Actor Anxiety? Mindset Hacks That Actually Work with Casting Director Lisa London

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Veteran Casting Director Lisa London shares insights on the most powerful tool in an actor's toolkit - their mindset. She joins How We Role host Robert Peterpaul to uncover how an actor can be more mindful and present in the room. 

The episode covers:

• Why focusing on the process rather than the outcome will set you free.
• The common thread between the successful actors she's cast like Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Emma Stone.
• Her #1 tip for being on a set.
• Her golden rule for self-tapes and so much more.

Lisa London has been a casting director for more than 30 years and
has cast over a 100 successful film and television shows. She and her business partner, Catherine Stroud, have cast many notable actors and actresses at the beginning of in their careers who have all gone on to become stars. 

Some of these actors include: Miley Cyrus, Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, Katharine
McPhee, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Ruffalo, Brad Pitt, Megan Hilty, Adrian R. Mante, Joey King, Yara Shahidi, Noah Centineo, Josh Gad and Mariska Hargitay.

Lisa has cast many film and TV genres from comedies to dramas to thrillers to family friendly films. She cast many movies for Adam Sandler’s company, Happy Madison Productions including the comedy classic, Grandma’s Boy and The House Bunny. She also works with many independent filmmakers helping them to get talent attached to their films to get them into production.

Lisa also wrote a book for actors which is the 411 guide on the business side of acting, From Start to Stardom (The Casting Director’s Guide For Actors). Her book is available on Amazon. She also teaches audition technique classes where she strives to help actors with many aspects of their careers. Lisa assists actors in building confidence in themselves and turning their goals into realities.

Find out more at: www.fromstarttostardom.com

This is - How We Role. Get cast today at castingnetworks.com.

Follow Host, Actor and Producer Robert Peterpaul (Amazon's Sitting in Bars with Cake, The Art of Kindness podcast) on Instagram @robpeterpaul and learn more at robertpeterpaul.com.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Lisa London.
I'm a casting director.
I'm 5'5" and you're listeningto how we Roll.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
When it comes to working in entertainment,
there's a lot of hows, and theyall boil down to how we navigate
this wild industry.
While how we follow our dreamsis uncertain, how we roll along
the way is in our hands.
Welcome to how we Roll, apodcast for actors by Casting
Networks.
Hi, fellow actors, it's yourfriend, robert Peterpaul, back

(00:40):
for a very special episode.
Today we're covering what Ibelieve to be the most powerful
tool in an actor's toolkit.
No, not a headshot your mindset.
Whether you feel like you'reself-sabotaging in a self-tape
spiral, been there.
You have audition anxiety,anxiety, oh, audition anxiety or

(01:03):
you're just lacking confidencein your career.
I'm thrilled you're tuning into hear from today's esteemed
guest casting director, lisaLondon.
Lisa London is a veteran castingdirector with over 30 years of
experience and more than 100film and television credits to

(01:26):
her name.
Alongside her business partner,catherine Stroud, she's helped
launch the careers of wait forthis.
Stars like Miley Cyrus, bradPitt, jennifer Aniston, emma
Stone and Selena Gomez Are we ona red carpet right now.
Her casting credits includeHannah Montana, the Suite, life

(01:48):
of Zack and Cody House Bunny,five films for Adam Sandler's
Happy Madison Productions.
I mean, the list goes on.
But my favorite part is thatLisa gives back, sharing her
wealth of knowledge with usactors through coaching sessions
, her book From Start to Stardomand one incredibly inspiring
social media presence.

(02:09):
Join the thousands of otheractors following her at Lisa
London Casting.
I'll see you in the comments.
Discover more of her magic atFromStartToStardomcom or at the
link in our show notes, or atthe link in our show notes.
Lisa leads with kindness inthis industry and I think that
truly shines through in today'sconversation.

(02:31):
Be a part of our next chat bysubmitting your questions on
Instagram, at Casting Networksor at Rob Peterpaul.
Hey, I truly hope that Lisa'swisdom serves you well this
Mental Health Month and beyond.

(02:52):
Now here's how we roll withactor mindset, featuring casting
director Lisa London.
Welcome to how we Roll, lisa.
I am so excited to finally dothis with you.
Thank you for being here.
Absolutely, I'm so excited.
I know I had my Kristen Wiighands in the air.
I'm like I'm so excited.

(03:13):
Yeah, exactly, I'm thrilled.
Thank you for everything you do, from your classes, coaching to
, again, your social media posts.
You are just a guide for all ofus in this industry and help us

(03:33):
get on that healthy and happypath, which I think relates to
exactly what we're going todiscuss today, so I wanted to
start with a place of gratitude,because you're really doing so
much, so thank you.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Oh well, thank you very much.
I love to help actors, sothat's always been my vibe, so
I'm glad that I can help and dothat.
So I really appreciate that.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Oh, I'm glad to hear that and I guess, speaking of
that vibe for some context here,I know you actually grew up in
this biz because of your dad,jerry, who seemed like such an
amazing director and worked onall these iconic shows.
When was the first time youremember thinking, ok, I really
want to be the one championingactors and working with actors
and helping them succeed?

Speaker 1 (04:16):
I grew up in the business with my father who you
know directed all these shows,these iconic shows in that you
know, from the Brady Bunch andParch family and Kojak and Six
Million Dollar man and RockProfile.
So I grew up on sets.
So I spent a lot of time whenafter school and I'd go hey, I'm

(04:37):
going to the set and I'd hangout and I'd talk to actors and I
was always interested in actorsjourney.
How'd you get there?
I don't know why.
I just was right as a kid.
So I went to college and Istudied at the University of
Southern California and Istudied cinema and television

(04:58):
there and during my summers Iworked as a production assistant
on movies that my father did,movies of the Week, and what
happened was during.
I didn't know actually I wasgoing to get in casting.
I did not know that in collegebut I always, like I said, when
I was on these sets, I reallyliked actors and I talked to
actors.

(05:19):
My father did Shogun, theoriginal Shogun.
I went to.
Japan.
You know John Rhys-Davies, whois an amazing actor, if you guys
know him.
He was in all the Indiana Jonesmovies and I used to sit on his
lap and he would reciteShakespeare to me.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
I would say write a book already.
Oh, this one's good, this one'sgreat, okay, those two.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
No, that doesn't work , but that one works with that
one.
And I had all these opinionsand that's kind of how I got
started.
But it was very interestingbecause when I started as an
assistant then I realized thatwas my path.
Because of the fact that Ialways liked actors, I used to

(06:28):
tear out articles in magazines.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
Oh, wow.

Speaker 1 (06:32):
And I had a big file and my mother would go what are
you doing with these?
I go, I don't know.
And so I feel, in a way, thatit was sort of the path.
I didn't know that was how itwas going to go, because I
always sat on sets and I wouldtalk to the actors.
I learned lots about production, like I had a big overview
about production.
But that's kind of how itstarted.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
So cool and I think what I loved learning most about
your journey aside this dreamylife growing up on set is that I
believe and we could talk aboutthis maybe in a future episode,
because I already want to haveyou back, I think you're
incredible is that you said youwanted to just be a casting
director.
You know, I think you went fromassistant to director.
You skipped the associate, soyou had this kind of belief in

(07:15):
yourself, which I thinktranslates to today's topic.
It's all about mindset andmindfulness for actors Just to
start as a creative personyourself.
Mindfulness for actors, just tostart as a creative person
yourself.
What is your sort of mindsetroutine or how do you approach
that?

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Let's say this Every aspect of this business, I feel
you have to have a certainmindset to continue to persist.
You have to have the joy whichI definitely have the joy as a
casting director.
I love helping actors, right, Ilove casting, I love putting an
ensemble together, I lovefinding new talent, I love
creating all that magic thathappens on the screen, right

(07:56):
with talent.
So I have always had that joy.
That's why I love to teach,that's why I love to coach,
that's why I love to cast andI'll do all those things.
But I do believe you have tohave the mindset every day.
Of course there's challenges inmy field and all of our fields,
right.

(08:16):
We work in this business calledshow, so my routine is really
about that.
I love it and I find joy in it.
It's not that I don't have anydifficult moments, because I do
but I feel that when I get up inthe morning, my mindset is like
okay, well, what am I going todo today to create my career?

(08:40):
And that's as I'm an independentcast director.
Right, I'm not on staffanywhere, so I have to get jobs,
just like actors.
It's a you're white.
You can't sit around anymorewaiting for a phone to ring.

(09:10):
That does not work Right, andwe go through a lot of highs and
lows in all aspects.
Doesn't matter whether you're awriter, producer, director,
casting director, actor,production personnel, it doesn't
matter Right, we all go throughthe highs and lows.
So it's what can you do everysingle day to create your career
?
What little doesn't have to be.

(09:31):
Oh, my God, I have to do thebiggest thing in the world, but
what can you?
What one little thing can youdo every single day?
And that's what I have to tellmyself.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
I love that.

Speaker 1 (09:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, I heard Jessica Chastain, who we love bow down,
say something similar, which isthat she had a long journey
before she, you know, came tosuccess, and she said she would
do something every day that madeher call herself an actor.
So she was, I think,transcribing Hamlet into a
female perspective just forherself.
And I love that advice becauseit kind of gives you control in

(10:04):
this industry where we reallyhave no control.

Speaker 1 (10:07):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
And that's beautiful.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
And also Rob, you know it doesn't.
As an actor, I can say itdoesn't matter what you do as
long as you're creatingsomething for your career.
That could be whether you're notyou're in a class.
It could be whether you're in aclass.
It could be whether you'regetting together with a group of
actors and you're reading ascript.
You know it could be you'rewatching movies to get more

(10:33):
educated on different ways toplay roles.
It could be reading books, andit could be reading books, you
know, not only about actors, butmaybe about directing, maybe
about producing.
There's a million things youcan do every day to create
towards your career.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
I think that's so true.
Right, speaking of JessicaChastain, who's sort of this
beautiful titan in the industryyou've worked with so many of
these titans, I was trying tofind a word for it.
I'm just going to say, lisa,you're a meteoroid, I mean
because I feel like you'vecreated a lot of shooting stars.
I was just going to say, lisa,you're a meteoroid, I mean
because I feel like you'vecreated a lot of shooting stars.
I was going to say you shotstars, but that did not sound
right.
So I said meteoroid and I feellike from Jennifer Aniston in

(11:13):
Leprechaun, which is a cultclassic, emma Stone in House
Bunny, which I also love, mileyCyrus, who got the best of both
worlds.
I mean, the list goes on.
Have you noticed, as we'relooking at mindset for actors
out there, have you noticed acommon thread in these folks
that have gone on to have theseincredible, iconic careers as
far as mindset and maybe theaura and vibe they just bring

(11:36):
into a room?

Speaker 1 (11:38):
Well, yeah, so that's two different things.
One is I feel that these actorsthat go on to have very
successful careers.
I feel they work really hard.
That's the thing, and I don'tmean hard in a way like, oh, it
takes so much effort, you know,not that kind of hard, they're
just persistent and they put inthe work.

(12:01):
You know that's the trick youhave to put in the work in this
business, and so that's one sideof it.
I feel that all the like when Ilook at all these people like
you can go from, like Lady Gaga,who is writing songs for other
people way back you know there'sso many people whose career I

(12:21):
mean my favorite.
One of my favorite stories isBrian Cranston, who talks about
that he got his first job forMalcolm in the Middle in his 40s
and he got his iconic role inBreaking Bad in his 50s.
Okay, it's him working itworking it, you know working

(12:45):
hard.
It takes a huge amount ofpersistence and you know there's
a lot of, you know, rejectionand things that happen.
But if, like I said, I'll goback to you love it, it's really
what you want to do, then youkeep persisting along that road
and I feel what those, all thoseactors have, who go on to be
hugely successful, is their notonly their charisma and their je

(13:11):
ne sais quoi that untangiblequality.
You know about them, but theywork really hard.
They're hard workers and theyput in.
They work on the craft you know.
Now, look, if you're a kid andlike Miley, when we cast Miley
and Hannah, she was 12, right,it's not like she had a whole

(13:32):
buttload of experience, but she,you know, she had a certain
persona, a certain charismaabout her and when she came in a
room she lit up a room.
She had that spark.
You know that shine and that'spart of it.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
Yeah, getting back to the childlike energy in all of
us too is something I've reallyI mean, it's not hard for me
because I'm a man child butsomething I've really thought
about and tried to work toward,Because you take all these
classes and you learn a lot ofbusiness tips and things can get
in your head.
It's so subjective and soremembering to just bring that
fun to it is such an importantlesson, I think, and it also

(14:09):
never stops, right.
I mean, look at Ariana Grande.
You would think she wouldn'thave to audition like she had to
for Wicked with this bigplatform she's on, but she put
in a year's worth of work toeven just audition, and I think
those are important lessons.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
So Absolutely All of them.
They made everybody auditionfor.

Speaker 2 (14:35):
Wicked what I read.
I mean, I think, Cynthia.

Speaker 1 (14:35):
Erivo auditioned too.
Yeah, you know, I mean, andshe's a huge Broadway star,
amazing actress, she auditioned,you know so you just never know
.
But whatever it is, whenopportunity comes and those
moments happen it's that quoteright when preparation meets
opportunity, because you need tobe prepared, you do.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, and part of that preparation that I can't
wait to talk to you about is themindset and mindfulness angle,
because you could know all yourlines, you could have a your
lines, you could have a bunch ofdifferent takes on the role
prepared, a bunch of differentperspectives.
But if you get into an auditionor have a self tape or go to a
meeting or whatever it is andyou kind of get in your own way
and you're not centered or justbeing a human in a normal way, I

(15:20):
guess if there is a normal way,then you're you're not going to
meet that opportunity.
So I think an interesting placeto start with you would be in
regards to auditions, are therecertain exercises or tips you
have for actors to get into thatgood headspace and vibe before
they actually hit record or gointo a Zoom or go into a room?

Speaker 1 (15:42):
Yeah.
So let me, I want to talk aboutone thing and then I'll give
you those little tips from myperspective.
But self-confidence, right?
The word confidence means yourbelief in yourself, right?
Your self-assured belief inyour abilities, your abilities,

(16:09):
your skills right, and yourknowledge.
That, to me, is first off.
You have to believe in yourself, right?
So when you're going to do aself-tape or you get a call back
and you're going to be on Zoomor you're going to go in person,
you want to have thatconfidence in yourself, because
that comes through in anaudition and that's part of what
we look for.
I just want to say, like yourconfidence, we can see it.

(16:29):
It's okay to be nervous.
I don't want to say, don't be,that's not true.
I, like nerve, turn thatnervousness, I always say, into
nervous excitement.

Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yeah, it's the same feeling scientifically.
I think I've read.

Speaker 1 (16:41):
Right, you know to go .
Okay, I'm nervous People havesaid that to me so many times in
a room on Zoom.
I'm nervous, like okay, great,hey, don't be nervous, don't
worry, we're just going to havefun, we're just going to get it
and we're going to have fun.
So that's one thing about you,know.
But my point is that you got tohave first the belief in

(17:01):
yourself, right, and to be anactor, you got to believe in
yourself or any aspect of thebusiness.
You got to believe you can doit right.
So that's first.
So, when you are going to do anaudition or a callback, some of
the things that I say to actorsand this is just me,
everybody's got their own way todo something.

(17:23):
But I say breathe.
Number one, breathe right,whether that's you, take a few
deep breaths before you evencome on the screen.
You know, sometimes there's alldifferent kinds of breathing
exercises, but you can breathein for four, hold it, let it out
for four, relax before you dothat audition.

(17:44):
That's number one, I would say,because a lot of people are
like, oh, so nervous about it,which I totally understand,
right.
So don't hold your breath.

Speaker 2 (17:59):
Yeah, because you probably then see a lot of
actors.
Whenever I've been on the otherside of the table then, and I'm
sure I've done it instead ofbreathing in, it's like start
the scene and they sort ofexhale.
It's like yeah.
And that's like you're justkind of depleting yourself.
You know it's the opposite.
So this is a great reminder.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
Yeah, so that's one thing I think is important,
especially, I know, for peoplewhen they're going to get a Zoom
callback.
You know they tend to get ohI'm so I'm nervous about that.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (18:22):
Or a callback in person.
When you're self-taping it's alittle different.
You're in your house, you cando it a couple of times and then
move on.
So you might not be as nervousas you probably won't be is when
you're gonna get a Zoom or acallback.
Right, but breathe, remember tobreathe is first.
The other thing is do somethingfor yourself.

(18:43):
Well, maybe you have to listento music.
Maybe you listen to some songs,or there's certain music that
pumps you up and makes you feelokay, this is going to get me in
the zone.
Whatever, that is for you,right?

Speaker 2 (18:58):
Dolly Parton.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
Yeah, whatever it is Adele, whoever it is you know
whatever you need to listen tobefore, that gets you in the
headspace, you know, gets youfocused.
The main thing for these, themindset, is you want to be
focused and you want to be readyto listen and take direction.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
That's super important, right?
Because then, if you book thejob and get on set, what's going
to happen?

Speaker 1 (19:46):
change it up, and so my opinion on that is you have
to.
That's why I'm saying take thetime to be focused.
Before you come on the screen,you've made your choices.
Or you come in a room in personand you've made your choices,
you make them and then, whenthey give you that direction, if
you're focused and you're superprepared, you can process that
and take that direction.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
You know it's funny you say choices.
I mean it's not funny.
You're a casting director.
Of course you would say choicesat one point.
But I've been asking differentcasting folks what that actually
means to them, because I thinkwe think we know what it means
as an actor.
But sometimes you hear make achoice and you're sort of like,
is it just the perspective ofthe person?
Should that?
Does that mean I should belouder?
Should I talk faster?

(20:25):
What?
So what does a choice mean toyou when you say that to an
actor?

Speaker 1 (20:28):
To me, it means it's using you're taking that little
description of a character andyour material, your scenes, and
you're making a choice, usingyour creative imagination, on
how you want to play thatcharacter and you're committing
to that choice all the waythrough.
That's to me, what it means youcommit to your choice, right.

Speaker 2 (20:52):
I love that.

Speaker 1 (20:52):
Yeah, that's what it means to me.
I mean, you know, and thatcould be whatever it is, you
know, when you look at, likeWill Ferrell, who does these
amazing, crazy, wild characters,he commits all the way through
to that choice.
So you, as an actor, whenyou're doing a self-tape, it's
committing to that choice,that's what it?
is Coming in a room.

(21:12):
You're committed to your choice, but you must be malleable,
fluid.
You got to be able to change itup when asked, because
directors will ask you hey, trythis, let's change this.
What about this moment?
Whatever they're going to say.
And that's because when you geton a set, they want to make
sure you can do that.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
Well, I'm guessing you are that way in an audition
setting, you know, I'm sureyou're very malleable, because
I've heard you say over and overthat part of casting's job is
to make an actor feelcomfortable, which is very kind.
As a casting director.
In that vein, what do you liketo see most in that preamble or
pre-chat in a room or on a liveZoom?
Are you sort of malleabledepending on the actor coming in

(21:56):
, or do you prefer a certain way?
Do you prefer people to justcome and do their job?
Do you like to chit-chat whatis your vibe there?
And even to extend to a slate,because I think sometimes people
use the slate in that regardtoo.

Speaker 1 (22:08):
Yeah, ok.
So on, when they come in a roomI like to chit chat because to
me when they come in a roomwhere they're on Zoom, I always
chit chat a little.
Now let's say, it's a veryserious role, an actor, you,
it's your 10 minutes in a room,whatever that is, it's your time
.
So you're welcome to say, hey,do you mind if we chat after, if

(22:29):
you're in the zone for a veryserious role or whatever that is
, so you can do that.
But I like to chat because tome what I miss the most about
being in the room with actors isthat that's how you get to see
their essence, their vibe, and Imiss that as a casting director
, you know.

(22:50):
That's why I like to do atleast Zoom pre-reads when I can,
because at least it's the nextbest thing to being in a room.
But part of casting is theconnection and seeing what an
actor does and seeing theirpersonality.
And seeing what an actor doesand seeing their personality,
and part of that is by talkingto them.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, and we need more of that in the world.

Speaker 1 (23:10):
I think in general, right, they're missing that
connection and also it'sengagement.
You know, like, hey, when I askyou how are you doing, or where
are you from, or whatever it is, are you communicating back to
me?
You know, are we having aconversation?
That's part of seeing your vibe, you know, just like in life,
meet people.

Speaker 2 (23:30):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1 (23:31):
That was.
That's that part when you go inthe room.
You asked me about the slate,so on the slate now listen, this
is me okay.
I tell actors you should showpersonality on a slate, so, for
example, whatever that is, youdon't have to just be hi, I'm
Lisa Lunden, I'm 5'5" and I livein Los Angeles.

(23:52):
You know it doesn't have to bethat Now some cast directors
might tell you I don't careabout the slate.
They just want the name, theheight, where you're from, and
that's it right.
I'm saying I like personalitybecause that when I take my
notes I'm looking, I look at theslates first, so I write down
that I have a whole thing of allmy notes, so I write down their

(24:16):
name, where they're from, theheight, and I'm looking at their
vibe right off there.
So let's say, you speak Spanish, I don't know.
You could be like hola como esta?
You know, whatever or whateveryou want to do in a slate I mean
short unless they tell you theywant a personality chat on a
slate.
That's a different thing, butwhich we've done sometimes,

(24:38):
especially with kids.
You know, we'll ask for apersonality slate where we'll
ask a question and see how theyrespond to it.
But, otherwise, I think it'sokay to put a little fun into
your slate.
That's me.

Speaker 2 (24:52):
I love that.
Yeah, I think it's great tohave all this knowledge, because
when you're armed with this, itallows you to be more mindful
and intentional and you kind ofknow what to expect.
And I think for some actors,not knowing what to expect is
part of the reason why we canspiral.
You talk a lot about owning theroom, and I love that you talk
about that, because it empowersthe actor.

(25:12):
You sort of mentioned it evenbefore, but what is your general
advice there on how an actorcan come into an audition and
own the room?

Speaker 1 (25:22):
I think that goes back to the confidence you know,
your self-confidence.
You feel confident when you walkin a room and the confidence to
me also besides your belief inyourself comes from your own
preparation.
I feel if an actor is preparedenough, the more prepared you
are, I feel, the better you'regoing to do when you go in a

(25:42):
room, because then if thedirector throws you a curveball,
you're so prepared you're goingto handle it Right.
So preparation, I think, issuper important when you come
into the room, and I also feelit comes back down to that,
having that confidence, becausethe more you feel that about

(26:04):
yourself, I think the betteryou're going to do.
Isn't that how it is in lifeanyways?
I mean, I'm not talking cocky.
That's not what I mean by that.
I just mean you believe inyourself and know that you're
going to do well, you know thatyou've got this.
You know that's what I'mtalking about.

Speaker 2 (26:26):
Yeah, I always think about it in the way of other
careers.
A lot of people don't go intotheir office and just think they
suck at it.
You know they think, oh, thisis my job, I'm good at it, I'm
going to do it.
And it's funny because in ourindustry it's so tied with your
personality and who you are thatI think all these things get a
little mixed up together andsometimes that's not a good
recipe.
But if you don't have thesefoundational items, like you're

(26:49):
saying, it can lead to you thenspiraling during your auditions,
during your at bats, when youhave these opportunities.
Let's say, an actor feels likethey're prepared, but maybe it's
almost the opposite.
They think they're so good forthe role, they're so excited
that they psych themselves out.
Do you have any tangible tipsfor shaking that off?
Let's say, we're mid take andwe just can't.

(27:11):
You know, we can't get out ofour own way.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
Yeah, so I was gonna say that one of the things that
I wanted to mention is, whenyou're doing an audition, you
cannot be in your head, and whatI mean by that is you can't be
saying lines and judging how yousaid them.
So you're reading a line and inyour head you're going well, oh

(27:34):
my God, I blew that.
That's not how I wanted to doit.
Oh my.
God, that was wrong.
Oh, I'm so off, you cannot dothat what you're doing.
You're not in the moment right.
Because what happens whenyou're on a set and an actor
you're reading, you're doing ascene with another actor or a
couple actors and they go and dosomething else, they throw an

(27:56):
improv line in there orsomething.
If you're in here, you're notin the moment right.
So I'm always trying to getactors, I'm always working to
get actors to not be in here.
Do not be judging as you'reacting.
Create the character, make yourchoices, commit to those

(28:17):
choices and go for it and bethere, present, be authentic, be
in the moment and don't beprejudging or judging as you go.
And I know that's easier saidthan done a lot of times, but it
really is.
How are you going to be in amoment?
How are you?

Speaker 2 (28:37):
going to be present.

Speaker 1 (28:38):
How do you be authentic to that character if
you're judging it as you say it?

Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, I'm going to clip that and play it before
every audition from now on.
Just listen to it.

Speaker 1 (28:51):
Does that make sense?
Because you know a lot ofactors do it.
I'm in class when I'm teachingand I'm like are you thinking
about everything you're saying?

Speaker 2 (29:01):
They're like yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:03):
And I'm like you got to let it go.
Just be and create and have fun.
You've made your choices, Justgo for it.
Stop judging it.

Speaker 2 (29:12):
Yeah, I think a lot of us.
When we start out, we have thatjudgment and it can be hard to
shake.
That's going to be so helpfulfor listeners.

Speaker 1 (29:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
In looking at mindfulness and mindset.
The founder of mindfulness,whose name is escaping me right
now, but I'm still going tobring it up.
Somebody fact check me.
He actually talked about howhis philosophy came to be
because of washing his hands andwashing the dishes and just
being aware of the feeling ofthe water, and we all do that
and don't think about it.
But do you have any tangiblethings in that regard that you

(29:41):
think could help actors be moremindful, you know, and be more
present?

Speaker 1 (29:45):
Well, one, you know.
Okay, I'm going to go back tomy Brian Cranston, who I'm a
huge fan of.
I've met a few times.
I haven't had the pleasure ofcasting him.
I've run into him a number oftimes.
I've tried to cast him, buthe's always busy.
Anyway he had this.
I read this article and I thinkit's really great, and he said

(30:06):
you should focus on the processrather than the outcome.
And when he said that, and whathe means and this is what I
took away from it is when youfocus on the outcome, that can
create more stress and moreanxiety and get you more in your
head Because you're focusing onoh, I got to get this job.

(30:28):
Oh, I really am perfect forthis job.
I'm going to get this job.
You're focusing on the end andthe result and that's going to
cause you more stress, right?
But, if you focus on the process, how am I going to create this
character?
What am I going to bring to it?
Oh hey, I have a great idea.

(30:49):
This guy could be this or thisrole.
That could be so quirky andinteresting.
And if you focus on the process,that's going to bring you more
joy, because that's what youshould be doing as an actor is
focusing on the process andcreating and in having that

(31:10):
gives you more joy and will giveyou less stress, and I think
that is such such great advice,because then you're not focusing
on the outcome.
You're focusing on what can Ido to create?
And that's what we as artistsdo.
We create and we make an impacton an audience.

(31:31):
Right, that's what you asactors do.
You make an impact by how youremotions and your attitudes and
what you're putting out there,that and you're impacting us and
we have these feelings and weare sad or happy or laughing or
crying or pissed off based onwhat you're giving us and when.

(31:53):
Imagine that's what you'redoing and you get to create that
.
So that's what I think, asactors, is really important is
don't focus on the outcomeanymore.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
That's phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
Because that creates more stress right.

Speaker 2 (32:11):
Yeah, process over product.
I love that.
I'm going to put that on asticky note and put it right
here on my wall.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
I read this article of Brian's and I was like man,
he's so right and so many peopledo it.
Because you don't know, rob.
You don't know why somebodygets a job.
There's so many factors that gointo casting.
So let's say you could do anamazing audition, ten guys could

(32:39):
do great auditions, five, howmany?
Ever it doesn't?

Speaker 2 (32:42):
matter.

Speaker 1 (32:43):
Hundreds.
Whatever, what I'm saying is,there's so many factors that go
into casting a role about howthese people match together.
What's the chemistry?
Does the family look right?
Does the best friends, do theenemies, the antagonists?
How do they all fit together?
There's so many reasons.
Okay, this role we need this.

(33:04):
Ethnicity this thing you don'tknow.
Ethnicity this thing you don'tknow.
So you can do a great, fabulousaudition and not get the job
because it just didn't fit onhow the team saw that part right
.
But that doesn't mean you did abad audition.
Or if you focus on the outcome,you're going.

(33:25):
Oh, I didn't get the role.
That's so bad I'm stink.
Oh my God, you go.
The whole thing you get in yourhead right.
But if you focus on the processand you go wow, I really
enjoyed that.
I got to create this amazingcharacter.
I met new people.
I sent in a self tape.
That was so fun.
I really enjoyed that.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
Yeah, believe the positive thought.
Right, believe the positivethought, not the negative ones.
Let those go by.
It's the same in life.
You know you're thinking whyisn't someone texting me back?
Well, believe that they havethe best intention.
Believe that they're just busy.
They have something else goingon instead of spiraling and
thinking they hate you.
I think it's a human condition.

Speaker 1 (34:01):
A hundred percent, and we all do it Let me tell you
I've gotten that and like wait,why didn't my son text me?

Speaker 2 (34:08):
back.

Speaker 1 (34:10):
All the time Like, oh my God, I texted them like two
days ago.
How come they didn't return mytext?
Why didn't they call me back?

Speaker 2 (34:18):
It's hard, it's the benefit of the doubt.
I think that can be tricky butis needed.
And it gets extra tricky, Ithink, for a lot of people when
we're choosing self-tape takes.
Some alliteration there, justlike your name, lisa London,
because then you do have to seethe product.
So what's your advice?
And this could even be on alarger level, for just how we

(34:39):
see ourselves.
But what's your advice there,mindset-wise, for kind of
looking at your takes, choosingthem and sending the best one,
versus looking at them andsaying I look horrible, I was
awful, I need to retape.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
Right, okay.
So my first piece of advice ishow many takes are you doing
Like?
Okay, I'm going to ask you howmany takes do you normally do
for a scene.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yeah, my new rule is I cap it off at five.
Excellent, I'm very happy tohear that, and then I always
shoot the first one off at fiveExcellent.

Speaker 1 (35:09):
I'm very happy to hear that.
And then I always shoot thefirst one, yeah, okay.
So that's my first question,because that's what I would tell
actors If you're doing morethan like four or five takes of
a scene, you are not only losingyour authenticity, you're
losing your vulnerability, it'sbecoming more kind of rote.

(35:31):
You know what I'm saying,because that is what happens.
I met a girl once in a class Itaught and I said to her how
many takes are you doing?
You know what?
She told me 35.
We've all been there 35.

(35:53):
We've all been there and I saidto her okay, so you're trying,
you're you're a perfectionistand it doesn't exist.
It doesn't exist, Perfectdoesn't exist.
So you can't do that toyourself.
So my first piece of advice isdon't do more than about five
takes it's excellent advice,because you'll also lose friends
.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
You'll lose readers.
Nobody's going to want to readwith you if you're doing 37
takes, which we've all beenthere, you know it's ridiculous.

Speaker 1 (36:14):
And not only that, you'll never find the perfect
take because you're going to go.
Well, you know, this moment wasgood in take 10.
And this moment was good intake 15.
If only I could combine themtogether.
And then you're trying to dothat.
That's just, that's ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
And why do you want to watch 30 takes of yourself.
You don't no.

Speaker 1 (36:33):
So what you do is my.
This is my opinion on it.
You do a couple of takes.
This is how I do it.
I do a couple of takes, likemaybe two or three, and I watch
them.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
Like if.

Speaker 1 (36:47):
I'm coaching, I have the act, let's watch them.
Watch a couple of them.
I can pretty much Like if I'mcoaching, I have the act, let's
watch them, Watch a couple ofthem.
I can pretty much tell when I'mcoaching somebody or I'm
working with somebody, okay,this one's good, this take is
great.
Okay, that's perfect.
Okay, let's do one more forsafety and see what else comes
up.
But I say you watch them aftera couple, do like two, watch

(37:09):
them and you'll go.
Okay, that was great, reallylike that.
Okay, I think I can improve onthis and then maybe you do two
more.
I wouldn't take five and thengo back and watch five.
I would watch two, do two ofthem, do a couple, watch them,
evaluate it and then go.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
Okay, I feel I can make this moment, these moments,
stronger here, and then do acouple more that's what I would
say and that's how you wouldpick, in my opinion, because if
you do five all at once beforeyou watch them, that's kind of
tricky yeah, and they say Ithink chaos is doing the same
thing over and over again andexpecting a different result.
It's like give yourself a pause.

(37:49):
Why are you doing another?
Take Like kind of think aboutit.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
Yeah.
So if you do two and then watch, then you go.
Okay, I see I can fix this, dothat, I'm going to add this
moment here.
I like that.
Or you might go, you know what.
That's great, I love it.
And the other thing I will sayis say and this is one thing an

(38:13):
actor messes up a word, say, youmess up, you change a D or an A
or whatever.
Okay, don't go.
Oh, my God, I have to redo itbecause I didn't get that line
perfect.
Now, listen, I know there'scertain.
You know directors and people,you know Aaron Sorkin, you can't
change a word.
That's the way it goes, that'sthe way you have to do.
It, got it.
You know there's certain otherpeople that that's what you have
to adhere to, that what theywant, but others, you know you

(38:41):
miss a word, you change a wordas long as it doesn't change the
whole essence of the line.
That's fine, and you know youmake sure you're in comedy.
You hit the comedic momentGreat, you miss.
If you blew the comedic moment,yeah, you might have to.
Yeah, right, but that's what myadvice is, so you don't get
caught in going.
I don't know which take to pick.

Speaker 2 (39:01):
I think that's really smart.
My agency is called Take Threeand that's a good reminder for
me as well, because I shouldn'tdo more than three takes.
I usually do at least five, butyou know what I think?
It's also helped me to think ofmy mindset at least as walking
into my, my room, your office,your bedroom, wherever it is, as
the casting office.
And when you go into thecasting office, they're probably

(39:22):
not going to have you do morethan two or three.
So think of it that way andjust say just make your reader
cut you off.
It's like they need to get youout of the room, lock you out.

Speaker 1 (39:32):
So I think that's great.
And also, when you're on a set,how many takes do you think
you're going to get?
True, especially those co-starroles You're not going to get,
especially on TV series andmovies of the week, where I mean
limited, when they're trying toget it done.
How many takes do you thinkyou're going to get?

Speaker 2 (39:48):
I mean limited when they're trying to get it done.
How many takes?
Do you think you're going toget Two or three?

Speaker 1 (39:51):
You don't get a lot.
And I'll tell you something.
One of the things that I theself-tapes are great because we
can see so many more people.
Like, I'm in Los Angeles, but Icast movies everywhere, right,
we cast all over the country andwe've done movies in Atlanta,
north Carolina, minnesota,montana, kentucky, new York, it

(40:12):
doesn't matter.
So we get to see a lot ofpeople from a lot of places.
But the disadvantage of thisself-taping, that's the
advantage, right?
You can be anywhere, like yousaid, you can be in Connecticut
and get a job in New York, itdoesn't matter.
You can be in Connecticut and,you know, get a job in New York,
it doesn't matter.
But the disadvantage is ifyou're home and you're doing 10,

(40:34):
15 takes as you're trying to,you keep doing it over and over
and over and.
I think that is not the thingto do.
Yes, you know that is notsomething you want to learn and
get in your mind.
Oh, I'm going to get 10 takes.
When you used to come in a roomwe did a couple.

Speaker 2 (40:57):
Remember those days when you came in and we recorded
you you did.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
Okay, that was good, try this, let's try this.
Maybe did two or three, andthat was it.
Maybe did two or three, andthat was it.

Speaker 2 (41:06):
And now you have to be your lighting designer, your
camera operator.
You kind of have to do it all.
So I think you got to find theperfect sauce for you.
You know what makes you mostcomfortable.
Is it having everything set upand it lives in a certain corner
or closet, and then you just goin there and you walk out and
then it's done and you feel good.
Does it stress you out to set itup beforehand?
Should you do it the nightbefore?

(41:26):
You know, I think it's personalright and it's in our hands.
But, like you said, a lot of usare perfectionists.
We'll never stop, or maybewe're just having fun and we
keep doing take after take.
So this is a good reminder tojust stop it, forget it and then
hopefully get on set, which youmentioned, and that was a
question I had to mindset wise,I think being on set can come

(41:47):
with a whole new set of fearsfor people and I wonder what is
your advice there?
You know what's your advice onmindset for actors going on to a
set, maybe for the first time?

Speaker 1 (42:00):
Well, I would say number one make sure you're.
Remember it's a business, soyou're, you have a job, You're
professional, right, you comeprepared, you come early or on
time.
You know don't be late.
I've known you don't want toknow the stories of actors.
You know didn't show up on time.
I get the phone calls from theassistant director and the
director.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
Oh no, I take it the opposite way.
My first TV co-star, Iliterally got there two hours
early.
It was like four in the morningand I was just in my car like
sleeping oh my god really I waslike maybe I got here too early.
I was just nervous abouttraffic.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
Anyway, I'm sorry what time was your call time?

Speaker 2 (42:38):
I think it was 6 am in Queens, because the traffic
you just never know no, did youset an alarm, though, to know to
wake up.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
So at 5 30 yeah, I barely sleep.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
I was just laying there like this on my phone,
like I saw the crew pulling up,I'm like lowering my seat so no
one sees me.
Yeah, I was just too excited.

Speaker 1 (42:57):
Good being early, be early, be prepared, you know,
bring anything that you need tobring If you're supposed to.
Sometimes on smaller projectsthey have you.
Bring your wardrobe, whateverit is, just make sure you're
super prepared, You'reprofessional.
But so all of that is important, right?
But the number one piece ofadvice that I would tell people

(43:17):
going on a set be, kind toeverybody.
Kindness matters and I'm notjust talking.
Be kind to you know, thedirector, producer, actors.
Be kind to the crew.
They're working really hard.
My son, I'll remember when Igot him a job working on a movie

(43:37):
that I cast this was years agofor Adam Sandler, called Sandy
Wexler.
And he got a job as aproduction assistant on the
movie and one of the producerscame to me and said, oh, your
son is so kind.
And I was like, okay, good, hetakes after me.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
That's what you want to hear, yeah.

Speaker 1 (43:56):
He knew all the crew.
He knew the crew like theirnames.
You know, he knew them and Ithink that's really important.
Learn people's names and bekind to people.
You have to remembereverybody's working together to
create an amazing, the bestamazing product they can create.
And it's a team and it's acollaboration, and that's really

(44:18):
what this business is.
It's a collaboration fromeverything from acting, writing,
directing, producing, lightingthe makeup, the costumes, sound,
every editing.
Every part of it is acollaboration and I think that's
the most important advice Icould give to anybody, whether

(44:39):
you're newer or you've been on aset before be kind, because
everybody is working really hardto create an amazing product.
And people, when they get kindof you know jerky or whatever
why it stands out.
Don't get into the ego thingsand parents with kids and the

(45:01):
competition.

Speaker 2 (45:04):
Oh yeah, no.

Speaker 1 (45:05):
You know, just be there and enjoy it and obviously
, obviously be kind to people.
That's what I would advise.

Speaker 2 (45:13):
I co-sign that.
I love that so much.
That's that would be my advicetoo, because we live in a world,
especially now, where we needmore kindness in every industry,
I believe, and it comes back toyou.
You know, if you go on a setand you're a little nervous, if
you're kind to somebody, it'sgoing to come back to you.
You know, if you go on a setand you're a little nervous, if
you're kind to somebody, it'sgoing to come back to you.

(45:34):
You know you're going to getkindness back, which isn't the
reason to do it, but it's areason where I say why not?
Why wouldn't you do it?
It's literally science, it'scontagious.
So I love that advice.

Speaker 1 (45:40):
Yeah, and you know how it is.
It's like be grateful, man,you're on a set.
That's how I feel.
I grew up on sets as we startedthis conversation.
I love that.
I love being on a set.
That's part of what I miss.

(46:01):
When they're not shooting here,or if they're shooting in
Kentucky, I don't get to go hangon the set.

Speaker 2 (46:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:09):
I loved being on sets .

Speaker 2 (46:11):
It's magic in the making.

Speaker 1 (46:13):
That's what they say in Sunset Boulevard.

Speaker 2 (46:15):
you know, it really is yeah it is.

Speaker 1 (46:17):
It's so much fun and I love that process and talking
to people.
That's what I miss.
I miss about that, you know, Imiss being in the room where it
happens.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
I know We'll quote another musical Hamilton hey.
Hamilton hey, no-transcript.

Speaker 1 (46:59):
Some people yeah, but you know what you got to do it.
That's what I say, because younever know when you're going to
meet somebody that they'll say,oh my God, I want to the
director or producer or cast oh,you'd be perfect for my next
movie or project or TV show, orwe can collaborate on something

(47:20):
you don't know.
Listen, even myself, sometimesyou know I'm like oh, I got to
go to this thing.
You got to, you got to get out.
This is not a job where you sithome and you just wait for the
phone to ring, which I saidearlier.

(47:42):
So you got to get out becauseyou never know who you're going
to meet.
You just don't.
I really feel, and I don't beafraid in any way, shape or form
, as an actor.
If you're at a event or you goto a screening, or you're at a
short film festival or you're atany kind of film festival, or
you're wherever you are, you'reat the theater.

(48:03):
Don't be afraid if you're thereand you see producers,
directors, cast directors, ifyou're there and you see
producers, directors, castingdirectors, introduce yourself.

Speaker 2 (48:13):
Yeah, make a friend.
At the least it's like we'reall here to connect.

Speaker 1 (48:15):
Exactly, just connect , don't be, you know.

Speaker 2 (48:21):
I'm sure you get that as casting directors a lot.
It's like you get people maybenervous to come up to you and
it's yeah, but I'm so like youdon't know.

Speaker 1 (48:28):
I, yeah, but I'm so like you don't know.
I'll meet at waiters.
You know like I'll be in arestaurant, I'll go.
That guy's an actor, I justcould tell and I'll go yeah, and
I'll go.
Okay, I'm a Lisa Lennon, I'm acasting director, and the guy
would go oh, really, and I go,yeah, and I'll go.

Speaker 2 (48:45):
Here's my car, I'm so oh, he's like, here's the menu
and here's also my resume on theback.

Speaker 1 (48:51):
No, I don't get that, but I'll go.
They'll say I'll DM you orwhatever.
But, I feel don't be pompousabout it, Do you?

Speaker 2 (48:58):
know what.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
I'm saying, but I meet, I go out and I'll meet
producers or I'll meet directorsor I'll meet actors that I
didn't know, and people will say, oh yeah, we should sit down.
And I met somebody recentlydown at the local coffee shop
that I go to by my house anactress and a producer and it

(49:19):
was great.
I was like, oh my God, I'm ahuge fan of hers, like Jillian
Bell.
I don't know if you JillianBell, she's so fun Shout out
yeah.
Yeah, I'm giving her a shout out.
Her sister Brianna.
They just made this movie.
It's on Hulu.
I'm giving them a shout out.
It's called Summer of 69 withChloe Fineman.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
Oh, I was going to watch that last night I heard
it's great.

Speaker 1 (49:41):
You should watch it.
It's so fun.
I met them outside my localcoffee shop.
I love Jillian, I know her work.
I introduced myself and westarted chatting and then I
emailed them and said, hey, canwe have coffee?

Speaker 2 (49:57):
That's so sweet and look what came of it A great
interaction at the least, andthen you never know what else
will happen.
So I think you're so right.
It's a great reminder.
I feel like anytime I've goneout and met people and just
vibed.
You know people want to workwith people they like, like that
.
You just want to be aroundpeople who you enjoy and to some
extent I've seen that to bevery true in the industry.

(50:18):
You mentioned Adam Sandler.
He just wants to make movieswith all the same people, all of
his friends.

Speaker 1 (50:22):
So and he does.
He makes you know he uses a lotof the same guys over and over.
We did so many movies for him,from Grandma's Boy, where he put
Jonah Hill in one of his earlymovies, and, like you mentioned,
emma Stone and you know,catherine McPhee is now
Catherine Foster.
You know, we gave her her firstjob in that movie.
But it all comes fromconnection and relationships.

(50:46):
So, there's no.
You never know who you're goingto meet by going out.

Speaker 2 (50:52):
That's beautiful, yeah, and this all happened
because we connected online.
Look at that, everybody.

Speaker 1 (50:57):
Come on I know, because you made those really
funny videos and I really likedthe videos and I kept commenting
on them.

Speaker 2 (51:03):
That's so sweet.

Speaker 1 (51:04):
I'm a little Muppet, short and stout, you're so funny
and you made me laugh all thetime, so I was like oh.

Speaker 2 (51:10):
You're so sweet and you inspire me all the time on
social media, and now my cheeksare.
I keep smiling.
I love that.
I usually play a game calledcasting keywords, which maybe
we'll play next time, but Iactually made a custom game just
for you, lisa.
Okay, this is sort of like anaffirmations-based game, since
you're so good at putting upthese reels where you speak to
actors and give them such great,bite-sized advice.

Speaker 1 (51:32):
Okay, okay.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
So this is called Casting Confidence with Lisa
London.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
All right.

Speaker 2 (51:39):
Lisa, I'm going to throw out a common actor
scenario or feeling and for eachone just give us a quick
affirmation or piece of mindset.
Magic Does that make sense.
Yeah, okay, okay, you'll getthe hang of it once I start to
say these phrases.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
Okay, so an affirmation phrase or something
for your, whatever you say.

Speaker 2 (52:05):
Yeah, it's almost like we're writing a letter.
So I'm going to say to an actorwho da, da, da, da, da, and
then you say whatever beautifulthing you're going to say.

Speaker 1 (52:14):
Okay, okay, okay, we'll have fun.

Speaker 2 (52:16):
Okay, this will be a good time.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (52:19):
And this will be to all different types of people
listening.

Speaker 1 (52:21):
So we're going to speak to people directly, to an
actor who feels discouragedtoday never give up hope,
because you don't know when thatone audition is going to turn
your life around.

Speaker 2 (52:41):
Oh, I love that, so you're already nailing this.

Speaker 1 (52:45):
I mean I would go on a story, but you know John
Krasinski's got a great oneabout that you can always go on
a tangent with me.
I'm a safe tangent person, youknow that story about John
Krasinski told his mom I'm goingto paraphrase it so you guys
can look it up to get it exact,I'm sure it's out there on
YouTube or whatever.
But he told his mom he wantedto be an actor.

(53:07):
His mom said, ok, but once yougo do this, don't ask me to pull
you out, because I can't do it.
And so after a couple of yearsI think it was he got
discouraged and he called hismom and he said I can't do this

(53:29):
anymore.
And she said honey, why don'tyou give it to the end of the
year, and then we'll see whathappens?
And like a few weeks later, amonth later, he got the office.

Speaker 2 (53:35):
I love that and that's so true.
Melissa McCarthy had a similarstory, I think she said by her
30th birthday she was just goingto throw the towel in because
it wasn't happening after yearsof auditioning, and that's when
she got Gilmore Girls, which washer first kind of big break.
So it's such wonderfulreminders.
Hang in there everybody.
Okay, let's say there's anactor who's hanging in there,

(53:56):
but this is to an actor who justgot rejected from a dream job.

Speaker 1 (54:01):
Oh yes, and how many times has that happened where an
actor really wanted that job sobad.
You know what I'm going to sayto that when one door closes,
another one opens.
I know that's probably cliche.
I love bummed and I am going totell you, be bummed for like 24

(54:32):
hours.
Move on, don't sit in it,because when one door closes,
another one opens.
And I had that personallyhappen to me where, a very long
time ago, very early in mycareer, I mean this is going to
be like total honesty.
Well, I'm honest anyways.
This is going to be like totalhonesty.

(54:53):
Well, I'm honest anyways.
But I got, I was working on amovie and I we got fired.
I got fired up because thedirector, whatever, we didn't
buy.
We'll just say yeah.
And what I was bummed out.
And the next day I got ameeting on Arliss for HBO and I
ended up casting seven seasonson Arliss.

Speaker 2 (55:15):
Wow, look at that.
Thank you for sharing that andbeing open, because I think
that's relatable for actors too.
For everybody in any business.
It's like sometimes it's justnot the right fit and you're
trying your best to make it fitand you're a good person, but
for whatever reason it doesn'thappen and there's always going
to be something else.
It's like you fall down 10times, you get up 11 to have
another cliche in there, correct.

Speaker 1 (55:37):
So when one door closes, another one opens.
And that piece, that's exactlywhat happened to me, so that's
what I would say.

Speaker 2 (55:45):
Okay.
Well, what would you say whenus actors are on there, though,
seeing people on social medianot your beautiful videos, but
maybe things that we start tocompare ourselves to?
So this is to an actor whofeels like everyone else is
doing better than them.

Speaker 1 (55:59):
Yeah, Okay.
Do not compare yourself withthe Joneses.
That's my first piece of adviceabout that.
Listen, you can't do it.
You can't compare yourselfbecause you are your own unique
self and you're we're lookingfor that.
We're looking for you to bringyour own unique self to a role.

(56:21):
So do not compare yourself toanybody else out there, because
you are not the same as anybodyelse and we're looking for you.
And people forget that becausethey compare themselves.
We all do it.
We look at that social media.
That person's got 30 morethousand followers than me.
It's like somewhat.

(56:42):
It doesn't matter, it does notmatter.

Speaker 2 (56:44):
They might not even be real.

Speaker 1 (56:46):
Yeah, it's like you don't even know.
It's really about you creatingthe content you want to create.
It's about you creating thecontent you want to create.
It's about you creating yourunique self and you put out
whatever you want to put out onsocial media.
But remember that what we'relooking for is you and your
qualities.

(57:06):
So you comparing yourself tosomebody else.
You don't know how long it tookthis person to get their first
job, but you don't know any ofthat right.
So I would say don't compareyourself to the Joneses.

Speaker 2 (57:21):
Yeah, I love that you know who are the Joneses.
Even anyway, they can stay intheir house and lock the door.
I think it's funny the way Ilaid this out, because the next
one I actually have is to anactor who feels like they don't
know who they are, who feelslike they don't know what makes
them unique.

Speaker 1 (57:36):
Wow, okay.
So if you don't know what makesyou unique, then I'm going to
say then you need to.
My advice for that would be getin a class and start trying,
not trying.
I don't like my friend Gil saysdon't use the word, try, get in
a class.
Don't use try, so Get in aclass Go ahead, only do Don't
use try.
So Gil Jackson always says thatto me Don't use the word try

(57:58):
and he's right.

Speaker 2 (57:59):
My nanny says that a lot there's only doing.

Speaker 1 (58:01):
Yeah, doing.
I would say get in a class andexperience different types of
roles and see what you feel like.
Oh, I could do this.
Or oh, wow, I'm bringing myunique self to this kind of part
.
This thing isn't exactly myvibe.
Maybe I'm not that lawyer type,but I'm really good playing

(58:23):
that crazy quirky neighbor nextdoor.
I feel you have to experience,Like if you're not sure, how are
you going to figure it out If?
you're not sure what your uniquepersonality is or what your
unique vibe is.
Go start doing things.
Doing things, you can also putthings out there and you see,

(58:46):
okay, this resonates with me.
This is who I really am.
But also be willing to grow,because, as an actor, what if
you try something and you, youknow you work in on a role and
you go.
I don't really like it's thesame, rob.
You get an audition and you go.
I don't know if this is reallymy vibe.
Well, if it's not something thatgoes against your moral

(59:09):
principles, then you should gofor it and see what you can
create in it, because you neverknow, maybe that's the thing
that creates this superinteresting energy and essence
and vulnerability that youdidn't even know you had.

Speaker 2 (59:27):
And in this day and age it's such a win just to get
an audition.
So also trust casting that theysaw something in you.
How many times do we watch a TVshow and then if you actually
analyze it, it's like, oh, Iwouldn't actually peg that that
person's a police officer or adetective in real life, but
they're great in the show, it'sperfect in the story.
You know, absolutely, it's sotrue.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
And you should really , I want to add think outside
the box.
I always tell actors when youmake choices that was one thing.
I forgot to say that outsidethe box it should fit what the
character would do, but make achoice that could be a bit
outside the same.
And there'll be those five thatmaybe did something different,

(01:00:15):
and when they do somethingdifferent, that could be the
thing that we're looking for,that we didn't even think so.
don't be afraid to think outsidethe box.
So when you're trying to figureout who you are as an actor and
a character or whatever that is, think outside the box.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
Yeah, I actually thought about the other day
Robin Williams in Mork Mindy Ithink his audition was.
He went in there and did itupside down.

Speaker 1 (01:00:38):
Standing on his head.

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):
Yeah, as I was auditioning for something, I
thought about that because itwas for a genie.
I probably I won't say what,just in case I don't know if I
said something I can't remember.

Speaker 1 (01:00:58):
But I about that.
It's like also something thatshould just be fun for you.

Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
Do something that amuses yourself in a creative
way, exactly, and that's wherewe got back to your working on
process, because process bringsthe joy.
Well, speaking of the joy, youknow what brings the joy Booking
and I wonder in addition,what's your sentiment to an
actor who isn't booking and justfeels like oh, I just keep
auditioning and I'm just gettingnothing?

Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
OK, well, first I would ask them if they're.
Maybe they need an outsideopinion.
So maybe there might besomebody who maybe they need to
have some coaching.
And I only say that becausesometimes you need an other, an
outside perspective.
Right, that could be one angle.
You could talk to your agent ormanager and say hey, you know,

(01:01:37):
if they're watching yourauditions, is there something
else that you need to be doing?
And it could also be thatthey're doing these auditions
and I know you can getdiscouraged, like I said, and
sometimes it takes it could.
One girl I saw who I know, anactress.
She said it had been two yearsand 70 auditions she's had in

(01:01:58):
the last two years and shefinally booked another role Like
it had been a couple yearssince she'd worked.
So you don't know, you just haveif you love the game.
You have to keep going.
Oh, I love that.
Keep playing, Keep playing, Donot?
You have to keep going.

Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
Oh, I love that, keep playing.

Speaker 1 (01:02:13):
Keep playing, do not.
You can't give up.
It's just.
I know it can be discouragingand that's part of the trick of
doing a lot of self-tapes andnot getting feedback.

Speaker 2 (01:02:25):
Right, you know but you do get feedback.

Speaker 1 (01:02:28):
If you get a callback , you do get feedback.
If you get a redirection, ifyou're getting you know with the
same casting director and theykeep having you audition and
audition that's feedback.

Speaker 2 (01:02:38):
Yeah, that means they like something about what
you're doing and they want tohelp you.
They want to get you cast.

Speaker 1 (01:02:43):
So, but you can do those things, Get coaching.
If you don't get coaching, youknow, to get an outside
perspective maybe.
Or talk to your agent andmanager If they're looking at
your tapes.
Is there anything else I can bedoing?
And then remember it's a gamewhere there's a lot of opinions
and there's a lot of reasons whypeople get cast and don't get
cast.
So if you love it, you keepplaying persistence.

Speaker 2 (01:03:07):
I think that's such great advice to end on.
But speaking of giving, wealways end here on how we roll
with a got and a give and I willsay we've taken how we roll to
a whole new level, as both of usare on rolling chairs and this
whole time I'm like, anyway,sorry, I just hope.

Speaker 1 (01:03:21):
I wasn't rolling too much, no it was awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
I usually smack the mic.
At least once I didn't do thattoday, but there's still time
yes.
Okay, but we always end with agot and a give.
So maybe we can make thismindset themed for this episode.
This is a piece of adviceyou've gotten and then one
you've given, sort of the bestpieces you have for people in
this industry.
So we can start with the got.

Speaker 1 (01:03:49):
Okay, the best piece of advice I ever got was from my
father, and my dad, jerryLondon, my amazing father, said
to me you cannot take it tooseriously.
And that is really becausethere's been many moments in my
life where I, like I said eitherit was a job I wanted, or this

(01:04:11):
went south, or that and he goes,and I would go.
I would do what I'm telling you, all of these actors today,
what I'm saying.
I'd go right in here and go.
You know all those thoughts.

Speaker 2 (01:04:25):
And he goes, lisa.

Speaker 1 (01:04:27):
It has nothing to do with your abilities.
You are an amazing castingdirector.
You can't take it too seriously.
So that's the best piece ofadvice I've ever gotten.

Speaker 2 (01:04:36):
What an amazing dad yeah.
That's great advice.

Speaker 1 (01:04:39):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (01:04:39):
And on the opposite end.
Well, you did just give us alladvice, but what's the best
piece of advice you have to giveto actors?
I know people probably ask youthat question all the time, but
I'm going to ask it anywaybecause you're so good in an
interview setting time.

Speaker 1 (01:04:52):
But I'm going to ask it anyway because you're so good
in an interview setting youhave these great answers ready
to go, I would say my best pieceof advice is what are you doing
right now, everybody out there?
What are you doing right now?
To stay creative and rememberthat we are all artists, and
artists are the ones who make ahuge impact in this world.

(01:05:14):
So that's what you should bedoing right now is, what can you
do to constantly keep creating,because you're an artist?

Speaker 2 (01:05:26):
That's beautiful.
That reminds me of I thinkViola Davis said it recently
it's not about what she does andwhat she books, it's about how
people feel when they watch herwork.
It's about the other people,and I think that's a similar way
to put it.
And I also will say if you'relistening to this right now,
give yourself a cookie or areward later, because that means

(01:05:46):
you're doing something tofurther your career.
So just by tuning in today, Iwant to thank you.
I think you're on the righttrack and keep rolling along.
It's hard, but we have amazingpeople like Lisa in this
industry to guide us, be ourlittle lighthouses, with the
light shining us where to go,and I just think it's been such
a wonderful time together.
So thank you for doing this,lisa.
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:07):
Oh, thanks so much for having me, rob.
That was so fun, you're so funand I hope actors get so much
for having me, rob that was sofun, you're so fun and I hope
actors get so much out of this.

Speaker 2 (01:06:13):
I know they will.

Speaker 1 (01:06:14):
I hope so too.
That's so amazing and I reallyappreciate it, and I hope
everybody does well out thereyou know, keeps creating on
their career, because that weneed you.

Speaker 2 (01:06:27):
Keep creating, yes.