January 22, 2025 • 54 mins
There is always that ONE episode you record, that you loooove, yet the sounds wasn't crisp. Oh Lord! Well... The content is waayyyy too fun not tone published, so forgive me for this minor technical issue :) You won't regret it!
Join us in this high-energy episode with Cindy Claes (action actress) and Simon Maestre (international actor from Barcelona), as we navigate the unpredictable world of comedy casting.
Simon shares details about an audition experience that kicked off with an unusual request. Instead of diving into a script, he focused on aligning himself with a high frequency wave-length. He got booked on a feature film surrounded by incredible comedy actors.
Cindy shares an amusing story, could it be her dog's adventures and a crumbling down love life that got her the casting? The Zoom call back gave her butterflies.
UPDATE: While production details are still to remain secret, we can now confirm that Cindy booked the comedy role after her Zoom call back!
In this episode, we also dig into:
• audition experiences and casting stories for comedy
• the importance of humour and vulnerability in self-presentations
• overcoming nerves during Zoom auditions
• navigating language barriers in the audition process
• the impact of physicality on performance
• the significance of building a supportive community
• celebrating success and sharing joyous moments with friends
IG Cindy Claes:
@cindy_claes
IG Simon Maestre:
@simon.maestre
Want to send Cindy Claes a DM?
Podcast Intro Review
Let's continue the conversation on Instagram:
Cindy Claes - Host
@cindy_claes
Loud Whisper VZW - Producers
@loudwhispervzw
Join the community:
Buy Me A Coffee VIP Zone
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I like it.
Let's see what we come up with.
Okay, okay, I'm ready.
Oh, my god, this is so funny.
Okay, are we ready?
Are we doing this?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
We are doing this.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Okay, no, I have to take myself seriously.
I'm like a serious actor, okay.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I'll be quiet.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to the Loud Whisperer's Takeover podcast.
I'm the main host of thispodcast and an action actress,
also a filmmaker, Cindy Klaas.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
And I am Simon Maestre.
I am currently an internationalactor residing in Barcelona.
I've been super good friendswith Cindy since we took an
acting class together, so she'slike my soul sister and, yeah,
we just have lots of funtogether.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
And I'm super excited to be talking to my soul
brother today because we will betalking about some fun and
memorable castings we had.
So let's dive in.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So I know you just recently had an audition and I
would love to hear about thatexperience.
I just want to know what wasthe first initial part of the
process.
Like OK, so you get thiscasting, what how do you prepare
for it, what do you do?
And then you get the call back,so go go through that okay.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
so first of all I was auditioning for a comedy and
the very first thing that myagent, rt, asked me to submit
was just a presentation.
There was not even a script,there was not even a comedy
exercise to submit, it was justa presentation.
There was not even a script,there was not even a comedy
exercise to submit, it was justa presentation of myself.
Because it was a comedy, I madethe specific.
(01:33):
My intention was just to makeit very light.
So usually my presentations arekind of standards or kind of
serious, or you know, verystraight to the point.
But I thought, ok, because I'monly submitting just a
presentation of myself, I'mgoing to keep it very light.
And I went in full ADHD.
(01:53):
I was sort of, you know, goingfrom one topic to the other and
I was just like free, freestyleit, freestyle around it.
And that particular sales page,which was just a presentation
of myself with a very light tonethat was my decision got me a
callback and the callback was onzoom okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So you had to do a presentation like was there a
specific thing that you had topresent?
Because I know you talked about, like freestyling.
I'm kind of interested in that,because what were you
freestyling there?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
well, literally, I had, I had literally zero
information about the project.
The only thing I knew was thatit was a comedy, and so I
thought, and I think I had totalk about my hobbies or
something like that, okay, yeahand so I was just talking about
myself.
But I think my hobbies I'm soattached to it like my hobbies
(02:50):
are- like so important to me,I'm so obsessed with them.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I guess yeah, you know, like so many, you have so
many and I have so many, oh god,it's horrendous, like once I
dive into something, I just diveinto it.
Like you know, I, when I, when Istarted, craft my god, I just
craft my god for 17 hours, yeahokay, sorry, I have to cut you
off here because people have toknow you're very extreme in
(03:17):
whatever you do, like you'reeither zero or a hundred, like
there is no in between.
You're like I'm doing this likecraft, my god.
Like you said, oh, I'm starting.
You like Krav Maga.
Like you said, oh, I'm starting.
You know, I would think, oh,she's gonna take some basic
lessons here and there.
No, you did 17 weeks.
I just I admire you so much forthat 17 hours per week, per
(03:38):
week okay, crazy.
I that's even worse.
I think 17 hours that's like apart-time job, cindy.
So yeah, I know, I know, I justwanted to let people know how
extreme you are and yeah, it'sjust amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So and I literally do that with every single thing
that I get passionate about, andthat includes fitness,
weightlifting, a new martialarts that I'm starting, you know
, any sort of dance form that Istart studying?
I just dive into it like aludicrous, really.
So I thought, okay, I need todo this presentation for this
comedy.
(04:15):
Let me just talk about my dogand my love life that isn't
working out.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Oh my gosh, are you freaking serious?
No, that's what I was notexpecting.
That response literally.
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Well, I thought this is this.
Is you know something, life,that I can talk about?
You know, yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I would have never thought about that, and that's
actually kind of being reallyvulnerable as well, so I'm sure
that really worked in your favor.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, and also my dog you know like, because
obviously my dog he's like a new, my new yes, pizer in crime,
you know, in my life, and solooking for toys for him and
(05:10):
getting him entertained, and youknow all of that.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
It's, uh, it's, it's.
It's another kind of thing Ican talk about, you know, in a
very light space.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
New passion, yes, and it got me my call back that is.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
That's great.
So, yeah, I think that'samazing because it's it's also
probably really different fromwhat everybody else talked about
.
You know what I mean, so I'msure that that's why.
Okay, so you get the call back,do they text you?
Do they call you what?
So?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
my agent, yeah, my agent go back to me.
Obviously I cannot give us toomany details because at the
moment, you know, the project isstill, you know I cannot share
more.
that's why, literally ithappened a few days ago, this
callback.
So I got a callback and Ireceived a script, a script with
several scenes, but they alsogave me extra scenes that I'm
(05:56):
not in so that I could sort ofhave a bigger picture of what's
happening around me and theplace I work and stuff, and so
for the callback it was on Zoomwith the casting director and
the director of the movie.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Had you done Zoom callbacks before, or was this
like your first one?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I had done a Zoom callback for a commercial during
the pandemic and I rememberthat, but obviously it was for a
commercial, so it was a verydifferent sort of vibe and I
remember.
No, I've done several zoomcallbacks actually, but always
for commercials it's a fictionone before.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
This was like your first fiction zoom yes first
fiction zoom casting before forcommercials.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's it's super nerve-wracking because basically
you log in or you, you enterthe zoom call and there are 20
people in that but nobody hastheir camera on.
They just like from productionand from I don't know from.
You know various departments,yeah, but everybody is looking
(07:01):
at you but nobody has theircamera on.
Oh my, god, my.
God, and there's only theassistant that's saying, yeah,
okay, so welcome, and now we'regoing to take this, take or
whatever, and then maybe thecasting director or the person
you know that is in charge mightgive you a note or two to do it
again.
But it's super weird becauseyou feel observed.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah.
I mean if you have 20 peoplethere that are watching you, of
course you're going to feelobserved to you know?
Yeah, I mean, if you have 20people there that are watching
you, of course you're gonna feelobserved.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
That's crazy and you just have little screens in
front of you.
You know, yeah, you don't evenknow who's looking at you.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Oh I yeah, that sounds nerve-wracking, honestly
here for this zoom call.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
It was a very different sort of environment
because it was a castingdirector and the director of the
movie and you can see theirfaces right like they were black
.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay, yeah, and there was a real.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
There was a real human interaction, there was a
real conversation, there was agenuine sort of willingness to
have a creative process, to talkabout the scenes, to give me
directions, and so in thatperspective it was like a, an
amazing experience, you know itsounds very nourishing both on a
human and on a creative level,I think, where the why I had
(08:18):
butterfly is I hadn't done a,you know, a zoom casting for a
while, and also I had this imagein mind where all these people
are connected but nobody sort oflooks at you.
Also, this particular castingwas in Spanish, so my script was
in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Oh my gosh, that's right, you had to do Spanish,
which you do, speak Spanish, butlet's say, out of all the
languages, that's probably likewhere are you at with that one?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Yes, so I make a lot of grammatical mistakes.
Spanish is my fourth languageand I'm still learning.
You know like I mean.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I can have conversations.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
People can understand me, but I make really like I
make big mistakes.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah, it's funny because, like I remember going
to dinner, like when we tookthat class and we were like they
were speaking Spanish and Iremember you being quiet, which
is not like you normally becauseyou're, very like you know,
always talking.
But I do remember, like withSpanish it seems like you you
can do it, but it's like, it'slike you know to to initiate
(09:25):
that.
There's like a trust thingalmost there.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
You know what I mean but it's and also like in a
group setting yeah, you have topay attention to so many miles
that are moving you know it'squicker.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you have tolip read on.
Like different faces anddifferent accents too, because,
like we were with internationalpeople, so not everyone spoke
the same type of spanish so here, not only was the script in
(09:51):
spanish, but that's fine,because there is a script and,
yeah, I can learn it in advancehow many scenes did you have to
do?
there were only two scenes.
I have two scenes okay, so theysent me more they sent me more
to give me a to give me an idea.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Yeah, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
But then the conversation prior and after you
know about the movie, thecharacter, about me and what I
do, and all of that kind ofstuff was also in Spanish and I
think that's what gave mebutterflies you know, wait, wait
, wait.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Okay, so you had a conversation with the director
and the casting director duringthe Zoom audition before you did
it about the character, orwhere did this conversation
happen?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
They just asked me questions about what I did,
because they checked out my.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Instagram, yeah, they checked out my Instagram.
Okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
That's when we know they do check Instagram accounts
.
We know that's when we knowthey do check instagram accounts
.
So they do about.
Yeah, even though I have I wasI'm auditioning for um, a comedy
role that has absolutely, youknow, there are there are no
fighting scenes there.
There's no stunts work involved.
They knew that I was doing thiskind of physical work, so they
were asking me questions aboutit.
(11:02):
They knew I had a podcast.
They had checked out thepodcast, so they were just
asking me things about me as anartist, really in.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Spanish yeah oh my gosh, that would be so
nerve-wracking, that would be socrazy but okay, as well though,
yeah, yeah.
I mean, you sound confidentabout it, so I so I'm sure it
went really well.
So, okay, they have thisconversation with you and then
(11:29):
you get into the two scenes Likehow did that work?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, so we did that.
The casting director wasreading for me and I did the
scene a couple of times and thenthey were giving me notes to
have a different take on it, youknow and try different things.
Well, that's one of mystrengths as an actress having
done the Jacques Lecoq?
yeah, having done the JacquesLecoq training in Paris.
(11:54):
Like and also having been adancer my whole life like,
taking notes and being able toapply them straight away is one
of my forte.
So if all of a sudden you knowI have something in my head and
you tell me that it's somethingelse, I am able to very quickly
switch.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, you take direction very well and I can
attest to that because I've seenit in action.
The same workshop that I'mtalking about, that, like where
we were with a group of peopletalking in Spanish, I saw you
like do it for the castingdirector I think it was your
monologue, I don't remember butthen he was like oh yeah, do
this and this and this.
And you just like switched itup so quickly.
(12:33):
I was so impressed by that.
And then he even said you takedirection really well.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
That was when we did the workshop with Luis Canete.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
No, yeah, luis Canete .
Yeah, exactly, Exactly, that'sthe one.
Yeah, yeah, yeah and yeah no.
But he gave you notes and itwas crazy because he gave you
like a bunch of notes, like hewas like do this and this and
this, and you just took that allin and like I'm amazed by your
ability to process that soquickly, because for me, like I
have a hard time processing itso quickly, you know.
(13:03):
So when someone gives me a note, I'm like okay, but I have to
really think about it to getthere, you know, and you just
seem to like like that, you know.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
I think I would say because if people you know
struggle with taking notes orstruggle like change, changing
choices, and things that got methere.
I think I did a lot of improv.
You know like, yeah, in mytraining as an actress I filmed
a huge amount of improv and hisimprov even if it's comedy
improv, you know, it has nothingto do with drama or whatever.
(13:34):
It's a very different genrethat we do in movies.
It just helps you to reallythink on your feet, yeah, to
really be very, you know, gowith your guts and your instinct
and just to change all the time.
That's number one.
Number two, I think having donea lot of physical work as a
dancer, as a physical theaterartist, even if in my head I
(13:57):
can't find the difference in myhead or you know, like,
obviously you analyze the scriptand you show things like that
and then all of a sudden,changing your thought process
takes time, but changing yourphysicality can take a second.
So let's say that I'm sitting,you know, a little bit like
leaning back in my chair,because you know I'm sitting for
(14:19):
this audition.
I can sit up a little straight.
I can just like turn myshoulder a little bit around.
You know, a bit more nonchalant, I can, you know, take a pen in
my hand, because the pen, youknow, I just like work with the
pen in a very mean way, or I cantake the pen and, you know, use
it in a very sexy way.
(14:40):
Or if I'm standing on my feetmaybe the first time I did it I
can feel that my weight was abit more my toes.
So maybe I'm a bit of acharacter that is more you know
attacking or going somewhere, oryou know being in action.
Maybe if I put my weight on oneleg I'm a bit more, you know,
in between two thoughts as acharacter.
(15:02):
And so when I change myphysicality, even if I don't
have the thought process, Ichange something in my
physicality and that willimmediately change something in
my acting as well.
You know, yeah, yeah, yeah, ahundred percent, a hundred
percent.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
It's interesting that you're talking about this
because I actually saw aninterview with Tom Holland he
was talking about I can'tremember what actor he was
talking about, but he said thathe used to hate crying scenes
and this actor told him thatwhat he would do to get into a
crying scene was change the wayhis throat was or something like
that.
I can't remember exactly whathe said, but it was so
(15:38):
interesting because it's likeyour body's natural response to
like the way you're, you'reusing it, and so I think that's
amazing because it's like musclememory.
You know, you change your, yourpose or you change something
about the body and youimmediately just go to a whole
nother direction.
So yeah, and I definitely, Idefinitely see that you're very
(15:59):
good with physicality.
It seems like obviously that'san area of expertise for you, so
it's really cool that you'reable to switch so quickly with
just your body.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
But try it also for yourself.
Even if you are in everydaylife.
If you go and order a sandwich,just shift your waist balance
and see if the way you orderyour sandwich becomes a very
different.
Way of ordering a sandwich,just because you change your
physicality, you know.
And then the next day, yeah, thenext day it tries to change
(16:32):
something else you know in yourphysicality yeah, the way, you
order the same flipping sandwichchanges and you will see, you
know that you might be able tothen add it to your acting as
well yeah, yeah, that's likegood like tips for, like you
know, just incorporating youracting in your everyday.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Like order a sandwich in a sexy way see how that
feels, you know, order it in ahappy way see how that feels.
So, yeah, I'll definitely order, probably not my sandwich, but
probably a coffee because Iorder coffee every day.
So, yeah, I'll definitely order, probably not my sandwich, but
probably a coffee because Iorder coffee every day.
So maybe I'll try it.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But you see the way you worded it is.
Order is in a sexy way, so thatmeans that you're gonna think
sexy before you go to thephysicality.
What I'm saying is put yourbody in a position and see what
comes out.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Okay, so your body is like the thing that is
controlling the situation, notyou thinking that you're
standing in a sexy way.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Yeah, so literally put your body in a position, see
what comes out of that positionyour voice, your, your
confidence, your.
You know your relationship tothe world might be different.
That if you put yourself inanother position with a shoulder
forward, really stands more onthe right with you, stands more
on the left with you, standsmore on the back.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
So yeah, okay, good tip, good tip to know.
Okay, so you are able to makequick changes for them.
Did they have you do the scene?
How many times can you kind ofwalk us through, like some sort
of notes, that they gave you andhow you accumulated and put
that into the performance thenext time?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
So I think I would.
I did each scene about fourtimes and they gave me, like,
literally once I had to do it ina very different way once they
picked up on something that theyfound funny and they wanted me
to do it again, but maybe do itlonger or, you know, add
something to that funny moment.
Then there were also momentswhere I had read the scene in my
(18:37):
head.
I had visualized the scenedifferently than what they might
have visualized it.
So then they said, yeah, okay,actually visualize this, or
imagine this, or your reportwith this person that you're
talking to is actually they gaveme even more context.
You know, that is a momentwhere, even though, when you
(18:57):
receive those notes, I could seethat they were so genuine and
so supportive and so loving andso, oh my God, we want to work
with you creatively, butobviously you cannot listen to
that little voice, because thatlittle voice was sort of, you
know, in my head saying Cindy,you didn't see that?
Didn't you read that in betweenthe lines?
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Oh my gosh, I know, exactly what you mean.
Like it's that little voice,that's like it's in the back of
your head and even though, likeyou're in this moment where it's
like great, there's still likea part of you that is like, oh,
you messed up, like you have todo it better.
You're like hard on yourself.
That happens to me, like evenin classes, like whenever I'm
performing in front of people,I'm just like, oh, they didn't
(19:43):
like that, they didn't like thatbecause they didn't laugh, or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
You know what I mean yeah, and also because obviously
we are on.
So there are two things.
Number one if the informationthey gave me, I was like oh my
god, I should have seen that andread it in between the lines in
the scenes they gave you togive you context.
But you know, when a project isnew, you are missing out on
stuff.
You know.
It's just what it is, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
And I also think it takes time.
It takes time to like, get allof that information and process
it into your character.
So you didn't.
How long did you have toprepare for this?
I did have a couple of days,which is a luxury in our world
yeah, it's a, it's a big luxury,because you have to be fast,
it's like you said, and thenalso like you're learning these
(20:29):
scenes, so you have to memorize,you have to do all this work,
yeah, and most people don't seethis work.
So, yeah, yeah, that's that'sprobably why you didn't like get
every single little detail inthere, because it's it's almost
like literally impossible.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
And then I would say another thing as well, because
just before the Zoom castingcall she obviously has been
rehearsing my scenes and blah,blah, blah.
And you know I've trieddifferent things, but you know
I'm sort of walking around, youknow, in my living room and my
kitchen and in my car when I'mdriving.
Maybe shouldn't do that, but Idid it and then I put.
(21:03):
Then that was because I had toput the computer, you know, at
eye level.
You know they asked for thecomputer to be at eye level and
you know I set up my lightingand then I started doing the
scene, but I needed to look inthe camera and all of us, and
also you know this, thischaracter had to move and follow
a character and then speak tothe character, then move again,
(21:24):
and all of a sudden I startedrehearsing with the computer and
I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm notlooking in the camera.
You know they want me to lookin the camera and so I mean it's
that extreme precision.
You know that I had to, oh 100%.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Because it's part of the storytelling, like how that
character is moving, and how areyou going to incorporate that
in such a tight space?
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I had to kind of look at my camera and I started, you
know like to move.
You know this upper body, youknow like I'm making sure that I
stayed in frame and making surethat I looked, you know the
camera.
So it was.
It was like details, yeah,detailed work, you know, and
lucky that I did that.
And I think I should do thatagain for other zoom casting
(22:10):
calls or callbacks for fiction,because commercials they always
ask you to do other stuff.
You know, as I hear, was sospecific in.
So when we had the zoom call, Iasked them again do you want me
to really look at the camerawhen I'm delivering the lines or
do you want me to look a littlebit on the side and that sort
of thing?
They wanted me to really lookin the camera.
But because then when you lookin the camera you don't see
(22:32):
yourself on screen anymore.
So you kind of have to trustthat you're doing this right
that you're not.
You know what I mean Like offscreen.
So that you were doing is rightthat you're not.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
You know what I mean like off screen so it's
additional rehearsal that shouldbe planned in.
Yeah, I mean, well, honestly,like when you're on set too,
like this kind of this kind ofgoes along with like our job,
you know, like we have to beable to like direct our
movements and be aware of wherethe camera is and like have,
cause I just I, I just got donebeing on set, you know, and it's
(23:05):
such a big part of like what Iwas doing was, no, you have to
walk here, then look to theright and then walk here in this
certain way, no, a little left,a little more, and you have
these marks that you have to hit.
So it's interesting that you'retalking about this now, because
in zoom auditions you kind ofwere doing that, but for
yourself, you know, so that youcould present like this audition
(23:27):
in a certain way, and you alsohave to tell the story by doing
this.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
so I think that's that's like a really good thing
to do for any audition the onlything is that on set it is
easier because, obviously aswell, I'm a dancer, so you know
giving me a mark and telling meI've got one step to go there
and then turn around, and all ofthat works because you have a
distance between the camera andyourself.
You know, so you can look atthe camera.
(23:54):
There is a distance here.
The camera of your, your screen, when you're in a Zoom call, is
so close that your space thatyou can play with, your playing
space, is extremely reduced.
You know, and that's thedifficulty with, well,
self-taping and auditioningonline.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it's like, it's weird to mewhenever they put like
something like oh, you'rewalking along the sidewalk and
you're like no, I'm standing infront of my camera, like how do
you want me to present that Icannot walk?
And then I like sometimes Ijust make stuff up because I'm
like I don't know, guys, I'mjust going to like sometimes
I'll shuffle, and that doesn'tseem to go over very well, so
(24:36):
I've stopped shuffling.
And yeah, it's just interestingthat, you know, because of
self-tapes, you do have thatlimited space and you're almost
having to choreograph it so thatyou move, but in a very minimal
way, I would say.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Have you ever seen the influencers that are, you
know, changing outfits and aresort of fashionistas?
Is it kind of walking on asmall treadmill.
Maybe we need that, you know.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Hey, that's a really good idea, actually.
Okay, let me get on thefreaking treadmill, since you
guys want me walking for this.
I'm sure it'd be a lotdifferent than many self-tapes,
okay, so let's go back to um,the audition.
Okay, so you basically do thesetakes, they give you notes, you
incorporate these notes intothere and then how does it?
(25:25):
How does it end?
Like, how do you feel?
What did they say to you?
Speaker 2 (25:31):
so it was a.
What I really appreciated wasthere was a real creative
process and, like I feel, in theworld of film sometimes it is,
um, also a luxury.
It's not in every, you know, inevery movie that we have an
opportunity for creative process.
So it was a very human andartistically interesting
interaction.
Then we talked a little bitabout the character and then, of
(25:54):
course, they asked do you haveany questions for us?
And that's another one weshould always be prepared for.
And I wasn't, but I came upokay.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I came up with a question, you were not prepared
for that question.
This is a surprise to me,because you're always like you
have a list of things that youwant to ask.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
I know.
And then here I was, just Ithink I had so many butterflies
because it was in Spanish, um,but yeah, I did ask some
creative questions, you know,around the script and the
character and the settings andall of that kind of things, um,
more as a broader perspective,you know.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
So, but it was, it was a very positive experience,
but I kept having thosebutterflies in my belly like for
hours after fasting really yeah, and even the next morning,
when I woke up, I still feltbutterflies it must have been
like a very, like you said, verypositive experience, because I
(26:49):
also feel like butterflies islike a good thing, as opposed to
this like nervousness, where,like it gets in your way, like
butterflies lift you, they likemake you go and I think another
thing as well that I sort of gotpresent to was I've been,
basically I've been casting somuch for darker roles, you know
(27:11):
um, which I, which I absolutelylove, um, but and you know these
action movie roles and ahundred yeah got kind of thing
you know or what you're reallygood at, I would say.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I would say that's definitely like your niche, but
you have range, which is good aswell yes, and I think one of
the reasons why I hadbutterflies is I've been so
focused on my action, actingroles.
I've been so focused on training, training, training on my
(27:45):
martial arts skills, you know,and and my fighting skills and
all the rest of it.
I think I had even lostperspective of what the other
challenges are.
That would make me feel excitedand actually having a role in a
comedy, would you know likeit's a total comedy, it's not
(28:06):
just my role, that is thecomedic release kind of thing,
it's like a full-on comedysounds like a challenge that
would just make make me freakinglove life and my craft and my
art form and and the team I'mworking with and all the rest of
it.
So, yeah, I think it kind ofreminded me, you know, what the
universal open door is not justabout what you want, but maybe
(28:31):
there's so much more than whatyou imagine and what you want
that can be freaking exciting ohmy god and yeah, never lose
perspective, you know a hundredpercent.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I agree with that.
It's really cool becausesometimes, like we think we know
what we want and we're just sofocused on that that we don't
allow ourselves to open up, solike what the universe is giving
us, which essentially,sometimes could even be better
than what we think we want.
And you opening up yourself tocomedy, I think is great,
because there's a lot there aswell that sometimes, like for me
(29:04):
personally, I don't like, I'mlike no, I like this, this is
the type of character I want toplay.
And then, like you open thestore and you're like wow, and
it's exciting because youhaven't been there and it's
stepping outside of your comfortzone.
So you're also growing and Ithink that's really important as
actors.
I love that's really importantas actors.
I love that.
I love that, like you, had apositive experience with this
(29:25):
thing and I also.
I think it's great that it wascomedy, because I remember the
first time I saw you it was inFrank's class and it was a
comedy in that class that wasyour first scene, cindy.
I know you as a comedy actresslike that's what you established
in my heart.
Later I found out that you likethese darker roles, but I
(29:46):
remember that class was likelaughing so hard.
There.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Everyone's rolling on the floor it's so funny that
the first time we met youactually saw me in two comedy
scenes in class and you werehilarious yeah, and you were
freaking hilarious, so I thinkit's a good avenue for you as
well.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Like I think you could take a lot and do a lot
with that.
I know, obviously, like we haveour our thing where it's oh, I,
I do like action and I thinkyou do really well in those
roles, but it's we're actors, wehave range as well.
So, yeah, it's good that yougot this yes, I will keep you
updated, please do please.
(30:23):
I'm really excited for you,regardless, that you did this
audition, because it sounds likeit was a good experience
overall well, well, you knowthat you were always the first
one that will know.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
You know, you're always the first one that I pick
.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
I know I, but it's so funny because I feel like we
both share stuff with each other, because we live vicariously
through each other.
You're like, oh, I just hadthis audition.
I got a call back and I was likeI was there with you, you know,
yeah it's like when you were onset, like last month, and uh I
was just like cheering, you know, living your experience with
(30:55):
you, because you were excited towork on set with a dream team
yeah, and it's funny because Ialways will send you like
messages, like you're the firstone to know, literally because I
feel like you know, sometimes,like I tell people and I don't
know if maybe it's because someof them are non-actors so they
don't really get like what thatmeans, but like when we get a
(31:17):
call back, that's such a coolthing, like why wouldn't you
like rejoice with that person?
So I'm glad that I have you onmy team.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
And also I want to.
I want to say that it's soimportant because that's what I
love about our friendship.
But also a lot of people oftentell me hey, I see my friends,
you know, like I see who's therewhen I'm going through a rough
patch right, and for me I alwayssaid no, I see my friends when
(31:47):
I'm really experiencing thehighest of my joys and I see you
when you're there to share thatwith me, because not everybody
is able or can or want to reallycelebrate your joys and your
successes.
Because when you're in a low, Ialways think you know what some
people are not equipped tosupport you in that low.
(32:09):
Maybe they've never experiencedit, maybe they don't understand
the pain you're going through,maybe they don't have the right
words, maybe they go through arough patch themselves and you
don't know it.
So sometimes, of course,sometimes you know people are
willingly or you know, notwilling to be there and they
don't care.
That happens, I'm not sayingthat, but generally speaking,
(32:31):
gives people the benefit of thedoubt, you know, in your times
of love.
But when it's a time of joy,when it's a time of come and
celebrate my joy, my life, mysuccess, my hard work and your
friend that you consider yourfriend isn't there or can't be
happy when you're happy.
I think maybe there issomething to analyze, and what I
(32:54):
love between us is that we justcelebrate each other's joy.
That is also what makes ourfriendship so very special and I
.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
It's so funny because , like we both joke that we have
add, so I think that's part ofour add.
Like what you're happy, I'mhappy, like it's great.
Though, because I feel like,like you said, sometimes, like
you have certain people in yourlife that like, if you share
something good that's happeningto you, it's like almost I don't
(33:26):
know sometimes, maybe like theyget jealous, maybe or like I
don't know, I don't know what itis, but they're not there with
you and like you can feel thatenergetically.
I can feel that whenever I tellsomeone some good news and
they're just like they'rehearing it but they're not
celebrating it yeah, and thatbreaks the bond, I think yeah
(33:47):
you know, yeah or doesn't, atleast doesn't solidify it?
Speaker 2 (33:51):
should we tell that little story that happened at
the air force when I called youcrying and you told me you were
so happy?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
oh my gosh, that is, that is our bond.
Right there, that is literallyour bond.
Okay, yeah, I forget details,but it was hilarious so,
basically, something uhheartbreaking was happening to
me.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
My mom was very, very sick and, um, I was also, um,
like it was.
It was really horrible.
My mom had an illness wherethere was no cure and I became
her full-time caretaker and Ihad to basically move countries
and then and I had to stopworking and so I'm at the
(34:36):
airport because I have to go andpick my stuff up in another
country, leave all the thingsthat I had built as an artist.
And so I'm calling you, simon,and I'm crying on the phone and
I'm like I don't know how tohandle the conversations with
our agents.
I feel like I'm a loser.
I feel like people are going tonot take me seriously.
I'm dropping out of everyproject, but obviously I have to
(34:59):
go and take care of my mom andthere are all these emergencies,
and I feel overwhelmed.
And go and take care of my mom,and there are all these
emergencies, and I feeloverwhelmed, and so I'm sending
you voice notes and I'm cryingand you're supporting me and
you're like, no, it's gonna beall right and you're not a loser
and you're handling it well.
And and all of a sudden, why?
So I'm at the airport alone,and you know when you're alone.
But the airport is full and youstart crying and you're like no
(35:20):
, not here not here and not hereand I'm just like I'm in full
breakdown.
Okay, I'm in full breakdown,leaving you voiceless.
Everybody in the airport looksat me, but I'm like I don't care
about this voice, I'm justhaving a breakdown.
In that moment, while you arebasically like cheering me up,
something happened and youannounced me that you sell the
(35:42):
next bit what I?
Speaker 1 (35:44):
I forget honestly I.
What did I say?
I?
Don't remember, I don'tremember I know it was like I I
booked right, was that when Ibought?
Yeah, so basically I'm cryingat the airport.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
We do a couple of back and forth messages, like
it's a very dramatic moment.
I'm in social breakdown, you asa friend are trying to cheer me
up and all of a sudden you'relike Cindy, oh my god, cindy, I
just got booked, like our agentjust our teacher just got.
No, they just fixed me.
I booked, I booked, I'm on afiction, I'm, I'm.
Oh my god, it's next, it's intwo months time, and all of a
(36:18):
sudden, oh my god it was.
You were so happy because it wasa really cool role.
You had a lot of dates whereyou were going to be on set, and
so I'm crying and I'm enjoyingit.
I'm like, oh my god, simon, I'mso happy for you, I'm so
freaking happy and I'm full ofjoy and I was crying at the same
time.
(36:39):
And you're full of joy andyou're trying to force me at the
same time and it was just likesuch an awesome dramatic comic.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
This video was comedy relief it was just like written
for a movie and I feel likethat really represented our
friendship totally 100, becauseI remember, like it was so funny
because, yes, you were havinglike a breakdown moment, but I
think, rightfully so Like Iwould have literally just I
probably would have just stayedon the floor, not gotten out of
(37:09):
bed or something, becauseliterally you had a lot on your
plate.
And so, like you're sending meall these messages and, needless
to say, like I was feelingreally good that day and you
were sending me these messages,so I was like I'm going to pour
some energy into Cindy, like allthis positive energy that I
have, and I was.
I kept being like, no, it'sgoing to be okay.
(37:30):
Like you're strong, cause youliterally are like one of the
strongest people that I know.
So I knew you were going to getthrough this.
But it was just so funny Cause,immediately as you were sending
me messages like RT was sendingme messages as well and they
were like telling me you justbooked and everything.
And I was like holy shit, like Ihad so much joy inside of my
(37:50):
heart, you know, at that moment,and I was like should I tell
her?
Should I not tell her?
There was like no, containingthat.
So I had to spread that to youin the best way that I could and
I just I was like, okay, cindy,this is what's happening.
Because, like also, I feel likewhen you're in these times, you
know where you're going throughthings.
You also want to like hearsomething good and take from
(38:14):
that, because I think there'senergy in that.
And then you taking that goodenergy, like yeah, you were
breaking down, but like you'reon a roller coaster of emotions,
you're riding that happy waywith me, but like you still had
your thing.
So, yeah, it was perfect timing.
I would say Like somethingcompletely orchestrated by the
universe, because the timing wasjust like that.
You were there, rt was thereand I had booked and I was so
(38:38):
excited about that.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
I really, really wish everybody, every artist, a soul
brother like Lyman in theirlife.
Oh, you're so sweet.
Okay, so shall we now talkabout one of your memorable
casting audition moments?
Maybe we can talk about therecent job that you booked and
(39:00):
that you know.
Obviously you shared with mewhen I was at the airport in
Full Breakdown.
You have now been working onset for this particular project,
but we're going to talk aboutthe casting process, okay yes,
yes, yes, yes so the firstmessage that you received from
our agent, what was it?
Speaker 1 (39:20):
when I booked, or like when I got the audition
audition the first phase of theaudition.
Okay.
So I actually I got an emailfrom Enzo.
This was during the summer, soit was literally I think I
auditioned for this in July, andyou know I love summer, so I
was on a high.
I was on a big high, like juston life, not on anything but
(39:43):
life, just because, like, um,you know, summertime happiness.
And so I kept getting likeauditions for commercials and
stuff like that, and I hadgotten one for fiction prior in
June.
But then Enzo sends me amessage and he's like hey, so
there's this movie that's goingon, but they just they want a
(40:04):
presentation because they'relooking at you for this one
character.
And so I had done one auditionbefore where it was just a
presentation for a fiction, sortof like what you did with your
Zoom.
So that's what mine was.
Literally it was just me sayinghi, I'm Simon, simon, you know,
and then kind of explainingabout myself, where I'm at, and
(40:25):
I think one of the questions waslike what have you been up to
this summer?
Or something like that, youknow did you make?
Speaker 2 (40:31):
you know, like I made a very conscious choice to talk
about my dog, you know, and mylove life that was working out.
Did you make a light choice?
Speaker 1 (40:39):
or were you just like , yeah, I've been swimming the
funny thing is, cindy, that Ithink in that regard, we're very
different.
I that's why I think I likeworking with you, because you're
very like you plan stuff out,you know what you're getting
yourself into.
I'm just like, oh, I'm here,I'm just gonna do something now,
whatever comes out, that's it.
So.
No, I was the reason I think Ididn't think too much about it
(41:02):
was because, like, I was in avery good place energetically,
like I was telling you I wasriding high on life, so, and I
kept getting auditions, I wasdoing a lot of auditions was,
you know, I do castability, soit's like a self tape every week
on top of, like, my auditions.
So I was feeling just like,keep them coming, keep them
coming.
I was on this roll, this roll,you know, of auditions, and when
(41:24):
I got that message I was like,oh, here's another fiction one.
You know, I'll just get it outof the bag like, do it.
I'll probably do it liketomorrow.
And it was easy because it wasjust a presentation.
What is there to talk about?
Like, I did make sure that I putmyself in a place where I let
them know what, where I wascoming from and I had been doing
(41:47):
a lot of like shorter films, um, in the summer.
So literally I this year I dida, a few short films.
So I was like that's where I'mcoming from, so I need to let
them know that, because that'swhere I'm going as well, so
maybe they want to be a part ofthat.
So I did I guess subconsciously, I made that choice.
(42:08):
I didn't really think too muchabout that.
I was like, hey, I'm an actor,I've been filming, this is what
I've been doing, and so I reallygot into all the projects that
I did.
That's the majority of thingsthat I talked about.
But showcasing my personality,you know, like no, not just
being like.
Oh, I did this.
I was very like myself, I wasvery animated and it was funny
(42:31):
because it was like dressed inall black and I didn't know it
was a comedy.
I had no idea it was a comedy.
They didn't tell me it was acomedy.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
So I had no idea.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
It was a comedy no idea, no, no idea, literally.
And it was interesting becauseI think had I known it was a
comedy no idea, no, no idea,literally.
And it was interesting becauseI think, had I known it was a
comedy, I probably would haveapproached it differently.
So I'm glad I didn't know, justbecause I was like whatever
comes out is going to be great,and so I went into it with that
mindset and I didn't hear backfor a couple months.
(42:59):
Eh, like I heard nothing.
So I was just like, okay,another one that you know I just
threw out there and who knowswhere that went.
But yeah, eventually, like uh,enzo did contact me.
Like what was interesting aboutit was that it was just the
presentation.
They picked me right off of thepresentation.
I didn't have to read for therole or anything oh, so you
(43:20):
didn't have a callback.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
You didn't have, there wasn't a callback there
was literally no callback.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
that was, and I'm telling you like, for me, as an
actor, what's really importantis to put yourself energetically
in the place that you want tobe in, because you don't
necessarily have to base it onwhether you get the callback.
Or am I doing good, am I doingbad?
No, like you're an actor,you're an actor.
(43:46):
This is part of the work.
Auditioning is part of the work.
So I had no expectations.
I had no expectationswhatsoever.
I just knew that I'm an actorand I am involved in movies and
that's how I went in and that'sthe result you get.
Speaker 2 (44:01):
get that's literally like a manifestation, because I
did not have to read for therole what I'm hearing from you,
like listening to you, it'salmost like there is a mantra,
an energetic mantra, playing inyour head which is I'm bookable
and I book, I'm bookable and Ibook, I'm bookable and I flip
(44:23):
and book.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
And I book yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
Yeah, and it feels like you were.
That was the energetic space.
You were, yeah, living.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
Yeah, a hundred percent.
And the thing is, because I hadbeen on set with these short
films, like for me it's like amindset thing.
What does this feel like?
The life of an actor, like whatis that really?
And me being in front of thecamera and having to work with
the director, having to workwith, like the DOP no, please
(44:53):
stand here, no, hit your markhere All these things is what is
required for you to be on areal set.
So you practicing this, that'sgoing to put you in that mindset
.
So I was in that mindset when Iwas auditioning for this role,
like I know what I'm doing and Ifeel like that's really what
pushed me to have a goodpresentation, cause I mean, I I
(45:17):
assume it was good, cause theypicked me I have no idea, I hope
it was good.
But yeah, I was coming from avery like confident place and
that's something that I've hadto work on a lot, because I tend
to be a very nervous person,especially with auditions.
Like when I first started, ohmy gosh, doing self-tapes and
(45:38):
everything, I was very likestiff, I gotta get it perfect.
And, like you have like thiskind of mindset, like no, I need
to book, I book.
It's not I need.
I do book.
I know what I'm doing.
I am killing this audition.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
It's so funny that obviously we didn't even prepare
which audition we were going totalk about today, but I just
shared shared.
I just shared about one thatfor some reason or another I had
butterflies.
I felt very shaky, I felt veryvulnerable and usually I am very
grounded in auditions.
You know I can really handlestress.
And then you are sharing onewhere you're super grounded,
(46:17):
super confident and usually youknow I'm not that person.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
Literally, we're like back and forth.
This is why we balance eachother out super well, I think
absolutely so.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
Once you, once you booked it, is it in the moment
of booking that you actuallydiscovered all the details of
this project?
Speaker 1 (46:39):
oh yeah, 100%.
It was interesting because Ididn't even know what my
character was.
They were just like dress inall black and present yourself.
So literally I did thepresentation, I sent it in, and
it was interesting because Iwent to our agent to go meet,
because Enzo came in and you hadtold me about him, told me
(47:05):
about him and he basically, forthe people that don't know, enzo
is the one that handles thefiction side of RT, along with
Natalia.
So I wanted to meet him andtalk to him and just let him
know hey, this is where I'm at,like these are the kind of
characters that I think I'd begood in, and I had already sent
that audition in before I methim in person.
But the funny thing is likewhenever I met him, like nowhere
(47:28):
in my mind was I like oh, I'mgoing to talk about this
audition, see what's happeningwith that, nowhere.
And then he was like so somehow, like he put it in there oh
yeah, I haven't gotten like a nofrom you for for this project
that you auditioned for, and Ihad actually auditioned for
another fiction one and Ithought he was referring to the
(47:48):
other one.
I was like, oh yeah, that one.
You know, I spent hours on thatself-tape and like it was not
the one that I I was thinking atall and he just looked at me
like okay, that's strange, youknow.
And now, after booking it, Ifind out, oh, this is the one I
just did a presentation for, andthat was like a couple of
(48:10):
months later.
But he had originally told methey haven't said no to you,
you're not on the list that theysaid no to, and I didn't even
catch on to that.
So it was a complete surpriseto me when I booked this project
, because I wasn't even thinkingabout this project at all.
Like this project just went outof my mind completely.
So I get these news and I'mlike what project is he talking
(48:35):
about?
Like I had no idea whatsoeverand that's like when.
I think it took them about likemaybe a week to send in the
full script.
And once I got the script, Iread the project and I was like,
oh, it's a comedy and I don'tdo a lot of comedy, like I
haven't.
I did a lot when I firststarted out in acting, but that
(48:57):
was like when I was 15.
So, and I was known for comedythen.
But it's, it was different.
You know, I was in high school.
Obviously we're going to thinkdifferently and I was known for
comedy then but it's, it wasdifferent.
You know, I was in high school.
Obviously we're going to thinkdifferently and I've grown up to
become a completely, like,different person.
And so when I get, when I findout that it's coming, I'm like
how did I book a comedy?
I had literally no idea.
And then that came as asurprise Cause.
(49:19):
I was like, should I approachthe role differently?
And I just had a bunch ofquestions.
Surprised because I was like,should I approach the role
differently?
And I just had a bunch ofquestions.
I was actually really nervousafter I booked it because I was
like what if I'm not good atcomedy?
You know, like what if I?
Just it was the unknown, youknow, it's like what you were
talking about, going in andstepping outside of your comfort
zone.
So for me to have booked that,it was such a blessing it was
(49:42):
such a blessing in disguisebecause it wasn't the original
thing that I think that I hadthought I booked, but it opened
doors for me.
It opened up like because I,when I was on set, you know, I
was seeing comedy in action andthe actors that were on set were
just incredible and like theywere so quick, like they
literally would do some improvat times, that I got to witness
(50:05):
that because I was there.
And now that has just opened upmy world, like I feel a lot
looser with my acting, like thatliterally has just made it okay
for me to handle any type ofrole.
So it was definitely.
I think the universe was likehey, take this, learn from it
(50:25):
and then start applying it alittle bit, so we'll see.
We'll see where that takes me.
But yeah, initially I had noidea what the project was even
about and it was a big surprise.
It was a big surprise but thebest surprise of the year I
would definitely say that hasbeen like my biggest thing this
year was this was booking this,booking this.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
So, yeah, it was something to celebrate for me
and that's why I had to tell youfirst and so, just to wrap up
this interview, are you allowedat this moment in time to
actually uh, give the title ofthe movie, like when people
listen to the oh yeah 100.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
they actually they're on instagram as well.
It it's called Spicy Will and Ithink their handle is at
spicywillmovie, but I'm sure ifyou search and who's the
director.
Chris Houle.
So he's actually he was aproducer and now he's more on
the directing scene.
(51:19):
He directed another moviebefore, but he was so cool.
He was just amazing to workwith really chill guy and he was
letting the actors have fun,which that's something that I
hadn't experienced.
In that sense, like, yes, beingon set for me is always fun,
but there is work behind it aswell, and this one just felt it
(51:43):
was very like family.
It felt like family to me.
Everyone was so kind.
The general vibes of the setwas incredible.
All the actors on set were justso welcoming.
I don't know, it's just he madethe ambience of the whole thing
very comforting and when Iapproached him initially, like I
(52:06):
was very scared because whenyou first get on set, you don't
know who you're working with orlike you don't know how that
relationship is going to develop.
You're kind of you have likeall these questions because you
are stepping into the unknownand that can be very exciting
but very like nerve-wracking aswell.
And from the moment like heapproached me, he was so kind.
(52:27):
I'm so happy.
You have no idea, and I can'twait to see it because the
actors in there are so funny.
Like my character.
He's not like the funniest oneon there.
Obviously there's a comedicthing to him.
But the main actors on there Iliterally was on set cracking up
the whole time.
I could not stop laughing and Iwas like sometimes I'd be like,
no, keep it together.
(52:48):
You do not want to laugh afterthey say action.
And that was part of mystruggle because they were so
freaking funny.
But it was good that I got towitness that, because now I will
look at comedy differently andI learned from those actors.
I learned on the job which Ithink is the best part of doing
this, you know, is being able toget on a set and actually learn
from that experience when thatmovie comes out.
Speaker 2 (53:11):
We will definitely do an episode about you know all
your learning, you know.
Once the movie comes out.
I think that then people canhave a reference, um and watch
it before listening to theepisode.
And this episode is coming toan end, but we must do a part
two of our most fun andmemorable casting and audition
moments because I think it waslike freaking awesome and a part
(53:31):
two must come yes, I'm soexcited.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
We're definitely like we need to share more, because
I also had a zoom audition,which was a completely different
experience, and I would love tobe able to share that with you
so everybody, make sure that youtune in for part two bye, see
you.
Thank you, cindy.
I like it.
Let's see what we come up with.
Okay, okay, I'm ready.
Oh, my god, this is so funny.
Okay, are we ready?
Are we doing this?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
We are doing this.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Okay, no, I have to take myself seriously.
I'm like a serious actor, okay.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
I'll be quiet.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to the Loud Whisperer's Takeover podcast.
I'm the main host of thispodcast and an action actress,
also a filmmaker, Cindy Klaas.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
And I am Simon Maestre.
I am currently an internationalactor residing in Barcelona.
I've been super good friendswith Cindy since we took an
acting class together, so she'slike my soul sister and, yeah,
we just have lots of funtogether.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
And I'm super excited to be talking to my soul
brother today because we will betalking about some fun and
memorable castings we had.
So let's dive in.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So I know you just recently had an audition and I
would love to hear about thatexperience.
I just want to know what wasthe first initial part of the
process.
Like OK, so you get thiscasting, what how do you prepare
for it, what do you do?
And then you get the call back,so go go through that okay.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
so first of all I was auditioning for a comedy and
the very first thing that myagent, rt, asked me to submit
was just a presentation.
There was not even a script,there was not even a comedy
exercise to submit, it was justa presentation.
There was not even a script,there was not even a comedy
exercise to submit, it was justa presentation of myself.
Because it was a comedy, I madethe specific.
(01:33):
My intention was just to makeit very light.
So usually my presentations arekind of standards or kind of
serious, or you know, verystraight to the point.
But I thought, ok, because I'monly submitting just a
presentation of myself, I'mgoing to keep it very light.
And I went in full ADHD.
(01:53):
I was sort of, you know, goingfrom one topic to the other and
I was just like free, freestyleit, freestyle around it.
And that particular sales page,which was just a presentation
of myself with a very light tonethat was my decision got me a
callback and the callback was onzoom okay, okay.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
So you had to do a presentation like was there a
specific thing that you had topresent?
Because I know you talked about, like freestyling.
I'm kind of interested in that,because what were you
freestyling there?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
well, literally, I had, I had literally zero
information about the project.
The only thing I knew was thatit was a comedy, and so I
thought, and I think I had totalk about my hobbies or
something like that, okay, yeahand so I was just talking about
myself.
But I think my hobbies I'm soattached to it like my hobbies
(02:50):
are- like so important to me,I'm so obsessed with them.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
I guess yeah, you know, like so many, you have so
many and I have so many, oh god,it's horrendous, like once I
dive into something, I just diveinto it.
Like you know, I, when I, when Istarted, craft my god, I just
craft my god for 17 hours, yeahokay, sorry, I have to cut you
off here because people have toknow you're very extreme in
(03:17):
whatever you do, like you'reeither zero or a hundred, like
there is no in between.
You're like I'm doing this likecraft, my god.
Like you said, oh, I'm starting.
You like Krav Maga.
Like you said, oh, I'm starting.
You know, I would think, oh,she's gonna take some basic
lessons here and there.
No, you did 17 weeks.
I just I admire you so much forthat 17 hours per week, per
(03:38):
week okay, crazy.
I that's even worse.
I think 17 hours that's like apart-time job, cindy.
So yeah, I know, I know, I justwanted to let people know how
extreme you are and yeah, it'sjust amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So and I literally do that with every single thing
that I get passionate about, andthat includes fitness,
weightlifting, a new martialarts that I'm starting, you know
, any sort of dance form that Istart studying?
I just dive into it like aludicrous, really.
So I thought, okay, I need todo this presentation for this
comedy.
(04:15):
Let me just talk about my dogand my love life that isn't
working out.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Oh my gosh, are you freaking serious?
No, that's what I was notexpecting.
That response literally.
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Well, I thought this is this.
Is you know something, life,that I can talk about?
You know, yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
I would have never thought about that, and that's
actually kind of being reallyvulnerable as well, so I'm sure
that really worked in your favor.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, and also my dog you know like, because
obviously my dog he's like a new, my new yes, pizer in crime,
you know, in my life, and solooking for toys for him and
(05:10):
getting him entertained, and youknow all of that.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
It's, uh, it's, it's.
It's another kind of thing Ican talk about, you know, in a
very light space.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
New passion, yes, and it got me my call back that is.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
That's great.
So, yeah, I think that'samazing because it's it's also
probably really different fromwhat everybody else talked about
.
You know what I mean, so I'msure that that's why.
Okay, so you get the call back,do they text you?
Do they call you what?
So?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
my agent, yeah, my agent go back to me.
Obviously I cannot give us toomany details because at the
moment, you know, the project isstill, you know I cannot share
more.
that's why, literally ithappened a few days ago, this
callback.
So I got a callback and Ireceived a script, a script with
several scenes, but they alsogave me extra scenes that I'm
(05:56):
not in so that I could sort ofhave a bigger picture of what's
happening around me and theplace I work and stuff, and so
for the callback it was on Zoomwith the casting director and
the director of the movie.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Had you done Zoom callbacks before, or was this
like your first one?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I had done a Zoom callback for a commercial during
the pandemic and I rememberthat, but obviously it was for a
commercial, so it was a verydifferent sort of vibe and I
remember.
No, I've done several zoomcallbacks actually, but always
for commercials it's a fictionone before.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
This was like your first fiction zoom yes first
fiction zoom casting before forcommercials.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's it's super nerve-wracking because basically
you log in or you, you enterthe zoom call and there are 20
people in that but nobody hastheir camera on.
They just like from productionand from I don't know from.
You know various departments,yeah, but everybody is looking
(07:01):
at you but nobody has theircamera on.
Oh my, god, my.
God, and there's only theassistant that's saying, yeah,
okay, so welcome, and now we'regoing to take this, take or
whatever, and then maybe thecasting director or the person
you know that is in charge mightgive you a note or two to do it
again.
But it's super weird becauseyou feel observed.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah.
I mean if you have 20 peoplethere that are watching you, of
course you're going to feelobserved to you know?
Yeah, I mean, if you have 20people there that are watching
you, of course you're gonna feelobserved.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
That's crazy and you just have little screens in
front of you.
You know, yeah, you don't evenknow who's looking at you.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Oh I yeah, that sounds nerve-wracking, honestly
here for this zoom call.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
It was a very different sort of environment
because it was a castingdirector and the director of the
movie and you can see theirfaces right like they were black
.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay, yeah, and there was a real.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
There was a real human interaction, there was a
real conversation, there was agenuine sort of willingness to
have a creative process, to talkabout the scenes, to give me
directions, and so in thatperspective it was like a, an
amazing experience, you know itsounds very nourishing both on a
human and on a creative level,I think, where the why I had
(08:18):
butterfly is I hadn't done a,you know, a zoom casting for a
while, and also I had this imagein mind where all these people
are connected but nobody sort oflooks at you.
Also, this particular castingwas in Spanish, so my script was
in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Oh my gosh, that's right, you had to do Spanish,
which you do, speak Spanish, butlet's say, out of all the
languages, that's probably likewhere are you at with that one?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Yes, so I make a lot of grammatical mistakes.
Spanish is my fourth languageand I'm still learning.
You know like I mean.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I can have conversations.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
People can understand me, but I make really like I
make big mistakes.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah, it's funny because, like I remember going
to dinner, like when we tookthat class and we were like they
were speaking Spanish and Iremember you being quiet, which
is not like you normally becauseyou're, very like you know,
always talking.
But I do remember, like withSpanish it seems like you you
can do it, but it's like, it'slike you know to to initiate
(09:25):
that.
There's like a trust thingalmost there.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
You know what I mean but it's and also like in a
group setting yeah, you have topay attention to so many miles
that are moving you know it'squicker.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you have tolip read on.
Like different faces anddifferent accents too, because,
like we were with internationalpeople, so not everyone spoke
the same type of spanish so here, not only was the script in
(09:51):
spanish, but that's fine,because there is a script and,
yeah, I can learn it in advancehow many scenes did you have to
do?
there were only two scenes.
I have two scenes okay, so theysent me more they sent me more
to give me a to give me an idea.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Yeah, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
But then the conversation prior and after you
know about the movie, thecharacter, about me and what I
do, and all of that kind ofstuff was also in Spanish and I
think that's what gave mebutterflies you know, wait, wait
, wait.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Okay, so you had a conversation with the director
and the casting director duringthe Zoom audition before you did
it about the character, orwhere did this conversation
happen?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
They just asked me questions about what I did,
because they checked out my.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Instagram, yeah, they checked out my Instagram.
Okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
That's when we know they do check Instagram accounts
.
We know that's when we knowthey do check instagram accounts
.
So they do about.
Yeah, even though I have I wasI'm auditioning for um, a comedy
role that has absolutely, youknow, there are there are no
fighting scenes there.
There's no stunts work involved.
They knew that I was doing thiskind of physical work, so they
were asking me questions aboutit.
(11:02):
They knew I had a podcast.
They had checked out thepodcast, so they were just
asking me things about me as anartist, really in.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Spanish yeah oh my gosh, that would be so
nerve-wracking, that would be socrazy but okay, as well though,
yeah, yeah.
I mean, you sound confidentabout it, so I so I'm sure it
went really well.
So, okay, they have thisconversation with you and then
(11:29):
you get into the two scenes Likehow did that work?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, so we did that.
The casting director wasreading for me and I did the
scene a couple of times and thenthey were giving me notes to
have a different take on it, youknow and try different things.
Well, that's one of mystrengths as an actress having
done the Jacques Lecoq?
yeah, having done the JacquesLecoq training in Paris.
(11:54):
Like and also having been adancer my whole life like,
taking notes and being able toapply them straight away is one
of my forte.
So if all of a sudden you knowI have something in my head and
you tell me that it's somethingelse, I am able to very quickly
switch.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, you take direction very well and I can
attest to that because I've seenit in action.
The same workshop that I'mtalking about, that, like where
we were with a group of peopletalking in Spanish, I saw you
like do it for the castingdirector I think it was your
monologue, I don't remember butthen he was like oh yeah, do
this and this and this.
And you just like switched itup so quickly.
(12:33):
I was so impressed by that.
And then he even said you takedirection really well.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
That was when we did the workshop with Luis Canete.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
No, yeah, luis Canete .
Yeah, exactly, Exactly, that'sthe one.
Yeah, yeah, yeah and yeah no.
But he gave you notes and itwas crazy because he gave you
like a bunch of notes, like hewas like do this and this and
this, and you just took that allin and like I'm amazed by your
ability to process that soquickly, because for me, like I
have a hard time processing itso quickly, you know.
(13:03):
So when someone gives me a note, I'm like okay, but I have to
really think about it to getthere, you know, and you just
seem to like like that, you know.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
I think I would say because if people you know
struggle with taking notes orstruggle like change, changing
choices, and things that got methere.
I think I did a lot of improv.
You know like, yeah, in mytraining as an actress I filmed
a huge amount of improv and hisimprov even if it's comedy
improv, you know, it has nothingto do with drama or whatever.
(13:34):
It's a very different genrethat we do in movies.
It just helps you to reallythink on your feet, yeah, to
really be very, you know, gowith your guts and your instinct
and just to change all the time.
That's number one.
Number two, I think having donea lot of physical work as a
dancer, as a physical theaterartist, even if in my head I
(13:57):
can't find the difference in myhead or you know, like,
obviously you analyze the scriptand you show things like that
and then all of a sudden,changing your thought process
takes time, but changing yourphysicality can take a second.
So let's say that I'm sitting,you know, a little bit like
leaning back in my chair,because you know I'm sitting for
(14:19):
this audition.
I can sit up a little straight.
I can just like turn myshoulder a little bit around.
You know, a bit more nonchalant, I can, you know, take a pen in
my hand, because the pen, youknow, I just like work with the
pen in a very mean way, or I cantake the pen and, you know, use
it in a very sexy way.
(14:40):
Or if I'm standing on my feetmaybe the first time I did it I
can feel that my weight was abit more my toes.
So maybe I'm a bit of acharacter that is more you know
attacking or going somewhere, oryou know being in action.
Maybe if I put my weight on oneleg I'm a bit more, you know,
in between two thoughts as acharacter.
(15:02):
And so when I change myphysicality, even if I don't
have the thought process, Ichange something in my
physicality and that willimmediately change something in
my acting as well.
You know, yeah, yeah, yeah, ahundred percent, a hundred
percent.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
It's interesting that you're talking about this
because I actually saw aninterview with Tom Holland he
was talking about I can'tremember what actor he was
talking about, but he said thathe used to hate crying scenes
and this actor told him thatwhat he would do to get into a
crying scene was change the wayhis throat was or something like
that.
I can't remember exactly whathe said, but it was so
(15:38):
interesting because it's likeyour body's natural response to
like the way you're, you'reusing it, and so I think that's
amazing because it's like musclememory.
You know, you change your, yourpose or you change something
about the body and youimmediately just go to a whole
nother direction.
So yeah, and I definitely, Idefinitely see that you're very
(15:59):
good with physicality.
It seems like obviously that'san area of expertise for you, so
it's really cool that you'reable to switch so quickly with
just your body.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
But try it also for yourself.
Even if you are in everydaylife.
If you go and order a sandwich,just shift your waist balance
and see if the way you orderyour sandwich becomes a very
different.
Way of ordering a sandwich,just because you change your
physicality, you know.
And then the next day, yeah, thenext day it tries to change
(16:32):
something else you know in yourphysicality yeah, the way, you
order the same flipping sandwichchanges and you will see, you
know that you might be able tothen add it to your acting as
well yeah, yeah, that's likegood like tips for, like you
know, just incorporating youracting in your everyday.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Like order a sandwich in a sexy way see how that
feels, you know, order it in ahappy way see how that feels.
So, yeah, I'll definitely order, probably not my sandwich, but
probably a coffee because Iorder coffee every day.
So, yeah, I'll definitely order, probably not my sandwich, but
probably a coffee because Iorder coffee every day.
So maybe I'll try it.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But you see the way you worded it is.
Order is in a sexy way, so thatmeans that you're gonna think
sexy before you go to thephysicality.
What I'm saying is put yourbody in a position and see what
comes out.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Okay, so your body is like the thing that is
controlling the situation, notyou thinking that you're
standing in a sexy way.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Yeah, so literally put your body in a position, see
what comes out of that positionyour voice, your, your
confidence, your.
You know your relationship tothe world might be different.
That if you put yourself inanother position with a shoulder
forward, really stands more onthe right with you, stands more
on the left with you, standsmore on the back.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
So yeah, okay, good tip, good tip to know.
Okay, so you are able to makequick changes for them.
Did they have you do the scene?
How many times can you kind ofwalk us through, like some sort
of notes, that they gave you andhow you accumulated and put
that into the performance thenext time?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
So I think I would.
I did each scene about fourtimes and they gave me, like,
literally once I had to do it ina very different way once they
picked up on something that theyfound funny and they wanted me
to do it again, but maybe do itlonger or, you know, add
something to that funny moment.
Then there were also momentswhere I had read the scene in my
(18:37):
head.
I had visualized the scenedifferently than what they might
have visualized it.
So then they said, yeah, okay,actually visualize this, or
imagine this, or your reportwith this person that you're
talking to is actually they gaveme even more context.
You know, that is a momentwhere, even though, when you
(18:57):
receive those notes, I could seethat they were so genuine and
so supportive and so loving andso, oh my God, we want to work
with you creatively, butobviously you cannot listen to
that little voice, because thatlittle voice was sort of, you
know, in my head saying Cindy,you didn't see that?
Didn't you read that in betweenthe lines?
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Oh my gosh, I know, exactly what you mean.
Like it's that little voice,that's like it's in the back of
your head and even though, likeyou're in this moment where it's
like great, there's still likea part of you that is like, oh,
you messed up, like you have todo it better.
You're like hard on yourself.
That happens to me, like evenin classes, like whenever I'm
performing in front of people,I'm just like, oh, they didn't
(19:43):
like that, they didn't like thatbecause they didn't laugh, or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
You know what I mean yeah, and also because obviously
we are on.
So there are two things.
Number one if the informationthey gave me, I was like oh my
god, I should have seen that andread it in between the lines in
the scenes they gave you togive you context.
But you know, when a project isnew, you are missing out on
stuff.
You know.
It's just what it is, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
And I also think it takes time.
It takes time to like, get allof that information and process
it into your character.
So you didn't.
How long did you have toprepare for this?
I did have a couple of days,which is a luxury in our world
yeah, it's a, it's a big luxury,because you have to be fast,
it's like you said, and thenalso like you're learning these
(20:29):
scenes, so you have to memorize,you have to do all this work,
yeah, and most people don't seethis work.
So, yeah, yeah, that's that'sprobably why you didn't like get
every single little detail inthere, because it's it's almost
like literally impossible.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
And then I would say another thing as well, because
just before the Zoom castingcall she obviously has been
rehearsing my scenes and blah,blah, blah.
And you know I've trieddifferent things, but you know
I'm sort of walking around, youknow, in my living room and my
kitchen and in my car when I'mdriving.
Maybe shouldn't do that, but Idid it and then I put.
(21:03):
Then that was because I had toput the computer, you know, at
eye level.
You know they asked for thecomputer to be at eye level and
you know I set up my lightingand then I started doing the
scene, but I needed to look inthe camera and all of us, and
also you know this, thischaracter had to move and follow
a character and then speak tothe character, then move again,
(21:24):
and all of a sudden I startedrehearsing with the computer and
I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm notlooking in the camera.
You know they want me to lookin the camera and so I mean it's
that extreme precision.
You know that I had to, oh 100%.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Because it's part of the storytelling, like how that
character is moving, and how areyou going to incorporate that
in such a tight space?
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I had to kind of look at my camera and I started, you
know like to move.
You know this upper body, youknow like I'm making sure that I
stayed in frame and making surethat I looked, you know the
camera.
So it was.
It was like details, yeah,detailed work, you know, and
lucky that I did that.
And I think I should do thatagain for other zoom casting
(22:10):
calls or callbacks for fiction,because commercials they always
ask you to do other stuff.
You know, as I hear, was sospecific in.
So when we had the zoom call, Iasked them again do you want me
to really look at the camerawhen I'm delivering the lines or
do you want me to look a littlebit on the side and that sort
of thing?
They wanted me to really lookin the camera.
But because then when you lookin the camera you don't see
(22:32):
yourself on screen anymore.
So you kind of have to trustthat you're doing this right
that you're not.
You know what I mean Like offscreen.
So that you were doing is rightthat you're not.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
You know what I mean like off screen so it's
additional rehearsal that shouldbe planned in.
Yeah, I mean, well, honestly,like when you're on set too,
like this kind of this kind ofgoes along with like our job,
you know, like we have to beable to like direct our
movements and be aware of wherethe camera is and like have,
cause I just I, I just got donebeing on set, you know, and it's
(23:05):
such a big part of like what Iwas doing was, no, you have to
walk here, then look to theright and then walk here in this
certain way, no, a little left,a little more, and you have
these marks that you have to hit.
So it's interesting that you'retalking about this now, because
in zoom auditions you kind ofwere doing that, but for
yourself, you know, so that youcould present like this audition
(23:27):
in a certain way, and you alsohave to tell the story by doing
this.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
so I think that's that's like a really good thing
to do for any audition the onlything is that on set it is
easier because, obviously aswell, I'm a dancer, so you know
giving me a mark and telling meI've got one step to go there
and then turn around, and all ofthat works because you have a
distance between the camera andyourself.
You know, so you can look atthe camera.
(23:54):
There is a distance here.
The camera of your, your screen, when you're in a Zoom call, is
so close that your space thatyou can play with, your playing
space, is extremely reduced.
You know, and that's thedifficulty with, well,
self-taping and auditioningonline.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it's like, it's weird to mewhenever they put like
something like oh, you'rewalking along the sidewalk and
you're like no, I'm standing infront of my camera, like how do
you want me to present that Icannot walk?
And then I like sometimes Ijust make stuff up because I'm
like I don't know, guys, I'mjust going to like sometimes
I'll shuffle, and that doesn'tseem to go over very well, so
(24:36):
I've stopped shuffling.
And yeah, it's just interestingthat, you know, because of
self-tapes, you do have thatlimited space and you're almost
having to choreograph it so thatyou move, but in a very minimal
way, I would say.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Have you ever seen the influencers that are, you
know, changing outfits and aresort of fashionistas?
Is it kind of walking on asmall treadmill.
Maybe we need that, you know.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Hey, that's a really good idea, actually.
Okay, let me get on thefreaking treadmill, since you
guys want me walking for this.
I'm sure it'd be a lotdifferent than many self-tapes,
okay, so let's go back to um,the audition.
Okay, so you basically do thesetakes, they give you notes, you
incorporate these notes intothere and then how does it?
(25:25):
How does it end?
Like, how do you feel?
What did they say to you?
Speaker 2 (25:31):
so it was a.
What I really appreciated wasthere was a real creative
process and, like I feel, in theworld of film sometimes it is,
um, also a luxury.
It's not in every, you know, inevery movie that we have an
opportunity for creative process.
So it was a very human andartistically interesting
interaction.
Then we talked a little bitabout the character and then, of
(25:54):
course, they asked do you haveany questions for us?
And that's another one weshould always be prepared for.
And I wasn't, but I came upokay.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I came up with a question, you were not prepared
for that question.
This is a surprise to me,because you're always like you
have a list of things that youwant to ask.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
I know.
And then here I was, just Ithink I had so many butterflies
because it was in Spanish, um,but yeah, I did ask some
creative questions, you know,around the script and the
character and the settings andall of that kind of things, um,
more as a broader perspective,you know.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
So, but it was, it was a very positive experience,
but I kept having thosebutterflies in my belly like for
hours after fasting really yeah, and even the next morning,
when I woke up, I still feltbutterflies it must have been
like a very, like you said, verypositive experience, because I
(26:49):
also feel like butterflies islike a good thing, as opposed to
this like nervousness, where,like it gets in your way, like
butterflies lift you, they likemake you go and I think another
thing as well that I sort of gotpresent to was I've been,
basically I've been casting somuch for darker roles, you know
(27:11):
um, which I, which I absolutelylove, um, but and you know these
action movie roles and ahundred yeah got kind of thing
you know or what you're reallygood at, I would say.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I would say that's definitely like your niche, but
you have range, which is good aswell yes, and I think one of
the reasons why I hadbutterflies is I've been so
focused on my action, actingroles.
I've been so focused on training, training, training on my
(27:45):
martial arts skills, you know,and and my fighting skills and
all the rest of it.
I think I had even lostperspective of what the other
challenges are.
That would make me feel excitedand actually having a role in a
comedy, would you know likeit's a total comedy, it's not
(28:06):
just my role, that is thecomedic release kind of thing,
it's like a full-on comedysounds like a challenge that
would just make make me freakinglove life and my craft and my
art form and and the team I'mworking with and all the rest of
it.
So, yeah, I think it kind ofreminded me, you know, what the
universal open door is not justabout what you want, but maybe
(28:31):
there's so much more than whatyou imagine and what you want
that can be freaking exciting ohmy god and yeah, never lose
perspective, you know a hundredpercent.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I agree with that.
It's really cool becausesometimes, like we think we know
what we want and we're just sofocused on that that we don't
allow ourselves to open up, solike what the universe is giving
us, which essentially,sometimes could even be better
than what we think we want.
And you opening up yourself tocomedy, I think is great,
because there's a lot there aswell that sometimes, like for me
(29:04):
personally, I don't like, I'mlike no, I like this, this is
the type of character I want toplay.
And then, like you open thestore and you're like wow, and
it's exciting because youhaven't been there and it's
stepping outside of your comfortzone.
So you're also growing and Ithink that's really important as
actors.
I love that's really importantas actors.
I love that.
I love that, like you, had apositive experience with this
(29:25):
thing and I also.
I think it's great that it wascomedy, because I remember the
first time I saw you it was inFrank's class and it was a
comedy in that class that wasyour first scene, cindy.
I know you as a comedy actresslike that's what you established
in my heart.
Later I found out that you likethese darker roles, but I
(29:46):
remember that class was likelaughing so hard.
There.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Everyone's rolling on the floor it's so funny that
the first time we met youactually saw me in two comedy
scenes in class and you werehilarious yeah, and you were
freaking hilarious, so I thinkit's a good avenue for you as
well.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Like I think you could take a lot and do a lot
with that.
I know, obviously, like we haveour our thing where it's oh, I,
I do like action and I thinkyou do really well in those
roles, but it's we're actors, wehave range as well.
So, yeah, it's good that yougot this yes, I will keep you
updated, please do please.
(30:23):
I'm really excited for you,regardless, that you did this
audition, because it sounds likeit was a good experience
overall well, well, you knowthat you were always the first
one that will know.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
You know, you're always the first one that I pick
.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
I know I, but it's so funny because I feel like we
both share stuff with each other, because we live vicariously
through each other.
You're like, oh, I just hadthis audition.
I got a call back and I was likeI was there with you, you know,
yeah it's like when you were onset, like last month, and uh I
was just like cheering, you know, living your experience with
(30:55):
you, because you were excited towork on set with a dream team
yeah, and it's funny because Ialways will send you like
messages, like you're the firstone to know, literally because I
feel like you know, sometimes,like I tell people and I don't
know if maybe it's because someof them are non-actors so they
don't really get like what thatmeans, but like when we get a
(31:17):
call back, that's such a coolthing, like why wouldn't you
like rejoice with that person?
So I'm glad that I have you onmy team.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
And also I want to.
I want to say that it's soimportant because that's what I
love about our friendship.
But also a lot of people oftentell me hey, I see my friends,
you know, like I see who's therewhen I'm going through a rough
patch right, and for me I alwayssaid no, I see my friends when
(31:47):
I'm really experiencing thehighest of my joys and I see you
when you're there to share thatwith me, because not everybody
is able or can or want to reallycelebrate your joys and your
successes.
Because when you're in a low, Ialways think you know what some
people are not equipped tosupport you in that low.
(32:09):
Maybe they've never experiencedit, maybe they don't understand
the pain you're going through,maybe they don't have the right
words, maybe they go through arough patch themselves and you
don't know it.
So sometimes, of course,sometimes you know people are
willingly or you know, notwilling to be there and they
don't care.
That happens, I'm not sayingthat, but generally speaking,
(32:31):
gives people the benefit of thedoubt, you know, in your times
of love.
But when it's a time of joy,when it's a time of come and
celebrate my joy, my life, mysuccess, my hard work and your
friend that you consider yourfriend isn't there or can't be
happy when you're happy.
I think maybe there issomething to analyze, and what I
(32:54):
love between us is that we justcelebrate each other's joy.
That is also what makes ourfriendship so very special and I
.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
It's so funny because , like we both joke that we have
add, so I think that's part ofour add.
Like what you're happy, I'mhappy, like it's great.
Though, because I feel like,like you said, sometimes, like
you have certain people in yourlife that like, if you share
something good that's happeningto you, it's like almost I don't
(33:26):
know sometimes, maybe like theyget jealous, maybe or like I
don't know, I don't know what itis, but they're not there with
you and like you can feel thatenergetically.
I can feel that whenever I tellsomeone some good news and
they're just like they'rehearing it but they're not
celebrating it yeah, and thatbreaks the bond, I think yeah
(33:47):
you know, yeah or doesn't, atleast doesn't solidify it?
Speaker 2 (33:51):
should we tell that little story that happened at
the air force when I called youcrying and you told me you were
so happy?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
oh my gosh, that is, that is our bond.
Right there, that is literallyour bond.
Okay, yeah, I forget details,but it was hilarious so,
basically, something uhheartbreaking was happening to
me.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
My mom was very, very sick and, um, I was also, um,
like it was.
It was really horrible.
My mom had an illness wherethere was no cure and I became
her full-time caretaker and Ihad to basically move countries
and then and I had to stopworking and so I'm at the
(34:36):
airport because I have to go andpick my stuff up in another
country, leave all the thingsthat I had built as an artist.
And so I'm calling you, simon,and I'm crying on the phone and
I'm like I don't know how tohandle the conversations with
our agents.
I feel like I'm a loser.
I feel like people are going tonot take me seriously.
I'm dropping out of everyproject, but obviously I have to
(34:59):
go and take care of my mom andthere are all these emergencies,
and I feel overwhelmed.
And go and take care of my mom,and there are all these
emergencies, and I feeloverwhelmed, and so I'm sending
you voice notes and I'm cryingand you're supporting me and
you're like, no, it's gonna beall right and you're not a loser
and you're handling it well.
And and all of a sudden, why?
So I'm at the airport alone,and you know when you're alone.
But the airport is full and youstart crying and you're like no
(35:20):
, not here not here and not hereand I'm just like I'm in full
breakdown.
Okay, I'm in full breakdown,leaving you voiceless.
Everybody in the airport looksat me, but I'm like I don't care
about this voice, I'm justhaving a breakdown.
In that moment, while you arebasically like cheering me up,
something happened and youannounced me that you sell the
(35:42):
next bit what I?
Speaker 1 (35:44):
I forget honestly I.
What did I say?
I?
Don't remember, I don'tremember I know it was like I I
booked right, was that when Ibought?
Yeah, so basically I'm cryingat the airport.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
We do a couple of back and forth messages, like
it's a very dramatic moment.
I'm in social breakdown, you asa friend are trying to cheer me
up and all of a sudden you'relike Cindy, oh my god, cindy, I
just got booked, like our agentjust our teacher just got.
No, they just fixed me.
I booked, I booked, I'm on afiction, I'm, I'm.
Oh my god, it's next, it's intwo months time, and all of a
(36:18):
sudden, oh my god it was.
You were so happy because it wasa really cool role.
You had a lot of dates whereyou were going to be on set, and
so I'm crying and I'm enjoyingit.
I'm like, oh my god, simon, I'mso happy for you, I'm so
freaking happy and I'm full ofjoy and I was crying at the same
time.
(36:39):
And you're full of joy andyou're trying to force me at the
same time and it was just likesuch an awesome dramatic comic.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
This video was comedy relief it was just like written
for a movie and I feel likethat really represented our
friendship totally 100, becauseI remember, like it was so funny
because, yes, you were havinglike a breakdown moment, but I
think, rightfully so Like Iwould have literally just I
probably would have just stayedon the floor, not gotten out of
(37:09):
bed or something, becauseliterally you had a lot on your
plate.
And so, like you're sending meall these messages and, needless
to say, like I was feelingreally good that day and you
were sending me these messages,so I was like I'm going to pour
some energy into Cindy, like allthis positive energy that I
have, and I was.
I kept being like, no, it'sgoing to be okay.
(37:30):
Like you're strong, cause youliterally are like one of the
strongest people that I know.
So I knew you were going to getthrough this.
But it was just so funny Cause,immediately as you were sending
me messages like RT was sendingme messages as well and they
were like telling me you justbooked and everything.
And I was like holy shit, like Ihad so much joy inside of my
(37:50):
heart, you know, at that moment,and I was like should I tell
her?
Should I not tell her?
There was like no, containingthat.
So I had to spread that to youin the best way that I could and
I just I was like, okay, cindy,this is what's happening.
Because, like also, I feel likewhen you're in these times, you
know where you're going throughthings.
You also want to like hearsomething good and take from
(38:14):
that, because I think there'senergy in that.
And then you taking that goodenergy, like yeah, you were
breaking down, but like you'reon a roller coaster of emotions,
you're riding that happy waywith me, but like you still had
your thing.
So, yeah, it was perfect timing.
I would say Like somethingcompletely orchestrated by the
universe, because the timing wasjust like that.
You were there, rt was thereand I had booked and I was so
(38:38):
excited about that.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
I really, really wish everybody, every artist, a soul
brother like Lyman in theirlife.
Oh, you're so sweet.
Okay, so shall we now talkabout one of your memorable
casting audition moments?
Maybe we can talk about therecent job that you booked and
(39:00):
that you know.
Obviously you shared with mewhen I was at the airport in
Full Breakdown.
You have now been working onset for this particular project,
but we're going to talk aboutthe casting process, okay yes,
yes, yes, yes so the firstmessage that you received from
our agent, what was it?
Speaker 1 (39:20):
when I booked, or like when I got the audition
audition the first phase of theaudition.
Okay.
So I actually I got an emailfrom Enzo.
This was during the summer, soit was literally I think I
auditioned for this in July, andyou know I love summer, so I
was on a high.
I was on a big high, like juston life, not on anything but
(39:43):
life, just because, like, um,you know, summertime happiness.
And so I kept getting likeauditions for commercials and
stuff like that, and I hadgotten one for fiction prior in
June.
But then Enzo sends me amessage and he's like hey, so
there's this movie that's goingon, but they just they want a
(40:04):
presentation because they'relooking at you for this one
character.
And so I had done one auditionbefore where it was just a
presentation for a fiction, sortof like what you did with your
Zoom.
So that's what mine was.
Literally it was just me sayinghi, I'm Simon, simon, you know,
and then kind of explainingabout myself, where I'm at, and
(40:25):
I think one of the questions waslike what have you been up to
this summer?
Or something like that, youknow did you make?
Speaker 2 (40:31):
you know, like I made a very conscious choice to talk
about my dog, you know, and mylove life that was working out.
Did you make a light choice?
Speaker 1 (40:39):
or were you just like , yeah, I've been swimming the
funny thing is, cindy, that Ithink in that regard, we're very
different.
I that's why I think I likeworking with you, because you're
very like you plan stuff out,you know what you're getting
yourself into.
I'm just like, oh, I'm here,I'm just gonna do something now,
whatever comes out, that's it.
So.
No, I was the reason I think Ididn't think too much about it
(41:02):
was because, like, I was in avery good place energetically,
like I was telling you I wasriding high on life, so, and I
kept getting auditions, I wasdoing a lot of auditions was,
you know, I do castability, soit's like a self tape every week
on top of, like, my auditions.
So I was feeling just like,keep them coming, keep them
coming.
I was on this roll, this roll,you know, of auditions, and when
(41:24):
I got that message I was like,oh, here's another fiction one.
You know, I'll just get it outof the bag like, do it.
I'll probably do it liketomorrow.
And it was easy because it wasjust a presentation.
What is there to talk about?
Like, I did make sure that I putmyself in a place where I let
them know what, where I wascoming from and I had been doing
(41:47):
a lot of like shorter films, um, in the summer.
So literally I this year I dida, a few short films.
So I was like that's where I'mcoming from, so I need to let
them know that, because that'swhere I'm going as well, so
maybe they want to be a part ofthat.
So I did I guess subconsciously, I made that choice.
(42:08):
I didn't really think too muchabout that.
I was like, hey, I'm an actor,I've been filming, this is what
I've been doing, and so I reallygot into all the projects that
I did.
That's the majority of thingsthat I talked about.
But showcasing my personality,you know, like no, not just
being like.
Oh, I did this.
I was very like myself, I wasvery animated and it was funny
(42:31):
because it was like dressed inall black and I didn't know it
was a comedy.
I had no idea it was a comedy.
They didn't tell me it was acomedy.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
So I had no idea.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
It was a comedy no idea, no, no idea, literally.
And it was interesting becauseI think had I known it was a
comedy no idea, no, no idea,literally.
And it was interesting becauseI think, had I known it was a
comedy, I probably would haveapproached it differently.
So I'm glad I didn't know, justbecause I was like whatever
comes out is going to be great,and so I went into it with that
mindset and I didn't hear backfor a couple months.
(42:59):
Eh, like I heard nothing.
So I was just like, okay,another one that you know I just
threw out there and who knowswhere that went.
But yeah, eventually, like uh,enzo did contact me.
Like what was interesting aboutit was that it was just the
presentation.
They picked me right off of thepresentation.
I didn't have to read for therole or anything oh, so you
(43:20):
didn't have a callback.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
You didn't have, there wasn't a callback there
was literally no callback.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
that was, and I'm telling you like, for me, as an
actor, what's really importantis to put yourself energetically
in the place that you want tobe in, because you don't
necessarily have to base it onwhether you get the callback.
Or am I doing good, am I doingbad?
No, like you're an actor,you're an actor.
(43:46):
This is part of the work.
Auditioning is part of the work.
So I had no expectations.
I had no expectationswhatsoever.
I just knew that I'm an actorand I am involved in movies and
that's how I went in and that'sthe result you get.
Speaker 2 (44:01):
get that's literally like a manifestation, because I
did not have to read for therole what I'm hearing from you,
like listening to you, it'salmost like there is a mantra,
an energetic mantra, playing inyour head which is I'm bookable
and I book, I'm bookable and Ibook, I'm bookable and I flip
(44:23):
and book.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
And I book yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
Yeah, and it feels like you were.
That was the energetic space.
You were, yeah, living.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
Yeah, a hundred percent.
And the thing is, because I hadbeen on set with these short
films, like for me it's like amindset thing.
What does this feel like?
The life of an actor, like whatis that really?
And me being in front of thecamera and having to work with
the director, having to workwith, like the DOP no, please
(44:53):
stand here, no, hit your markhere All these things is what is
required for you to be on areal set.
So you practicing this, that'sgoing to put you in that mindset
.
So I was in that mindset when Iwas auditioning for this role,
like I know what I'm doing and Ifeel like that's really what
pushed me to have a goodpresentation, cause I mean, I I
(45:17):
assume it was good, cause theypicked me I have no idea, I hope
it was good.
But yeah, I was coming from avery like confident place and
that's something that I've hadto work on a lot, because I tend
to be a very nervous person,especially with auditions.
Like when I first started, ohmy gosh, doing self-tapes and
(45:38):
everything, I was very likestiff, I gotta get it perfect.
And, like you have like thiskind of mindset, like no, I need
to book, I book.
It's not I need.
I do book.
I know what I'm doing.
I am killing this audition.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
It's so funny that obviously we didn't even prepare
which audition we were going totalk about today, but I just
shared shared.
I just shared about one thatfor some reason or another I had
butterflies.
I felt very shaky, I felt veryvulnerable and usually I am very
grounded in auditions.
You know I can really handlestress.
And then you are sharing onewhere you're super grounded,
(46:17):
super confident and usually youknow I'm not that person.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
Literally, we're like back and forth.
This is why we balance eachother out super well, I think
absolutely so.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
Once you, once you booked it, is it in the moment
of booking that you actuallydiscovered all the details of
this project?
Speaker 1 (46:39):
oh yeah, 100%.
It was interesting because Ididn't even know what my
character was.
They were just like dress inall black and present yourself.
So literally I did thepresentation, I sent it in, and
it was interesting because Iwent to our agent to go meet,
because Enzo came in and you hadtold me about him, told me
(47:05):
about him and he basically, forthe people that don't know, enzo
is the one that handles thefiction side of RT, along with
Natalia.
So I wanted to meet him andtalk to him and just let him
know hey, this is where I'm at,like these are the kind of
characters that I think I'd begood in, and I had already sent
that audition in before I methim in person.
But the funny thing is likewhenever I met him, like nowhere
(47:28):
in my mind was I like oh, I'mgoing to talk about this
audition, see what's happeningwith that, nowhere.
And then he was like so somehow, like he put it in there oh
yeah, I haven't gotten like a nofrom you for for this project
that you auditioned for, and Ihad actually auditioned for
another fiction one and Ithought he was referring to the
(47:48):
other one.
I was like, oh yeah, that one.
You know, I spent hours on thatself-tape and like it was not
the one that I I was thinking atall and he just looked at me
like okay, that's strange, youknow.
And now, after booking it, Ifind out, oh, this is the one I
just did a presentation for, andthat was like a couple of
(48:10):
months later.
But he had originally told methey haven't said no to you,
you're not on the list that theysaid no to, and I didn't even
catch on to that.
So it was a complete surpriseto me when I booked this project
, because I wasn't even thinkingabout this project at all.
Like this project just went outof my mind completely.
So I get these news and I'mlike what project is he talking
(48:35):
about?
Like I had no idea whatsoeverand that's like when.
I think it took them about likemaybe a week to send in the
full script.
And once I got the script, Iread the project and I was like,
oh, it's a comedy and I don'tdo a lot of comedy, like I
haven't.
I did a lot when I firststarted out in acting, but that
(48:57):
was like when I was 15.
So, and I was known for comedythen.
But it's, it was different.
You know, I was in high school.
Obviously we're going to thinkdifferently and I was known for
comedy then but it's, it wasdifferent.
You know, I was in high school.
Obviously we're going to thinkdifferently and I've grown up to
become a completely, like,different person.
And so when I get, when I findout that it's coming, I'm like
how did I book a comedy?
I had literally no idea.
And then that came as asurprise Cause.
(49:19):
I was like, should I approachthe role differently?
And I just had a bunch ofquestions.
Surprised because I was like,should I approach the role
differently?
And I just had a bunch ofquestions.
I was actually really nervousafter I booked it because I was
like what if I'm not good atcomedy?
You know, like what if I?
Just it was the unknown, youknow, it's like what you were
talking about, going in andstepping outside of your comfort
zone.
So for me to have booked that,it was such a blessing it was
(49:42):
such a blessing in disguisebecause it wasn't the original
thing that I think that I hadthought I booked, but it opened
doors for me.
It opened up like because I,when I was on set, you know, I
was seeing comedy in action andthe actors that were on set were
just incredible and like theywere so quick, like they
literally would do some improvat times, that I got to witness
(50:05):
that because I was there.
And now that has just opened upmy world, like I feel a lot
looser with my acting, like thatliterally has just made it okay
for me to handle any type ofrole.
So it was definitely.
I think the universe was likehey, take this, learn from it
(50:25):
and then start applying it alittle bit, so we'll see.
We'll see where that takes me.
But yeah, initially I had noidea what the project was even
about and it was a big surprise.
It was a big surprise but thebest surprise of the year I
would definitely say that hasbeen like my biggest thing this
year was this was booking this,booking this.
Speaker 2 (50:43):
So, yeah, it was something to celebrate for me
and that's why I had to tell youfirst and so, just to wrap up
this interview, are you allowedat this moment in time to
actually uh, give the title ofthe movie, like when people
listen to the oh yeah 100.
Speaker 1 (50:58):
they actually they're on instagram as well.
It it's called Spicy Will and Ithink their handle is at
spicywillmovie, but I'm sure ifyou search and who's the
director.
Chris Houle.
So he's actually he was aproducer and now he's more on
the directing scene.
(51:19):
He directed another moviebefore, but he was so cool.
He was just amazing to workwith really chill guy and he was
letting the actors have fun,which that's something that I
hadn't experienced.
In that sense, like, yes, beingon set for me is always fun,
but there is work behind it aswell, and this one just felt it
(51:43):
was very like family.
It felt like family to me.
Everyone was so kind.
The general vibes of the setwas incredible.
All the actors on set were justso welcoming.
I don't know, it's just he madethe ambience of the whole thing
very comforting and when Iapproached him initially, like I
(52:06):
was very scared because whenyou first get on set, you don't
know who you're working with orlike you don't know how that
relationship is going to develop.
You're kind of you have likeall these questions because you
are stepping into the unknownand that can be very exciting
but very like nerve-wracking aswell.
And from the moment like heapproached me, he was so kind.
(52:27):
I'm so happy.
You have no idea, and I can'twait to see it because the
actors in there are so funny.
Like my character.
He's not like the funniest oneon there.
Obviously there's a comedicthing to him.
But the main actors on there Iliterally was on set cracking up
the whole time.
I could not stop laughing and Iwas like sometimes I'd be like,
no, keep it together.
(52:48):
You do not want to laugh afterthey say action.
And that was part of mystruggle because they were so
freaking funny.
But it was good that I got towitness that, because now I will
look at comedy differently andI learned from those actors.
I learned on the job which Ithink is the best part of doing
this, you know, is being able toget on a set and actually learn
from that experience when thatmovie comes out.
Speaker 2 (53:11):
We will definitely do an episode about you know all
your learning, you know.
Once the movie comes out.
I think that then people canhave a reference, um and watch
it before listening to theepisode.
And this episode is coming toan end, but we must do a part
two of our most fun andmemorable casting and audition
moments because I think it waslike freaking awesome and a part
(53:31):
two must come yes, I'm soexcited.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
We're definitely like we need to share more, because
I also had a zoom audition,which was a completely different
experience, and I would love tobe able to share that with you
so everybody, make sure that youtune in for part two bye, see
you.
Thank you, cindy.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.