fully invested. She doesn't even notice the
camera. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. And you can.
You can so much feel. That see how relaxed she is.
(36:33):
Yeah, yeah. And she, she's just not
reserved. She's just not holding anything
back. She's not like, like crazy and,
you know, and like careless, butshe's.
But she's not. She's all in.
Yeah. And.
(36:54):
And you guys, you can do that too, but just know all in in how
much. Right, it's not you still.
Have to be all in, even if it's small.
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, the funniest thing, I had this.
I had this student. She was, I think she was, she
was 13 at the time. She did my technique really well
(37:17):
because she was on set with Jason Alexander and it was for a
Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial.
Oh, I love it. And she was in the front,
licking her fingers so distinctly.
Oh my God. From the chicken that he pulled
the director aside and took the chicken away from her.
(37:39):
OK, and then she found even moreto do without the chicken, and
he threw her in the back so nobody could see her.
Interesting. From him, but she was so
committed to the taste of that Kentucky Fried Chicken.
(38:00):
Wow, that is a great example of like, 'cause in your cause, in
people's minds, they're like, well, I'm all in.
I'm I'm trying to go all in here.
You. Gotta be careful and not to
upstage the star so you know you're sharing the light with
him, but he is the light. You're like helping his light,
(38:24):
right? He was.
She got the technique down so much 'cause the whole technique
is based in popping and why you're popping in a scene is
because of 100 things. But but her main thing was her
commitment and being all in. Yeah.
And really experiencing the chicken.
(38:44):
Right, which is a good thing. She's on the right track, but
you have to know whether. Yeah, but not for just a like a
group scene. Right, right.
Exactly. You have to know what you're in,
which is comes on to the research and yeah, what a great.
Leaning I don't even know if they saw her in the commercial.
I don't remember if they saw herin the commercial 'cause they
(39:05):
think they put other people in front of her.
She so she learned how to do it,but you shouldn't be doing it in
that way. Just know your place, you know?
Right, right, right. That's a really.
That's a great example. You could still be the edge
factor in a small way by showingup as you completely committing
(39:30):
to what it is that you're doing,even if it's a small task.
Yeah, and this is a good point. Commercials are a different
beast. They are.
You don't you want to be, you don't want to be like overly
dramatic in a commercial. You just well, you wanted you
just want to be relatable. That's the whole that's the
whole purpose of advertising is people feel like, Oh, I can
relate to that person. I believe them.
(39:53):
I can't want to go buy this now.Like you just you don't want to
go into the drama. You want to be like just your
everyday next, you know, next door neighbor.
Person, I don't think there is an IT factor in a commercial
because then you're pulling awayfrom the product.
Yeah, absolutely. It's yeah, totally.
You're just the. Product is the series regular
basically. Yeah, exactly it.
(40:15):
That's that's that's a great wayto describe it.
You just want to be relating. Yeah.
I I tell people, you know, subconsciously wear something
like some color of the product somewhere.
Oh, I like that. I have not heard that before.
Like Target red, you know, maybeyou're, you have a red scarf or
(40:37):
I don't know, something red. Yeah, like not not all red Cause
or Best Buy. Blue you.
Know maybe? Like.
Over something that's a different color underneath or
something like like, yeah, that's so good.
Yeah, I mean, but I, I tell people that, you know,
commercials are tiny stories. So like it's always not about
(41:00):
you, it's about the product, right?
Like exactly. So ask yourself like what I am
the missing piece to that puzzle?
And so why? Why am I even in the commercial?
Yeah, right. So in terms of advertising, it's
all a look, right? So what is my look with this
product in this commercial 'cause it's advertising, so it's
(41:23):
a look. Right, it's a lot.
Yeah, so spend a lot of time on your hair and your makeup and,
and you guys, I, I can't believehow many props 'cause I'm like
anti dressing up as an officer or a doc, anti costume, fucking
everything. Wear the stethoscope, wear the,
(41:46):
you know, tool belt. They see everything in
commercials. Yes, that's.
Oh, that's so good. I'm glad you said that.
That's before you can we. Yeah, you can.
In fact, we do. We often, I often submit like I,
I my, you know, actors will get headshots and some of them will
do, they'll have like the police, you know, police
(42:09):
uniform. Yeah, for a commercial.
For sure. And right.
And so that'll be like their bonus, like headshot.
And so when you know that when that comes up, that kind of
role, it's like I'll use that headshot, you know?
Yeah, I'm sure it works. Like you can, you can do, you
could, you know, if you're not gonna do if you're in a, you
(42:31):
know, something more theatrical,but you're not, you don't want
to necessarily do the costume. You can do something that's like
you just do something that's like similar, you know, I mean.
Theatrical. They think it's too needy, it's
too much when you dress in the costume.
Right. Yeah.
Like, like you're covering, you're covering up your
performance with it. Yeah, they just, it just reads
(42:53):
as wanting it too bad. Yeah, but in commercials, try to
do it as much as possible. Yes, yes.
If you're eating a hamburger nowthat you're shooting it at home.
Yeah, The only exception, and I just heard this, I heard it
before, but I was shooting againrecently from ACD is like it's a
(43:16):
casting director commercials. This is actually theatrical.
But the actual is completely different.
It's. Completely, it's completely
different. But if you excuse me, but if
you're thinking about because someone was asking about props
and they said generally no, theysaid generally no.
(43:39):
But if there's a situation whereit could be acceptable, and
let's say in this case it's, youknow, let's talk about
commercials because that's is what's more acceptable.
If there's any of the weapons involved, they said just don't
even do anything with weapons. Don't do any weapon.
But you can like see this. This looks like.
Yes. Yeah, it's off screen.
(44:01):
I can do. It.
That's so good, yeah. It's off screen.
Yep, yeah, you do not need, don't have, don't.
And if it's knife, it looks likeI'm holding a knife.
But yeah, yeah, it's how it's positioned.
Yeah, it's positioning. They don't want to see weapons.
It freaks them out. It freaks them out.
(44:21):
So you don't. Yeah, somebody was, somebody was
drinking there's, they were supposed to be drinking whiskey
in a scene the other night and they had a a highball glass with
water. I said don't do that.
First off, you're drinking it like it's water, 'cause it's
(44:44):
water, right? Like Whistle.
Wrong like what's all wrong? Whiskey it it hurts.
Right. It's not what you're going to
look like unless something's but.
When you're drinking it tequila,it like goes down.
It's like you're. Drinking.
Yeah. It's like you're kind of
whistle. Yeah, you're an alcoholic.
(45:06):
Because then it's nothing, you know?
But somebody gives you a drink, they're not going to put it in a
high glass. They're going to put it in a
high glass for whiskey, right? So you're doing a great job with
your work. And then all of a sudden you
show me that and it tells me you're an actor.
Yeah. So you put iced tea in a low
(45:28):
ball and drink it like it's whiskey?
I'm doing it all. Right.
Do it right or don't Do if you don't.
Really don't if you really do not know.
You can't do it. Don't do it.
Don't do it. Yep, absolutely.
You know, and I always say, if the action helps you tell a
(45:49):
better story, do it. And if it doesn't distract you.
But if it's not to distract me and I'm gonna say, oh, that's an
actor, then don't do it. Yeah, Yeah.
That's a great rule of thumb right there.
Yeah. Rule of thumb.
But I mean, I'm not against action if you're great at it.
Yeah. But I mean, your job really is
(46:11):
to be like a master magician, like an actor magician.
So I like you. You should be able to hold the
glass and and you know, shoot it.
Right. Put it down and I don't know
what it is. Right, you don't even have to
have anything in the glass. No, you don't even need a glass.
Yes, that yeah, exactly if you felt Ryan on OTTA props is are
(46:37):
not what's gonna make the casting director be like oh the
one that's the that's will neverhappen.
So you just well. I believe in yourself enough,
you know, and do that kind of work enough.
Exactly. Yeah.
OK, well we got off topic, so let's let's just wrap it up with
(46:58):
what an IT factor is. Yeah, an IT factor is when you
know who you are, you know, you're clear on your identity,
you love who you are, you've come to love who you are and you
carry that in with you and you're in it and you're so
relaxed about what you're doing.You no one can tell what's going
(47:23):
to happen. You could walk in a room and
everyone's kind of on the edge of their seat.
They're just drawn in and, and and they don't even know why.
That's kind of, I think that's kind of the add factor.
And everyone, everyone of you, has it somewhere inside of you.
Absolutely. Is that perfect?
(47:44):
That was a great job, right? Like.
A great job. That was a great summation that
that's the Cliff Notes guys, those summaries.
Yeah. Summit up, guys.
Again, if you really like what we're saying here, definitely
follow Ophelia. Ophelia, tell them what your
handle is. It's Ophelia under score.
(48:10):
No, it's Agent J under score Agent under score.
Ophelia. Oh it's JTA under score.
See, I can't I so from now on, II can never this has been this
is now our our stick. I know, it's so funny.
It's JT under score Agent under score Ophelia.
(48:33):
JT under score. ATAA.
TA under score Agent under scoreOphelia.
That's JTA because it's Johnson Talent Agency.
Yeah, and I'm and I'm just Amy Linden, so you could find.
Just Amy Linden. Just the Amy Linden.
(48:54):
You could find this on YouTube, so subscribe on YouTube or on
all platforms and I've been putting the video up on because
Spotify now allows you to have avideo.
Oh, no way. Yeah, and so I replaced all the
(49:15):
audio with video. Oh, very cool.
Because there's one of my students says he likes listening
and then occasionally looking upat us.
Yeah, I like, I like that too. I would if that I can find that
like, and it's only kind of beenon YouTube that I've been able
to do that. But I like prefer that I'll be
like making dinner and then I'llkind of look over once in a
(49:36):
while and it's like it, you know, draws the end.
So that's a fun way to do it forsure.
Yeah, so it's now on Spotify. They can watch us on Spotify.
They're. Cool.
And I think on all platforms, I don't know what the other
platforms are doing, but I know you could watch it on Spotify.
Yeah, yeah. Alright, yay, so.
(49:57):
Go find your IT factor. The IT factor.
Go work on it guys 'cause you aren't enough.
Oh yeah, and use use enough 20 to get 20% off on I am enough
collection.com. Yay, go get it.
Bye, guys.
Hey guys, welcome back to Actors.
You are enough. Oh yeah, enough.
Enough. You are enough.
This is episode 8. I, I think what I'm gonna name
this episode. What is the IT factor?
(00:23):
But before we get into that, youguys, if you like what we're
doing, please hit that little like like button or the star the
the what is it? The Heart.
Subscribe Follow do. It now do it now for you for
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we are loving leaving you with and.
(00:46):
Yeah, I'm loving all the comments we're getting too,
right? I know I love the one recently
that was like, this is by therapy.
Like I'm like, Oh my gosh, This is why we do like This is why we
do this. Yeah, that's so.
Cool, spread the word you guys. If it's it's it's helping
people. So spread the word like a chair.
(01:09):
Subscribe. OK, so let's get into it.
Ophelia, when an actor comes to you, what do you think for you
is the IT factor? Like how can you look at them
and go? Yeah, that's a great question.
(01:30):
I think it's something every actor is kind of after somewhere
in inside of them and, and as you should, because that's,
that's what you, that's what you're wanting to have, because
that's what casting is, is responding to. the IT factor is,
you know, it's called the IT factor because it is very,
(01:50):
there's not a lot of other good words for it because it's very,
very difficult to articulate. It's kind of more like an
experience. Like if I see someone, I'm like
something in me is like, wow, they're like, I wanted.
I don't care what they say or do.
I just want to watch them, you know, or like I'm just drawn in.
(02:17):
That's like what we call there'ssome, there's some kind of like
energy, like life coming, comingout of them that is just like,
you know, magnetizing you to them.
And so that's kind of what we call the IT factor and.
I I have to tell you a story about the IT factor.
(02:38):
So I was managing guess who camein for us to represent him, but
Sean Hayes. This is before he got willing
grace and I was managing out of my house.
We had built this entire like back studio that was huge.
It was like the sunroom and but in the house right before you
(03:01):
walk in was a piano. That guy, not only did he light
up the room and he was all over the place.
OK, he ran to the piano. Nobody asked him to.
OK, guys, he ran to the piano. He started playing and singing.
And my partner and I were like, and that was right after he did
(03:22):
the movie Billy's First Kiss. It was like a, an indie movie
that blew up on the circuit. And I mean, we looked at each
other and said, we can't take this guy because he's he, we,
we, we can't. He would require a lot.
Right. OK, yes, he's that that kind of
(03:46):
a. Person he would have fired a lot
and we had such a full roster atthe time that maybe if we had
less people and we were making alot of money, we would have
taken him. It's a good thing we didn't
because the manager that he ended up signing with, he ended
up leaving right away after he booked William Grace.
Oh gosh, yeah. Thank God he didn't.
(04:07):
Yeah, but I will tell you he hadthe Ed factor.
Yeah, there you go. Someone sometimes it, it's
helpful to like think of like, like you just did like think of
people that you can refer to like, OK, that's an example I
would say, I mean, and there's several of them, right.
(04:28):
But like, I would say, like Austin Butler, there's something
when he's about his stage presence that it's like, you
know, like I, I, I have to keep watching.
I have to see what he's what's he's going to do.
I think Timothy Chalamet my favorite.
(04:49):
Young actor, I think he's the greatest young actor of our of,
of that generation. And I love what he said when he
accepted his award, that this isthe first of many and it's, and
it's inspiring to him or that it's, it's not like he's
slamming it or anything, but it's gives him confirmation that
(05:10):
he's on the right track and the goal is to be great.
Yeah, as. A matter of fact, he told his
girlfriend Kylie Jenner he didn't want to be in the
Kardashians because he wanted tobe considered a serious actor
and he is about everything that he's ever been in.
(05:35):
It's so interesting he and and this is some way one of the ways
you know some of the factors because he's not even like
traditionally or classically good looking I.
Mean. But he is just killing it.
And so, you know, he, he doesn'thave like a Hollywood body like
he, he's, but he has, there's something that you can't even
(05:59):
fully articulate that it that's why we call it the IT factor.
And he, he's, he's really good at what he, I mean, it really is
an art, you know, it really is an art for him and.
I I think as a as a coach, a lotof it is he leaves himself
alone. Oh, tell us, what does tell us
more about that? What it What does that mean?
He knows what he's doing, but not not how he's going to do it.
(06:21):
So he's, he's not in, he doesn'tcontrol his vehicle.
He sets it up, he lets it go andhe sees what happened, what's
going to happen. A lot of people are more
interested in the how they're going to do it and rather than
what are they doing, you know? Yes.
Film, film and television is just completely different in
film, if you're not thinking a lot.
(06:45):
Yeah. It's not going to translate
because that's what we we respond to.
We don't know what they're thinking.
Wow, look, you can anticipate. Yeah, they're just, they're
really present all the time. Like they're actively thinking
all the time. OK, explain actively thinking
(07:05):
versus being in your head? Well-being in your head, you're
only thinking about what you're going to say rather than what's
coming at you. Uh huh.
See you're thinking right now, OK.
And so you, that would be considered a film technique.
See, in television, you don't really have as much time to
(07:25):
think unless you're in like an AMC show or, and what kind of
show you're in, but like The Walking Dead or something.
But if you're in a network show,there's not as much time to
think. So there's a lot of television
people that have a really hard time moving over to film because
(07:48):
you have to be a complex thinking being to be very
interesting to watch on a biggerscreen.
Wow, that makes so much sense. That makes so much sense.
A lot of the IT factor has a lotto do with you being able to to
to breathe. That's weird.
(08:10):
But like you, you're not considering judgement from other
people and and you're not considering your own judgement.
Yeah. So you're free.
You're just. You're just.
Going. Yeah, you're just going.
You're free. And those are the people that we
(08:32):
want to watch. Right.
Wow. OK, that is a great way to
articulate what is behind the ITfactor.
Yeah. I mean, you think about Heath
Ledger as Batman, I mean as the Joker.
Yeah. You think about his performance
and why it was so brilliant. Or even in Brokeback Mountain,
you know, you think about why hewas such a brilliant actor.
(08:56):
Yeah, right. What's going on?
He was OK with silence. He was OK with just being in the
frame. What I like to call in the frame
rather than like in the moment in the frame, you know?
With. Within whatever the character
was thinking at the time. And but there's a lot of actors
(09:18):
that control that, and they're just not as interesting to
watch. Wow, what a great behind the IT
factor scenes. Yeah, mine the in factor scenes
that's. What it is what's going on there
with the in factor so do you think that I mean I I think I
think the this is true, but do you think that every actor has
(09:42):
the ability to have an in factor?
Absolutely. My gosh, let's.
There are some people, there aresome people that come to me and
I'm like, I don't, I, I might work on their, the structure of
their scene, but I'm not going to work on them because they
already know who they are. That's where it is the IT
(10:02):
factor. I think that's that's one of the
the ways to find the IT factor in you is starting with knowing
who you are. I remember you saying something
to me. So interesting.
We were talking about an actor. I'll let you say who it is if
you want, but we're talking an actor who you had, you were
(10:25):
coaching or had managed. You had managed and and like
they just came in like super confident from the get go.
Like they just like I think theyhad grown up with like almost
overly affirming parents, if that's possible.
But I'll let you explain what that means.
(10:45):
But they just completely were solike so comfortable and
confident who they were. They didn't have a lot of inner
brokenness and inner things to work out.
And again, we've talked about brokenness helps you become the
better actor because you can access things however you have
to. It's not just coming and staying
broken. You can't stay broken.
(11:06):
You have to get, you have to gethealing.
You have to pursue healing. Well, you can't stay broken and
run a business. OK, so so there's that.
So know where to put it, you know, so it's like I wrote, if
it's what you do during the struggle that's going to tell
(11:28):
the world who you are, you know,like, like that brokenness you
can use and at the same time be able to function.
Right. Right, but that person that I
was talking to you about was what I would consider overly
loved by his parents and a lot of and and his career went
(11:52):
skyrocketed very fast. And so did that other kid that I
like. I he was Mowgli.
He I represented, he did a threepicture deal with Disney for
him. He was Mowgli and he mom just
like loved the crap out of him and a lot of us didn't even know
where our dad or our moms were. Right.
(12:16):
You know, I mean like where or where?
Or we knew where they were. Or some people knew where they.
Were show up, I didn't know where they were drinking or
something. So they were so worried with
their own shit that they didn't have the capacity to over love
or love the way you needed to beloved.
(12:37):
So that's why we went to the theater where we went to film or
we went to acting class because the love of the class and the
love of our people. Yes, right.
Village is the same kind of love.
Yeah. But isn't it?
But it's going to be in the way of making you a star, because
(12:58):
the higher up you go, the more judgement there is.
Yes, yeah. And it's it is no joke.
It's real. It's real.
So that stuff has to get, that stuff has to get healed like at
the root, you know, not. Mess.
Yes. At the root, yeah.
And for some of us, it takes a really long time.
(13:19):
Yeah, yeah. And that's OK.
There's, there's at least there's progress.
But I think once you get, you know, get your identity
straightened out because that's very connected to healing, then
that's where you can find the ITfactor.
Because then you're like, I, I know who I am and I love who I
(13:40):
am and I am loved and I am enough and, and it and then it
and then it's like, oh wow, there they are, you know?
The other thought is what am I contributing?
You know, like what is my legacy?
What am I contributing? And that's a really good way to
get out of your own way. So I mean, you are the gift.
(14:02):
So when you come into the work, the work needs to be yeah, with
whatever's the character's goingthrough, and then you're
connecting with it. And then you, the cherry on top,
who are you? Yeah, yeah.
'Cause they're only going to call back 8 to 10 people, like
(14:23):
which slot are you going to fulfill?
And you're going to represent itin a big way.
So good, yeah. And that takes a lot of self
reflection because it's very difficult, especially a higher
up you go. And like one of my clients was
like I think 6 or 6 to 8 callbacks and she was getting
(14:44):
exhausted and feeling like why can't you pick, right?
So the theory is regular valid question.
Why can't why? Why?
What's the situation? Like?
Why aren't you picking? Yeah.
And the anger that went into, you know, when you get into #6
#7 #8 can't be there because youdidn't have it one through 5.
(15:10):
Right. And then you're suddenly gonna
show up different. Yeah, you'd be like, oh wait,
that's not who I called in. Yes.
To try to get to the. Character's gonna be skewed.
Yeah. So the character has to stay
pure. It can't be filled up with with
your anger because they haven't made a choice.
(15:32):
Right, right. But I will I will sincerely say
that if you are in your body andyou know who you are, the choice
would have been made sooner. Wow.
Oh, that is fire right there. It That's a word.
That is a really good word. Wow.
(15:56):
Yeah. And so that's the if factor is
based on like knowing where you fed and then really fully
showing up and not, not not caring about what it is they're
looking for. Yeah.
And I think that's I think that's such an important
(16:17):
distinction because when you also know who you are, then
let's say they do make a different choice at the end, But
then you're not thinking that you don't you don't start going
into, you know, this death spiral that you carry into your
next auditions. As you know, like, oh, I like
like an example, you know, one of her partners when she was a
(16:40):
kid, she was a kid actor. She she was like called in
multiple times for the role of Good luck Charlie for the the
best friend of girl whatever Hedy and and so they hadn't
(17:00):
picked Teddy yet. You know, they, they or or the
show hadn't come out yet. There's there's, you know,
casting. And so she was called in
multiple times, think 5 or same cover, and then they and
ultimately didn't end up pickingher and super disappointing all
this, all this stuff. But then when the show came out,
she realized she looked just like Teddy.
(17:22):
They couldn't, you know, like they couldn't.
And so with their best friend, they ended up picking was
African American and she was youknow, she was blonde and blue
eyed, just like Teddy was. So they it's like when you know
who you when you have enough of you know, I solid identity and
know who you are, like when you're not chosen, then there's
(17:43):
you know, you're not going. Oh, it's something about me like
you're like, oh, I don't know why, but it you know, they're,
they're they're, it doesn't haveto do with me, you know, like.
Well, you leave everything out on the table, OK, And you know
that you weren't tricking and tricking it out or faking it up
or whatever, or coming in at a 5.
(18:05):
Do you really feel that you camein at a 10/12 and you're you're
going to be OK? Yeah, exactly you.
Walk away. No, I, I I totally get it.
I get it if you want to go in another direction.
Yeah, 'cause I did AI know I dida great job, did a.
(18:25):
Great job. But you guys, the worst thing
you could do is read the breakdown and I'm going to talk
about that. Oh, do yeah.
Talk about like, why don't you do that versus it's really?
Bad for your age factor. It's really bad.
Like years ago they used to write a lot of comparisons, like
(18:45):
they would be like, we're looking for a Deborah Winger
type, OK. And I used to go out.
Does this one Deborah Winger wasreally hot, you know, and oh.
I remember that like. I'm like Deborah Winger, an
officer and a gentleman. Deborah Winger and tears of
endearment like Winger. Winger and what?
(19:07):
So the whole time I'm trying to be Deborah Winger and it's
really got in my head. AM.
I Deborah Winger enough now am IDeborah Winger enough?
And then it's like you read a breakdown that says she's wry
and she's, she's she's also sexy.
(19:29):
And she also is a little bit rough around the edges.
And she's also, you know, So what are you going to do?
You're going to go through the script and go, OK, I'm going to
be rough around the edges on that line.
Check. I'm going to be right there.
OK, check. There's different lines.
What the hell? The breakdown's been covered.
What about the story? Maybe the story is not the
(19:52):
breakdown. Maybe you'll look at the
breakdown and then you'll look at your script and you'll say I
don't know why they wrote that breakdown because the script
doesn't reflect it at all. Interesting.
Well, go with the script becausethat breakdown might have been
based in a previous draft, or maybe this character is in
(20:15):
several episodes and maybe it's later on.
Right, right. Let's just do your little slice
of pizza, OK? You got a slice of pizza.
It came in the mail, called thise-mail.
That's your slice of pizza and you get 1 scene and there's your
slice of pizza. Now, if you have two scenes and
three scenes, there's three different slices.
(20:37):
Different. Toppings.
Wow, that's so good. So look at it that way.
But if you're going to start picking off the breakdown, then
every time you pick something off, the less you are going to
show up. Wow.
That is not the Ed factor. No, that's not going to get you
(20:58):
the Ed factor. Now, like you talked about,
like, you know, when, when you get an audition, you go like if
it's something that's like it, like ATV, like it's something
that's already, you go and research, you go and research
the show, you go and watch it. Yeah, you have to do that.
You have to do that, but you're also not trying to copy Someone
(21:21):
Like You said, trying to DeborahWinger, like you're also trying
to copy someone's. How do you balance researching
something versus OK, but I'm nottrying to copy them?
Well, just don't go after the research for the character.
Go after the tone and the style and the genre.
That's there. It is right there.
OK, because you can be a great actor, but in the wrong show.
(21:43):
So on the wrong network. I mean, it could even come down
to am I really in HBO right now or am I in Apple?
Yes, Apple. You know, if you look at Apple,
Apple has a lot of sci-fi. Yeah.
Everything's very, very heavy onApple, very sophisticated and
(22:06):
heavy. I mean severance is.
On a complex like complex stories.
Yeah, like detailed, like the studio is on Apple, yes, black,
but it's very heady that that's also very heady comedy.
Right. And a lot of sci-fi.
Yeah. Is on Apple like of all mankind.
(22:29):
So isn't severance? Isn't severance.
Yeah, Severance is not Apple. Yeah, that that is like fantasy
meets. That's total sci-fi.
Yes, Oh my God. Beat and it's almost Brechtian.
Yeah, it's like thriller slash. Yeah, mix of stuff.
(22:54):
It's very, very interesting. Yeah.
I mean, you mind, there's a lot of people that don't like it
because they don't think that way, you know?
Right and. Then, you know, and then there's
Peacock, which is, yes, Love Island and all the housewives.
OK, so I mean like look at it. Yeah, yeah.
(23:19):
And yeah, look at definitely. Because even even like a like a
Disney thing, like I just had someone, you know, get a serious
regular Disney audition. And immediately when I first got
it, my mind just subconsciously,I assumed it was multicam, but
I, when I looked again, I was like, oh, this is this is single
Cam. So even that like you have to
(23:40):
know what does that mean first of all?
Musical High School Musical I think would be considered a
Disney movie musical and they were complex relationships.
Yeah, yeah. That like teen problems.
(24:01):
Right. Yeah.
They they did it in like a humorous way, but it was but it
was actually like real like issues.
Yeah, teen issues, but in a fastpick up your cues, pay attention
or punctuation. Yes, yeah, exactly.
You had a lot of. Cheesy elements.
(24:22):
Yes, yeah, very Disney. Disney.
Disney cheese, you know, and so understanding, you know, lean
into the cheese, but like then you get to look at law and order
has no cheese. Right.
No cheese to be had. Set in dry.
Yep, yeah, Yep. No cheese at all.
But then you look at a show likea Hawaii 5 O tons of cheese.
(24:47):
Right, yeah, they they just all have their own flavor.
And so you just, you want to really understand the flavor,
research the flavor. I love how you said like before,
like, you know, you'll get you'll get, you know, an
audition and you're like, I'm I'm, you know, binge watching
every show of the you know, justto get like, what is this, you
(25:09):
know, and not to copy anyone or you know, but to be like, what
is this? And then and then showing up as
your own self to know who you are as much as you can.
I love how you said it's the process like like don't put the
pressure on like I couldn't likeget healed completely and know
(25:31):
my exactly my identity is so I can like, you know, like it's a
this is not overnight, typicallynot overnight stuff and you just
want to be making progress. You know?
No, no, no. Like the batting order of
things, you know? Yeah.
(25:51):
Like I was actually talking about it in class the other
night that the in terms of the batting order, when when you are
like 10th on the call sheet, just do what's in the box, OK.
And then if you're like 8th or 7th and you're moving up and you
have a little bit more to say and you've got more pages than
(26:12):
maybe a second scene Co star. So now you can do a little bit
more and show up. Yeah.
Guest star, guest lead, front billing credits, right?
You can do way more because you're the story of the week,
(26:34):
but if you're a series regular you better have the Ed factor.
Yeah, right. That's really good.
Because especially if you're a series lead, I look at that guy
Justin, and I can't remember hislast name, but he was on This Is
Us and now he's starring in Tracker.
Yes, I. Justin Hartley, I think is.
(26:56):
Hartley Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know why they gave him that
it? Factor.
Yeah. So when you look at him, why
does he have the IT factor? Again, it's so hard to
articulate, but he's so comfortable with himself.
To see there's something that heis so comfortable with himself.
(27:18):
So relaxed. Yes, he's so relaxed and it and,
and, and you can almost feel even when he's playing a really
intense and heavy scenes like, and This Is Us, like there's
some kind of joy circulating in and or in and around him that
even in those dark scenes that he the heavy scenes that he
(27:40):
plays so well, there's still something in him that's there's
some kind of joy there, you know, and it's like, oh, I I
just want to keep watching like what's what's he going to do?
And you can't and you can't really anticipate what he's
going to do or you know, and obviously so many things play
into that, right? The directing, the writing.
(28:01):
But when you know everyone in inthat show and you know not, you
don't feel that way, but every single person to the same extent
as, you know, as him. So some of them you do, but it's
also like same writer, same director, but then some people
within that stand out. Yeah.
(28:22):
Understand why that is. That's why it's interesting they
gave him his own show after thatensemble piece.
He was virtually an unknown. Yeah, yeah.
You know, Lisa Kudrow was the only one of all the friends that
didn't have a deal at the studio.
Really. She I was so-called mad about
(28:46):
you and she had a Co star and the Co star.
Was really mad about you. I love.
That show, it was a great show. And she, I think, was I.
Forgot she was a Co star in that.
Yes, she was a waitress. She was the one like with the
board and talking the board. But anyway, she forgot that
character. Well, the producer, there were
(29:07):
some of the producers of that show went over to friends and
they said there's this one character that was recurring.
Yeah. Mad about you?
And that's the same character that she brought to Phoebe.
Oh my gosh. Yeah, all of those kids, all
those guys on Friends had a had a studio deal.
(29:29):
Very interesting, but. They're they were doing studio
deals. I don't think they do them
anymore, but. Yeah.
They're like promised to be in particular pilots.
Right. Yeah, there's, there's a
handful. That's why you saw so many of
(29:49):
the same actors in literally every single thing that came out
for those kind of number of years.
It's like, oh, everyone's the same, the same in every, you
know, every project. Yeah, people, the same people.
Yeah, but you know, I mean, like, you know, Jeffrey Dean
Morgan is right. Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
(30:11):
He was Katherine Heigl's boyfriend and earlier versions
of like the earlier seasons of Grey's Anatomy.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep.
He, his personality and the way that he was just catapulted his
career. It was a hot show at the time.
(30:33):
That's when Grace was at its height and he that was a very
big storyline between between him and Katherine Heigl.
Yeah. And after that happened, his
career just took off. OK, so also like George Clooney.
Oh yes. I mean, I could watch anything
that he's in, you know, and eveneven.
(30:57):
Likeable. He's so likeable.
Yeah, there's something about him that is like, again, he's
like so relaxed and so comfortable with himself.
Yeah, he spins it out like you guys, once you figure out who
the character is and then you find the connection to when you
(31:18):
are this character and it becomes yours.
And now you could spin it out, but don't do it ahead of time
and clown it up just to be different.
You're different because you're nobody shares your DNA.
You're you exactly. Yeah.
That I, I, I feel like OK, if people take anything away from
(31:39):
this, I feel like that is reallycentral.
You, you are different than anyone, everyone else because
you are you. But no one will know that if you
don't know who you are, you, or at least growing into that like
you. The more you grow into it, the
more you're going to stand out without having to do something
silly or quirky or ridiculous orunnecessary like you just show.
(32:06):
Stand out for stand out's sake. Yes, yes, exactly, exactly.
People ask that question that they, I hear that coming up a
lot. Like should I, should I kind of,
or they'll just submit an audition and, and they'll do 2
takes and the second one has, you know, they threw a little
improv in or a little button andit's like, OK, that's fine.
(32:26):
But like why, why did you do that?
Well, I wanted to stand out and do something different that
other people aren't doing. Well, that's the only reason
you're doing it like it doesn't.Mean that it's part of the part
and if you're, and if you're a costar and you're doing that,
you know, just be on the outfield.
Guys go catch some balls and you're on the bench and you're
(32:48):
batting like 10 for eight, you know, yeah, like that's not the
time to do it. The time to do it is when you're
auditioning for a series regular.
Yeah, or, you know, like, or thesame casting director has called
you in over and over and over. They trust you, they know you
and. And so it's like, OK, they know
me, they trust me. I'm maybe I can do something and
(33:08):
if it's. A film, you can do it for a
film, yeah. Every single role in a film is
important. There's no really batting or in
a film like every single I'm I'mmostly talking indie movies, not
really studio movies and indie movies.
(33:33):
It's the baby of the writer. It's the baby.
Yeah. And so absolutely they don't.
Have to write you in to move thestory along.
They're writing you in because you're making the bigger story
like the the big picture work. It'd be an element that's tied
(33:54):
in later on. Yeah.
Where they can't do that in ATV show because there's only an
hour or or really 45 minutes of material.
Yeah, that's it. That's right.
Pages or something? Right, right, right about. 44 or
45 pages in the 15 minutes is incommercials.
(34:18):
Right. Exactly.
Yeah, Yeah. That's a really good point and a
good distinction. Yeah, so they got to get to the
story for the series regular cause quickly.
OK, Yep, but in a. Feature why you're saying like
you don't, you're not that you're not doing as much
(34:39):
thinking and breathing in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Whereas in a feature film there's like 120 and 140 minutes
to kill. Yeah.
And you have to be such a complex, interesting person to
pop off the screen. Right.
(35:00):
You don't. It's not insignificance, you
know, like in television, sometimes you you won't even
notice the person. Right, Yeah, yeah, someone's
someone's not going to stay withyou in the same way as not all
the time, sometimes, but but I feel like more often than not a
film is is the the character andif Alma's gonna stay with you
(35:24):
longer. Look at Jo Beth William in
Kramer versus Kramer. She had a scene in the half, not
even 2 scenes and she won an Academy Award for best
supporting actress. Isn't.
That interesting? Yeah, that's that says a lot.
Just that example. What did she do in that in that
time, you know, right? Was she interesting to watch?
(35:50):
Yeah, yeah. And then and then of course,
Meryl Streep, you know, she's. Meryl Streep is is interesting
to watch because Meryl Streep does a lot of work, a lot like
on your scripts. Oh, really?
Like in terms of? Breaking it down and breaking it
down and breaking it down and breaking it down.
(36:12):
Wow. She does a lot of work.
She also does a lot of deep workto find the character in a deep
way. She's very deep, you know?
Right. Oh yeah.
She's fully invested. She doesn't even notice the
camera. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. And you can.
You can so much feel. That see how relaxed she is.
(36:33):
Yeah, yeah. And she, she's just not
reserved. She's just not holding anything
back. She's not like, like crazy and,
you know, and like careless, butshe's.
But she's not. She's all in.
Yeah. And.
(36:54):
And you guys, you can do that too, but just know all in in how
much. Right, it's not you still.
Have to be all in, even if it's small.
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, the funniest thing, I had this.
I had this student. She was, I think she was, she
was 13 at the time. She did my technique really well
(37:17):
because she was on set with Jason Alexander and it was for a
Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial.
Oh, I love it. And she was in the front,
licking her fingers so distinctly.
Oh my God. From the chicken that he pulled
the director aside and took the chicken away from her.
(37:39):
OK, and then she found even moreto do without the chicken, and
he threw her in the back so nobody could see her.
Interesting. From him, but she was so
committed to the taste of that Kentucky Fried Chicken.
(38:00):
Wow, that is a great example of like, 'cause in your cause, in
people's minds, they're like, well, I'm all in.
I'm I'm trying to go all in here.
You. Gotta be careful and not to
upstage the star so you know you're sharing the light with
him, but he is the light. You're like helping his light,
(38:24):
right? He was.
She got the technique down so much 'cause the whole technique
is based in popping and why you're popping in a scene is
because of 100 things. But but her main thing was her
commitment and being all in. Yeah.
And really experiencing the chicken.
(38:44):
Right, which is a good thing. She's on the right track, but
you have to know whether. Yeah, but not for just a like a
group scene. Right, right.
Exactly. You have to know what you're in,
which is comes on to the research and yeah, what a great.
Leaning I don't even know if they saw her in the commercial.
I don't remember if they saw herin the commercial 'cause they
(39:05):
think they put other people in front of her.
She so she learned how to do it,but you shouldn't be doing it in
that way. Just know your place, you know?
Right, right, right. That's a really.
That's a great example. You could still be the edge
factor in a small way by showingup as you completely committing
(39:30):
to what it is that you're doing,even if it's a small task.
Yeah, and this is a good point. Commercials are a different
beast. They are.
You don't you want to be, you don't want to be like overly
dramatic in a commercial. You just well, you wanted you
just want to be relatable. That's the whole that's the
whole purpose of advertising is people feel like, Oh, I can
relate to that person. I believe them.
(39:53):
I can't want to go buy this now.Like you just you don't want to
go into the drama. You want to be like just your
everyday next, you know, next door neighbor.
Person, I don't think there is an IT factor in a commercial
because then you're pulling awayfrom the product.
Yeah, absolutely. It's yeah, totally.
You're just the. Product is the series regular
basically. Yeah, exactly it.
(40:15):
That's that's that's a great wayto describe it.
You just want to be relating. Yeah.
I I tell people, you know, subconsciously wear something
like some color of the product somewhere.
Oh, I like that. I have not heard that before.
Like Target red, you know, maybeyou're, you have a red scarf or
(40:37):
I don't know, something red. Yeah, like not not all red Cause
or Best Buy. Blue you.
Know maybe? Like.
Over something that's a different color underneath or
something like like, yeah, that's so good.
Yeah, I mean, but I, I tell people that, you know,
commercials are tiny stories. So like it's always not about
(41:00):
you, it's about the product, right?
Like exactly. So ask yourself like what I am
the missing piece to that puzzle?
And so why? Why am I even in the commercial?
Yeah, right. So in terms of advertising, it's
all a look, right? So what is my look with this
product in this commercial 'cause it's advertising, so it's
(41:23):
a look. Right, it's a lot.
Yeah, so spend a lot of time on your hair and your makeup and,
and you guys, I, I can't believehow many props 'cause I'm like
anti dressing up as an officer or a doc, anti costume, fucking
everything. Wear the stethoscope, wear the,
(41:46):
you know, tool belt. They see everything in
commercials. Yes, that's.
Oh, that's so good. I'm glad you said that.
That's before you can we. Yeah, you can.
In fact, we do. We often, I often submit like I,
I my, you know, actors will get headshots and some of them will
do, they'll have like the police, you know, police
(42:09):
uniform. Yeah, for a commercial.
For sure. And right.
And so that'll be like their bonus, like headshot.
And so when you know that when that comes up, that kind of
role, it's like I'll use that headshot, you know?
Yeah, I'm sure it works. Like you can, you can do, you
could, you know, if you're not gonna do if you're in a, you
(42:31):
know, something more theatrical,but you're not, you don't want
to necessarily do the costume. You can do something that's like
you just do something that's like similar, you know, I mean.
Theatrical. They think it's too needy, it's
too much when you dress in the costume.
Right. Yeah.
Like, like you're covering, you're covering up your
performance with it. Yeah, they just, it just reads
(42:53):
as wanting it too bad. Yeah, but in commercials, try to
do it as much as possible. Yes, yes.
If you're eating a hamburger nowthat you're shooting it at home.
Yeah, The only exception, and I just heard this, I heard it
before, but I was shooting againrecently from ACD is like it's a
(43:16):
casting director commercials. This is actually theatrical.
But the actual is completely different.
It's. Completely, it's completely
different. But if you excuse me, but if
you're thinking about because someone was asking about props
and they said generally no, theysaid generally no.
(43:39):
But if there's a situation whereit could be acceptable, and
let's say in this case it's, youknow, let's talk about
commercials because that's is what's more acceptable.
If there's any of the weapons involved, they said just don't
even do anything with weapons. Don't do any weapon.
But you can like see this. This looks like.
Yes. Yeah, it's off screen.
(44:01):
I can do. It.
That's so good, yeah. It's off screen.
Yep, yeah, you do not need, don't have, don't.
And if it's knife, it looks likeI'm holding a knife.
But yeah, yeah, it's how it's positioned.
Yeah, it's positioning. They don't want to see weapons.
It freaks them out. It freaks them out.
(44:21):
So you don't. Yeah, somebody was, somebody was
drinking there's, they were supposed to be drinking whiskey
in a scene the other night and they had a a highball glass with
water. I said don't do that.
First off, you're drinking it like it's water, 'cause it's
(44:44):
water, right? Like Whistle.
Wrong like what's all wrong? Whiskey it it hurts.
Right. It's not what you're going to
look like unless something's but.
When you're drinking it tequila,it like goes down.
It's like you're. Drinking.
Yeah. It's like you're kind of
whistle. Yeah, you're an alcoholic.
(45:06):
Because then it's nothing, you know?
But somebody gives you a drink, they're not going to put it in a
high glass. They're going to put it in a
high glass for whiskey, right? So you're doing a great job with
your work. And then all of a sudden you
show me that and it tells me you're an actor.
Yeah. So you put iced tea in a low
(45:28):
ball and drink it like it's whiskey?
I'm doing it all. Right.
Do it right or don't Do if you don't.
Really don't if you really do not know.
You can't do it. Don't do it.
Don't do it. Yep, absolutely.
You know, and I always say, if the action helps you tell a
(45:49):
better story, do it. And if it doesn't distract you.
But if it's not to distract me and I'm gonna say, oh, that's an
actor, then don't do it. Yeah, Yeah.
That's a great rule of thumb right there.
Yeah. Rule of thumb.
But I mean, I'm not against action if you're great at it.
Yeah. But I mean, your job really is
(46:11):
to be like a master magician, like an actor magician.
So I like you. You should be able to hold the
glass and and you know, shoot it.
Right. Put it down and I don't know
what it is. Right, you don't even have to
have anything in the glass. No, you don't even need a glass.
Yes, that yeah, exactly if you felt Ryan on OTTA props is are
(46:37):
not what's gonna make the casting director be like oh the
one that's the that's will neverhappen.
So you just well. I believe in yourself enough,
you know, and do that kind of work enough.
Exactly. Yeah.
OK, well we got off topic, so let's let's just wrap it up with
(46:58):
what an IT factor is. Yeah, an IT factor is when you
know who you are, you know, you're clear on your identity,
you love who you are, you've come to love who you are and you
carry that in with you and you're in it and you're so
relaxed about what you're doing.You no one can tell what's going
(47:23):
to happen. You could walk in a room and
everyone's kind of on the edge of their seat.
They're just drawn in and, and and they don't even know why.
That's kind of, I think that's kind of the add factor.
And everyone, everyone of you, has it somewhere inside of you.
Absolutely. Is that perfect?
(47:44):
That was a great job, right? Like.
A great job. That was a great summation that
that's the Cliff Notes guys, those summaries.
Yeah. Summit up, guys.
Again, if you really like what we're saying here, definitely
follow Ophelia. Ophelia, tell them what your
handle is. It's Ophelia under score.
(48:10):
No, it's Agent J under score Agent under score.
Ophelia. Oh it's JTA under score.
See, I can't I so from now on, II can never this has been this
is now our our stick. I know, it's so funny.
It's JT under score Agent under score Ophelia.
(48:33):
JT under score. ATAA.
TA under score Agent under scoreOphelia.
That's JTA because it's Johnson Talent Agency.
Yeah, and I'm and I'm just Amy Linden, so you could find.
Just Amy Linden. Just the Amy Linden.
(48:54):
You could find this on YouTube, so subscribe on YouTube or on
all platforms and I've been putting the video up on because
Spotify now allows you to have avideo.
Oh, no way. Yeah, and so I replaced all the
(49:15):
audio with video. Oh, very cool.
Because there's one of my students says he likes listening
and then occasionally looking upat us.
Yeah, I like, I like that too. I would if that I can find that
like, and it's only kind of beenon YouTube that I've been able
to do that. But I like prefer that I'll be
like making dinner and then I'llkind of look over once in a
(49:36):
while and it's like it, you know, draws the end.
So that's a fun way to do it forsure.
Yeah, so it's now on Spotify. They can watch us on Spotify.
They're. Cool.
And I think on all platforms, I don't know what the other
platforms are doing, but I know you could watch it on Spotify.
Yeah, yeah. Alright, yay, so.
(49:57):
Go find your IT factor. The IT factor.
Go work on it guys 'cause you aren't enough.
Oh yeah, and use use enough 20 to get 20% off on I am enough
collection.com. Yay, go get it.
Bye, guys.
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