159. Alexa Pereira // Casting Director

Today on What's My Frame I'm joined by Casting Director, Alexa Pereira. A recent Artios Award winner and Emmy Nominee, Alexa has been casting for the past 12 years. As well as independently casting her own projects, she is with the wonderful casting office of Greenstein/Daniel Casting.

Notable credits include New Girl, Home Economics, Dollface and most recently Nobody Wants This. Alexa's wheelhouse is comedy, but today we talk about her love for working on dramas and psychological horror/thrillers too.

Alexa's heart for actors and commitment to the craft is truly inspiring! She put's it best, she has actor heart, mind and soul. I've had the joy of coaching with Alexa and the space she creates for actors is warm, collaborative (her notes are amazing), and it's a place of play. So excited to share this episode with y'all!

Follow Alexa on Instagram

Coach and work with Alexa alexapereiracasting.com

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hi everyone. Today on What's My Frame?
I'm joined by casting director Alexa Pereira, a recent Artios
Award winner and Emmy nominee. Alexa has been casting for the
past 12 years as well as independently casting her own
projects. She's with the wonderful casting
office of Greenstein Daniels Casting Notable credits include
New Girl, Home Economics, and most recently Nobody Wants This

(00:23):
which we dive into the casting process of Season 1 and Season
2. Alexis Wheelhouse is comedy, but
today we talk about her love forworking on dramas and
psychological horror thrillers too.
Alexa's heart for actors and commitment to the craft is truly
inspiring. She puts it best.
She has actor, heart, mind, and soul.
I've had the joy of coaching with Alexa and the space she
creates for actors is warm, collaborative, her notes are

(00:46):
incredible and it's a place of play.
I am so excited to share this episode with y'all.
Now let's get to the conversation.
Hey Alexa, welcome to What's my Frame?
How you doing? I'm good, Laura, How are you?
I'm. Great.
I am very excited for this conversation because comedy is
fun. You are fun.

(01:07):
We're going to have a fun chat. But for anyone who isn't
familiar with your career in theebbs and flows, I went on a deep
dive of your IMDb. For anyone else, can you just
give us a little back story of what drew you to the industry
and casting specifically and what's sparked your interest
with some of the projects that you've taken on?
Ah, for sure, that's a very loaded question ready for a very

(01:29):
long winded answer. You don't like soft pitches to
start, No. I started out as an actor.
I actually am from the East Coast, so I studied out in New
York and I actually met my husband, funny enough, in an
acting class out in New York. So when we were, you know,
getting ready to get married andall that good stuff, we're like

(01:51):
where, you know, we knew we would have to set up a base camp
somewhere. And we're like, you know what,
we let's give LAA shot, right? So we came out to LA, you know,
to give the acting a world. Funny enough, this is this is an
interesting perspective that I got coming from the East Coast
to like LA and you know, not to say anything.

(02:15):
They're very different acting worlds.
I was gonna say yes. What I definitely noticed, and
this is from the acting perspective, is I felt like in
New York it was very much about the craft.
Like I felt very much I, I love the fact that I was able to
study in New York because I feellike once I came over to LA very
much was about, you know, like who you know, who you know, he's

(02:39):
teaching the class, that kind ofstuff.
And so I, I'm very appreciative of having that sort of grasp of
acting in, you know, and studying in New York.
So came out here for acting. You know, interestingly enough,
I, I was doing it for a few years and listen and, and it's
helped me in my casting career because I still will always and

(03:02):
anytime I take a class, anytime I do a workshop, I always say I
always have actor heart, mind and soul still till today, which
is why I relate so much to the actors because I still get it
and I still understand what it was to audition and I still
understand what it is to get sides and prepare and do all of
that. So I get it.

(03:22):
I feel for actors and and I still feel like I am one, right,
But just for me, it just wasn't fun anymore.
Like I just felt like even in the East Coast, like I was able
to still do my my community theater and like have more like
creative outlets. And when I came here, I felt
like I didn't have that so much and, you know, being new to LA

(03:42):
and then, you know, you're just kind of getting friends, you
know, that kind of all that stuff.
It was like it was just a littlebit where I'm like, I don't
know, I don't know if this is for me anymore.
But I knew I still wanted to stay in the business though.
Like I've just, and you know, anyone that just loves this art
and loves, you know, just being creative doesn't get out of your
blood that easily, right? You kind of have to go to
therapy before you can officially say like, you're not

(04:04):
an actor anymore. But I'm like, what, what else
can I do? And I said, I'm I'm not a
writer. I don't have that talent.
And I wasn't interested in in the production side.
And, you know, I was just talking to a friend of mine and
we just started chatting about casting.
And I don't know why I never thought that that was like a
possibility. I never even thought of that as
like a career. And I'm like, you know what, I'm

(04:27):
going to, I'm going to check this out.
And I started in commercial casting.
It was, you know, a friend of a friend that was a commercial
casting director. And I started off just
volunteering, you know, in in the lobby, just signing people
in. The part about it that I really,
really loved was when it came time to like, not every lobby
person does this, I don't think.But like, I wanted to explain to

(04:48):
the actors what they were going to do in the room.
Like, like as soon as I found out what they were doing in the
room, I would be out in the lobby just going OK, yeah, this.
Is your. Joke, right?
I was like, and I absolutely loved it and you know, just the
people around me were like, you just have a knack for like this
is just you. It's just you.
It's in your and I'm like, I just love this.

(05:09):
But I always knew that I wanted theatrical commercial.
So once I had a little resume, Ijust started sending my resume
out. And I will say this all the
time. I know how lucky I've been when
it, when it's come to casting because I literally my first job
out was an amazing office and I've just been, and I've been
working ever since. And well, what's funny enough is
my very first job was as an assistant and then the very next

(05:32):
job that I interviewed for was as an associate.
I don't want to say doesn't happen often either, but it's
like, you know, it's, it was like literally my very second
job. I was, I was hired to be an
associate and I've been an associate ever since.
So I've been very lucky in that respect as well.
And I've been in amazing officesand worked on amazing projects.
So I've been very, very lucky inthis, in this, in this career.

(05:53):
And then I'm doing my own stuff now.
So it's like I'm, I'm independently working on, you
know, I I do student films here and there, but I I mainly do a
lot of shorts starting in my indie films.
That's the thing, right? Even as casting, you're sort of
building your owner. I almost like in casting to
acting where it's very much justabout building your resume and

(06:13):
and making relationships and, you know, you get that one
project that, you know, that kind of.
Yeah, absolutely. And then people just, you know,
start reaching out. So, you know, fingers crossed
that that's my trajectory. But but yeah, I've been working
on my own stuff now and and one in Artios for one of my shorts
and so that's yeah, yeah, absolutely.

(06:36):
When you were in the acting sideof things, when you were
auditioning, when you were goinginto those rooms, were there any
memorable casting experiences that were really positive that
you wanted to bring certain elements from that into the
rooms that you were then creating for other actors?
Interestingly enough, I think I don't think there's anything

(07:01):
that I took away from my experiences in terms of like
something that like casting did for me.
But I think just being on the other side, something that I
want to do is make actors very comfortable and appreciate the
the job and the work that they're that they're doing

(07:22):
right. Especially back in the day when
we were in the room. And obviously now things are
more Zoom and stuff, but, you know, my favorite part of the
day was and is and will always be being in the room with the
actors when we had, you know, the auditions.
I always try to like have a warmand inviting room, you know, and
I and I'm very much like, I loveto give direction and I'm very

(07:45):
much like, let's try it this way, you know, and like, let's
do it again. And you know, and so I think
that those are the things that Itook from my acting days of
just, you know, we're, we're human and it's a nerve wracking
experience. Auditioning is not fun.
I mean, it should be, right? It's like, that's what we try to
say. And listen, every time I'm in my

(08:06):
class, I'm like, guys have fun. Like that's the thing.
But you know, it's, it's sort oflike a, it's this sort of
made-up world. It's a fake, right?
You're you're walking into this room with just you and a camera
and it's about all this stuff. So in that respect, I mean, it's
not fun. You know, those, those are the
things that I really try to bring when I'm when I'm cast.
I completely agree and coming from the East Coast as

(08:27):
well-being a transplant that came towards warmer weather and
blonder roots. It was such a transition for me
because education was viewed differently.
It was a it was a status thing versus the craft.
And that's why I like I will, I will always harp on this and
this is my soapboxes. You know, I, I continuously stay

(08:49):
in class and I find that it, it helps me do so much better
because auditioning is one part of our job and it is a very
different muscle than being on set.
And I think it's, you know, for me, and this is, this is just
me, but like when I, I mean, I'mcurrently in a commercial class
that I love, but it helped my theatrical audition because
every when it's based in the craft and it's good educators.

(09:13):
Right. All of it feeds all of it and
elevates it. But going off of that, you also,
you coach and you teach and you work with actors, taking what
you have learned in the room, helping them coming up into the
business and what. Inspired you to.
Do that. Was it something you were saying
that was missing? Was it something that you wanted
to just help impart wisdom? And just because I think it, I

(09:35):
think it is a full circle kind of thing.
What is fed your creative soul by also teaching and working
with actors when there's not a job on the line?
Absolutely. I, I think it really happened
during COVID and during probablythe strikes during like during
COVID when we were all kind of home and not doing anything.

(09:58):
I put it out like an open call and I was just like, guys, we're
not doing anything at the moment.
Let's stay busy. I said like just every actor
just send in tapes and just I want to watch and I want to.
And I literally probably got about 3000 tapes during COVID,
but I loved it because we weren't doing anything right.

(10:18):
I we were just watching TVI watched all of The Avengers,
which I loved by the way, and I watched every single tape and,
and absolutely loved it. And but there was that
disconnect, right? You didn't, you didn't get a
chance to kind of be in the roomanymore, right.
And then obviously came back andthings were a little different
with the self tape world. And then the strikes hit and we

(10:41):
were kind of back to being sort of slow.
And I think that's what I've always had, you know, sort of,
you know, classes and, and you know, the places that teach like
the workshops and all those kindof things like reaching out to
me. And I've, I was never like, I
kind of was like always busy or something.

(11:01):
I was just never able, you know,had the time to do it.
But I was like, you know what, Imiss it.
I said, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to like say yes to
some of these, right? And, and, and start and start
doing it and see, you know, see,see how it, how it goes.
And I realized I just missed so much being in the room with the
actors and being able to get that to work with them

(11:26):
one-on-one. And and I realized it wasn't
just about like giving directionin the room.
Like I love getting into. And this is where my acting, my
acting background kind of comes out, right?
And I'm like, OK, what do you want in the scene?
What's what's your like, what's your objective?
What's your, what's your goal? What's your, you know, And it's
really about script analysis, right?

(11:48):
And because, you know, I come from a place of, OK, when we are
auditioning, so I always try to bring it back to auditioning
because obviously it's like as acasting director, it's like
that's what the actors are interested in as well, right?
It's like, you know, what's the strongest?
So I, I definitely try to say, OK, let's, let's try to make the
strongest choices to make a strong audition and a strong

(12:11):
self tape so that the audition pops.
But the way to do that is through script analysis, you
know, and just giving them a sort of redirect isn't helping
them to get into the mind of what I'm looking for.
It's very easy for me to say, OK, let's just do it again and
can you do this? And it's like, OK, they they

(12:32):
might. But I like to get into like, why
are you doing this? Because for me, I want to then
teach the actor that when you get your own script or your own
sides, this is how I'm approaching it, right?
It's like we have to look at it because a lot of actors may just
get some sides and take it as face value, right?

(12:55):
Like you, you know, the first thing we want to do is memorize,
right? Memorize the lions and, and
then, you know, OK, I've memorized the lines.
I'm ready to lay it down. And it's like, oh, no, no, no,
there's way. There's way more work that needs
to be done, right? Because a lot of times when
actors do that, when they put themselves on tape, you're

(13:19):
basically doing maybe what a lotof other actors are doing.
I'm not saying right or wrong. I'm just saying that, you know,
you're, you're doing this scene for what it says on the page,
right? But it's like, if you dig deeper
into what is being said, what the relationships are, what is,
you know, there are other thingsdeeper that are happening in the

(13:40):
scene. And if you make a different
choice, you know, I, I, I've said this to actors so many
times, like they'll get sides. And I tell actors as well, like
don't like almost ignore all of the stage directions.
If it, if they say she starts crying or whatever, it's like,

(14:01):
don't think that you need to cryat that moment.
It's about the intention and the, and the feeling that's
that's behind it. What does crying mean?
What is it conveying in the scene right now?
And it just basically means thatthe person is emotional.
What just happened in the scene hurt that person, right?
So that's the emotion that you need to convey, not necessarily
that you need to start crying, right?
The same thing with anger, right?

(14:23):
We see all caps or we see 3 exclamation points and it's
like, oh, I need to yell at thismoment for it to to show that I
am angry. And a lot of times I'll say to
actors, OK, that just. But that's just the intention
that they're trying to convey and anger and frustration could
be shown so many different ways and I always give the example of

(14:45):
like somebody can scream, I willfuck you up right?
Yeah, my language or like, what's scarier a person looking
in and saying I will kill you, right.
What's what's scarier? There's someone that's just
yelling or there's someone that's looking like into your
soul and saying So that's where I say like, don't you know,
ignore sort of those things. Really look at the script and

(15:08):
pick interesting choices becausea lot of people are going to
come in and do the yell and do the screen.
If you turn around and do that sort of like intimate sort of
into the camera, it's going to be like, oh, this person is like
interesting or this person is smart or they're doing a
different, you know, tape. And I'm not saying, and I always
say this to actors as well, unless the, the casting office

(15:29):
and I always say, please follow the instructions that casting
sends you. But unless they say only send
one take, which a lot of officeswill do.
If they don't say that, I say, you know, send 2 takes because,
you know, do do the one that maybe you think is face value or
whatever. But then play, always play like
in class, I'll, I'll sit and I'll be like, let's just play

(15:50):
guys, let's play. And a lot of times they'll find
something in the scene that they're like, oh man, I didn't
think that that was there. Or there was an interesting way
that this line kind of played that they were like, Oh, I
didn't, I didn't think that that's what the scene was about.
Or I didn't think, or I'll give them sort of like, you know,
we'll talk about scenes. And I'm like, what if we, what

(16:11):
if this wasn't the case? Or like, what if like, cuz on
face value, like they're fighting.
And I'm like, what if, what if it was the opposite?
And what if the person that, youknow, just different things like
that, that I just think, you know, actors.
I, I love to work on those things because I want the actors
to look at scenes in a differentway.
And that in turn, is going to make a much more interesting

(16:33):
audition, right. But just back to what we were
saying of why I, I kind of started then coaching is because
I just loved it so much. And I just find when I do my
workshops or my classes, I spendso much time that I'm literally,
I feel so bad because I'm like, I can literally be there
forever. And I talk for like forever.

(16:53):
Like when everybody's asking me questions, I am just like, and
another thing, and they're like you just like, I'll always have
people like you just like spilling Nuggets here and there.
And I'm like, because. And I think that comes from
being an, and actors. Well, but I'm all about like,
guys, here's the info. Like here's the info.
There's nothing. That's there's nothing secret.
Like there's nothing. You know, we're human.

(17:14):
You're human. At the end of the day, it's a
job. It's a job for us.
It's a job for you guys. We're trying to, you know, we're
A-Team, we're trying to find, you know, that kind of stuff.
And so I would just talk, talk, talk.
And I'm like, Oh my God, I'm spending hours here.
And I said, I, I really think I said, I would love to sort of
coach so that I can, you know, work with actors, just really

(17:35):
get into it. And it's so funny because I'll
do my coaching and like the timejust flies.
I like, because I just, I just love it so much where it's like
an hour, half hour just flies. And it's like, because we're
getting into it and they're like, oh man, I didn't.
What I, when I feel that I've done my job right is when an
actor says to me, Oh, I didn't see it that way.
Or they say, Oh, that's an interesting like take on it.

(17:59):
That's when I feel like, OK, I've done what I need to do
because I want them to feel thatwe can actually go through
scripts and sides and actually like breakdown the characters
and kind of find interesting ways to play so that they can
then make their auditions more more interesting and pop.
I think one of the things that we miss so much about being in
the room is not the validation of the confirmation that it's

(18:22):
being seen. It's we didn't have the time to
really get used to self directing and we're dependent
too much on having someone else to spark ideas off of.
And I think, you know, that's something that I have been
really focusing on with the season is just how we can become

(18:44):
better self directors, how we can coach, how we can continue
our education because self tapesaren't going away.
That's a line item that has beencut from the budget coming back.
You. Don't so I mean it's, you know,
there are virtual editions and there are things, but it's
something that we as actors, we do need to work on.

(19:06):
And I think, you know, when you were talking about actors, you
know, memorizing and I, I remember a period of time where
I was like, OK, I just, I need to know the words.
And then it pivoted for me and Iwas like, I need to get to know
the character and where we over cross.
And then the memorization just kind of comes when it's making
sense to you. It's a lot easier than just like
studying for a test and just like cramming it in your brain.

(19:28):
But thank you so much for sharing that because there is
going to be obviously like an educational through line in
today's episode. But going off of that and
talking about sides for auditions, I'm always a believer
that there's a reason that the size you picked were the sides
you picked for us to audition with.
And any, any little Nuggets or advice, theatrical, any kind of

(19:49):
whether it be drama or comedy, any kind of clues that we can be
looking for in those sides when we receive them.
Absolutely. So this is what I always say to
sort to to my classes or actors when I talk to them.
So when you are auditioning for Co star right?
You get the lines and I get a lot of people that are like, Oh
my God, it's one line. How do what do I do with that?

(20:11):
Right? Co star is day in the life of
you don't need to make it any more than what it is.
It's like you're a waiter. How was your day that day?
Was it a good day? Was it a bad day?
Right. You make your choices there and
send in a a couple of different takes, like whether it's do one
take where you were having the good day, do a take where you
were having the bad day. Of course you're going to look

(20:32):
at the sides and see what if that makes sense to the scene.
But you know that's that's goingto help you with the with the
with the costar roles, right, Guest star.
And I was just saying this in class the other day.
You know, there are some, there are sometimes you'll get a good
scene or sides that are like juicy and there's things to

(20:55):
really like get into and like, oh man, and what, what does this
person want? And why is it?
And then there are some sides that are just, it is what it is,
right? It it's the worker at a store
that's like trying to sell you something, right.
So I said, so how do you, what do you do with that role?
And how do you make that pop right?
At the end of the day, those those scenes and those sides are

(21:15):
all about who you are and your personality.
So it's about bringing you to it, right, And finding,
especially if it's comedy, right, finding the jokes.
And I know that that's that sounds like it seems like it
would be a given, but there. But comedy is so there's such a

(21:39):
rhythm to it and there's such a melody to it.
And they're literally just like you can, you know, once you've
been doing this for a while, like like I've been doing or,
you know, you can get comedy scripts and just kind of know
like where, where the joke. Absolutely.
Like you can hear the jokes. You, you know, where it lands,
you know, where the, you know, the, the, what the punctuation

(22:00):
is and where you know, the set of set of joke and all that kind
of good stuff. Find those right, find those in
those scenes because sometimes that's really is just all the
scene is. It's just bringing in that funny
guest star to come in and you know you are you're literally
just pushing the story along forthe for the for the series
regulars usually more often thannot, right.

(22:20):
So it's just a funny little pop in and it's all about you and
your personality. So have fun with those.
When you start to audition for series regulars now that's when
you get you usually get more scenes.
It's usually it could be two to three scenes, way more, you
know, number of sides, right? And usually the reason that we

(22:42):
pick those scenes and producers sometimes will pick those, the
sides as well that they want to see is because it's usually they
want to see different connections with different
characters. They want to see different beats
in the scene. So it could be an arc.
So it could be like the beginning, middle, and end of
the character arc throughout thewhole episode.

(23:06):
It could be, and usually we're talking like pilots, right?
Because that's when that's wherethe series regulars are.
Or it could also be different emotional beats that they want
to see. So maybe 1 scene is more comedic
and 1 scene is more heartfelt maybe.
But at the end of the day, for series regulars, just like Guest
Star, it's all about who you are.
Because producers and casting and everyone are looking to see,

(23:28):
is this a character and a personand a role that we want to work
with for seven seasons? Is this somebody we want to
watch for seven seasons? Is this a character I want to
write for, for seven seasons? So that's something to keep in
mind as well, because I think a lot of actors do kind of like,
oh, what does casting want? What do producers want?
Oh, it's like, oh, it's a quirky, A quirky character.

(23:50):
I need to play quirky. And then it's almost not who you
are. And like you kind of put on
something and it's like, no, it's like it's you as the
character. Whatever quirky is to you.
Alexa might not. I don't.
I'm not the quirkiest, but I have a quirky side, right?
So we all have that. So it's bringing whatever
Alexa's quirky side is to that or what Alexa's, you know,
whatever it is to it. So that's what I think actors

(24:12):
should think about when they're auditioning for those different
sort of roles. And again, just when you first
get the side, like read it like,like again, not from
memorization. So if it's a show and I and I'm,
you know, I'm not the first casting person to say this.
If it's a show or, or something that's already on the air,
definitely watch so that you canget the tone.

(24:35):
If it's a pilot or say a movie. And so it's something that's
not, you know, out yet, Definitely always ask for the
script, even even if the script isn't readily available, ask for
it because it doesn't hurt. What can they say?
No, because some, some, some, you know, projects might be, you
know, where they don't want the script out there, but ask for it
because it might not, they mightjust forget, you know, didn't

(24:56):
hand it out. So always read the script so
that you get all the, all the details.
And also take a look at past work for the directors and the
producers, because a lot of times, you know, you'll get the
tone of what they kind of do from that as well.
I mean, there are some directorsthat'll, that do different
things and you're like, oh, thatwas completely different.
But you know, for the most part,they, they probably have like a
lot of the same tone. But again, script analysis is

(25:19):
so, so important. It's like, read, read it, then
read it again and then go line by line because each line is
there for a reason, right? Not just your lines, the lines
that that that your other character is saying too, because
that tells you what's going on in the scene as well.
And read between the lines, right, What's not being said

(25:41):
because that's where the emotion.
And also, you know, a lot of times, you know, if the reader
has a lot to to do and to read, it's like, remember, you are
still on camera. It's you on camera.
So it's not just, you know, you're still reacting, you're
still acting because right, Because it's like, why, why are
we keep? Because I, I tend to like cross

(26:02):
out a lot if it like the reader,if it has nothing to do with the
scene. Reader has a lot of stuff, but
sometimes we'll keep that in. And the reason we'll keep it in
is because it's important to thescene because we're trying to
get the reaction from from the actor and stuff.
So to, to remember that as well.They they hit record and it's
like auditioning is the only time as people that we just sit

(26:24):
there and it's like we just stare into the camera and it's
your line, my line, your line, my line, right?
And that's not life. Life is, you know, probably the
time that I've been talking to you, I've looked over to the
side, I've done this, I've whatever because you're just in
your, in the natural flow of being natural.
And I've paused and I've had a breath and I've had a thought.

(26:46):
And it's like, so, you know, bring that to the scenes as
well. It's not, you know, I I think
once we memorize, it's like understand that for your
character, this is the first time they're saying these words
and there are not everything's going to come right to them.
They might be, you know, you have to think about what you're
saying or like, let what that other person said land.

(27:08):
Why are you saying this next line?
It's not just going to come right out, right.
So those are things I think thatdefinitely should, should be
kept in mind when when seeing this.
It's a lot. It's a lot, but that's the work.
But that's the work. It's going back to my soapbox.
It's like, that's why you get inclass, because I learned so much
from seeing other people work inclass because you see what

(27:31):
they're doing that is working. You see what they're doing that
is not working. And you get to see actors acting
and then you also get to see actors that are giving a
monologue or of, you know, a very sterilized retelling of the
sides. And I think because there are
all of those plates spinning, sometimes it's hard for actors

(27:51):
to realize there is a differenceuntil like seeing get used to
seeing that You brought up an excellent point about it is it's
where the actor and the character overlap.
And I think sometimes, especially in times of quiet,
actors get kind of anxious and they start thinking that they
can do everything and they startadding headshots and they start
doing all of this stuff. And I'm curious for materials,

(28:15):
any advice of homework, anythingthat we can be working on, I.
Mean, I think it definitely depends on maybe the project,
but probably just for like projects that I tend to work on
social media doesn't isn't superimportant.
I know a lot of actors ask aboutthat and like, you know, are the

(28:36):
number of followers they have important?
Not for what I'm working on. I think the only time we, we
even looked at what followers are is if we were literally
casting like influencers for like a role, you know, other
than that, just like for actors,we're not looking at what, what
their social medias and, and, and in terms of numbers of

(28:57):
followers, right? I think that's not something to
worry about in terms of, of that, I would say.
And that this might be controversial to say, but I
think when, when actors are juststarting out, we put so much
emphasis on like the demo reel as well.
And I feel like a lot of times like like for Co stars, like
when we're going through submissions, again, I'm only

(29:20):
speaking for myself and maybe, you know, I'm not speaking for
anybody else. Like for Co stars, I'm like,
we're not really watching demo reels to like to for when it
comes to like setting up Co stars and stuff, you know what I
mean? Like what we're really looking
at is submission photos and thenyour resume.
You know, that's what that we'rereally looking at that more than
than demos. I always say that when the demo
reel really becomes important islike once people become like

(29:43):
offer only and like they're not auditioning anymore and like we
send them to be approved. You know, we're going to send
the demo reel off to like studionetwork series regulars.
You know, we always send demo reels, you know, when, when
people are up for it for series regulars and stuff.
So it's not to say don't have a demo reel and it's not to say
that obviously if you're working, take the time, you

(30:05):
know, if you, if you worked on another project, like take the
time to sort of cut it and, and,and add it to your stuff, but
not where it needs to be super, super like, Oh my God, like this
needs to be amazing, especially if you're just starting out.
Again, that could be controversial, but to I think.
That's really good advice because there has been an uptick
in people paying wild amounts ofmoney to services where they

(30:30):
film and cut them a real that isall just real produced footage
versus footage from the quality student films or, you know, a
new projects, things like that. And it's, yeah, firm believer in
save your money, keep your money, right?
That's how you keep acting. Absolutely.
Listen, I did it too when I was acting.
I went to I went and got like, you know, stuff done where like,

(30:53):
you know, I picked certain scenes and like filmed in.
So I did. I did it too, you know, but
yeah, no, like if you have good,even even probably sometimes if
you have a good self tape, you know, like if you auditioned for
something and it's a self tape that you're proud of, that's
something that you can add as well.
Because really at the end of theday, what we're looking for is

(31:14):
to see the work that you do right and the quality that you
do. Of course, we all want the, you
know, the little logo in the corner that says, you know, CBS
or Netflix. And so absolutely, of course,
but, and, and again, it's, it's speaking really more for actors
who are maybe just starting out,because once you have all like
that good stuff, of course you have a great reel anyway, right?

(31:36):
We're talking about when you're just starting out, it's like,
you know, if you have good quality student film, if you
have good quality short films, and I always say to actors, do
not, do not sleep on the short films because I mean, a, you
know, they're getting nominated for Oscars now, right?
So it's like there's, there's great quality short films now.
I mean the writing and the if you see some of these short

(31:58):
film, I went to some because obviously in my line and I do a
lot of short films. I, I go to a lot of short film
festivals. Oh my God, when you see some of
these short films that are beingproduced like it blows your
mind. You're like holy crap, what
budget did they? And what they're able and the
story they're able to tell in like 1214 minutes is.
Absolutely. It is a writing skill to be able

(32:21):
to pack that much story into that amount of time. 100% and
also a lot of short films are also like presentations that
they want to then make into features as well.
So, and, and not only that, it'slike you're going to also meet
the casting directors and the casting, you know, associates

(32:41):
who are casting directors who are casting those shorts as
well. And you know, I, for me, when I
cast my shorts, I see AI set up a lot of actors when we're
working on the network shows andstuff like, you know, because
we, we hire a lot of roles. You know, we probably will set
up maybe 20-5, maybe 30 people at the most, right?

(33:03):
But when it comes to the short films, because you can be non
union, because you can be, you know, not have an agent, I don't
necessarily like pay attention to the resume so much because
there could be people that maybeyou don't have that many
credits, but that that doesn't mean it just means you haven't

(33:24):
had the chance yet, right? So for me, I definitely go
through my submissions and, and just set up people.
They have to be the essence of the role, obviously.
But I will set up more than likenormal.
And I watched every tape. And for me, I love doing that
because I love seeing new actors, actors that may not get

(33:47):
in the room for like my day job,so to speak, that you know,
where you're meeting new people.And you know, like I just cast a
short. One of the actresses was
awesome, amazing. And then I just brought her in
for something, you know, for oneof the shows that I'm working
on. And it's like, you know, because
that's where you get to meet those actors as well, you know,

(34:07):
So that's why I say don't, don't, don't sleep on those, you
know, on on the short films or even student films sometimes
because you know, casting, we'recasting those as well.
So you know, that's and that's where you're meeting, you know,
the next casting directors, you're meeting the next
directors, you're meeting the upand coming producers, you know,
so that's so those are all greatrelationships because at the end
of the day, this business is networking in relationship,

(34:29):
right. 100%. And you never know when it could
be a year from now. But that producer might be like
how many times I cast things andproducers are like, oh, there
was an actor that I worked with on this other project.
Like if you can bring her in andit could have been a year ago,
you know what I mean? So you just don't know when
paths are going to cross again or when you know those

(34:50):
opportunities are going to are going to come back up, you know?
People have excellent memory, memories.
You got to got to be mindful of that.
I wanted to talk about your you have an expansive career in
shorts and like you mentioned your artios, when what did you
have to strengthen new muscles in casting shorts versus

(35:13):
episodic? Was there any nerves going out
on your own from having like a casting team with the Office?
What was the transition like? It's it's funny because I think
when you do, when I think when anybody like starts on their
own, you do kind of like, it's not, it's not in the respect of

(35:34):
like, oh, can I handle it? Because you're kind of doing
that right? And you're in your day-to-day.
But it's more like, oh, OK, now it's like the buck stops with
you. So it's more about, OK, now my
name is on this and you want to do great work and bring great

(35:55):
actors and have the producers and the director happy with who
you're you're bringing. At the end of the day, anyone
when they first start going out on their own, there's always
like that. OK, It's a learning.
It's a learning experience. But now I'm just like shorts to
me. I've done so many that you're
like, bring them on, you know, and it's so funny because
they're probably like, I'm like,Oh, is there going to be a day

(36:16):
that I'm like, I'm I, I stopped doing shorts, but I'm like, I
just love it so much. And, and honestly, it's so I
don't want to say easy, but it'slike, it's just a couple of
months of work and, and you're still like, you know, you get to
meet and work with different producers.
Now The thing is, it's almost like when you do work on shorts
and stuff and student films for that matter, as well, or even
indie films now, because like I'm starting to get into that

(36:38):
world and I feel like Indies areare are night and day to shorts
as well. And you know, it's, it's that's
been an eye opener for me starting to get into the indie
world. But it's like you almost are a
producer too, because a lot of times it's you're working with
producers and directors who are are new to the business as well
or who have just or only have a few projects under their belt

(37:01):
too. So it becomes a lot of teaching.
So it's a lot of teaching of, soit's not just, you know, finding
good actors, but it's teaching them like sort of about the
business and the way to go aboutand how to talk to reps and all
that kind of stuff. And and which again, I also
found that I love doing as well.Not necessarily that I don't
want to be a producer, but and sometimes when it leans too much

(37:23):
into bruising, I'm like, I don'twant, which is kind of what I've
been finding with Indies. But but it's like, you know, I'm
all about like, absolutely any questions, like let me know.
Like I'm I'm here for you. So I kind of love nurturing and
building not just the actors kind of careers, but also like
producers and directors. And then like I've built those

(37:44):
relationships where I have producers that are coming back
and like, I want you to like do our next short.
And I'm like, absolutely love it.
Absolutely love it because you were so, so well together.
You know, like there was a director that I just recently
worked with and he was just so lovely.
And he was saying how like he had a project that didn't go
well directing and he was like, he didn't know if he wanted to
to continue directing. So this was like his next

(38:06):
project after that incident. That wasn't great.
And I literally was like, I feelyou.
I'm with you. I said I I understand having
that like 1 like project that like you didn't like just didn't
go well. And I'm like, I am here for you.
We're in this together. And it just like literally was
like a hand holding and I was like, and he was just like, Oh
my God, I love you. And it's like this, this turned

(38:28):
out just wonderfully because forme, I'm like this career is
just, it's, it's a gift, right? I mean, what we're doing, like
it's like it's, it's, we're being created.
Like there are days where I'm just like, this is my, this is
my freaking job. Like this is what I'm doing.
Like I can't believe it, right? We're not doing it for the
money, we're doing it because there's literally nothing else
we can do. Absolutely.
People have to get that through there.

(38:49):
Yes, it's the love of it, you know, and, and it's like, you
know, sometimes when I'm, you know, I'm coaching and I'm there
and like if I go over a little time and you know, my husband's
like, oh, you went over and I was like, I don't even look at
the time, but you know what I mean?
Like I'm like, sometimes I'm just like, it's like, I just
love it so much. And I get into it as well.
And it's like, it's not about looking at the time.
It's like I was just, I was justinto it.
So I'm like, will I ever stop doing shorts?

(39:11):
Maybe tomorrow if I start, you know, if I, if I open my own
office and I'm doing, you know, shows and all that good stuff,
maybe. But when I stopped doing shorts,
it's just because, you know, my career has has moved on.
But I just love it. I just, I just love it so much.
Like literally it's like, do youwant to do it?
I'm like, yes. You have a favorite short or
storyline or character that you've helped bring to life in

(39:34):
the work of your shorts. Oh gosh.
'Cause I feel like, and this is nothing because I, I'm a comedy
girl and I'm so glad to see moreand more comedies coming to
network and streaming. But I think just like we're
talking about the, the writing style of shorts and how much is
concentrated and condensed into that to present for, you know,

(39:56):
financing and for it to have a longer life.
Some of those characters are just, they're 5 dimensional and
some of those characters are so great.
So that was why I asked. I think it's funny and it's like
not that I necessarily had a character, but it's like I so my
wheelhouse is comedy, right? That's like especially you know,
I'm I'm with Greenstein Daniel right now, who I absolutely

(40:18):
adore and love and I've been with them going on five years
now and we we work mainly on on with comedy, right.
We do multicam, we do single hand.
But my jam, what I love, what I love even on my own to read and
watch and whatever is psychological horror and
thrillers love it. And I recently, so when I work

(40:40):
on my own stuff, I I do drama and I do thrillers as well.
And I just recently worked on a horror short and loved it and
loved it. And it was so funny because it's
like, because that's my genre and I love it.
Like when I was sending out the,you know, the, the audition
instructions, I'm like, guys, I know it's weird.

(41:02):
You're a, you're, you're a ghost.
That's like, you know, you, you're, you, you were murdered
and you're coming back and you're looking in the mirror and
you're in. It's all scary and whatever I
said, but just have fun and just, you know, commit.
I absolutely just, I just loved that it's different than what I
normally do. I mean, I love comedy obviously.
And that's that. Like I said, that's my real

(41:22):
house. And I'm and I'm, I love working
on my comedies too, but when I get to do something different
like that, I enjoy those. I enjoy those.
When it is like the genre or thesandbox that you personally,
just as an audience member, love, is it harder or easier to
watch those auditions? It's the same.

(41:44):
Yeah, Yeah. Because, you know, at the end of
the day, and it's funny and I, I, I feel like I was just saying
this the other day too in class.It's like they're got.
You're gonna hit the same notes anyway, right?
Whether it's drama, whether it'scomedy, whether it's horror,
whether it's whatever, at the end of the day, you were still

(42:04):
going to do your script analysis.
You are still going to bring whoyou are to that role.
Even though like the, the girl that we that we ended up casting
as the ghost and where, Oh my God, she was phenomenal.
She was amazing, but it was all grounded and real.
And it was like, she was just the same thing when I was saying
like, you can come in and be like, whatever.
And she was just in that camera and she was just like, like, and

(42:26):
I was like, dude, like she was fucking awesome.
But but it's funny because it's like at the end of the day, it's
still just good acting, right? It's still you just watch it and
you just you just those actors that are just committing and in
in it and feeling it. And like we were saying, not
just learning the lines and giving sort of that wrote like

(42:48):
it's like those people. So whether it's comedy or
whether it's drama, whether it'shorror, you, you're just the,
the people who are feeling it like you, you, you just, you
know, and that's, that's what's,that's what's awesome.
And I love watching all of them.So yeah, yeah, there's no
difference. I mean, except for, you know,
you get to laugh during the comedy.
I remember one time working on apilot and it was a drama that

(43:10):
was just slow, like the woman's like daughter had died and
whatever. So every scene, the actors had
to come in and cry. And it was just this heartfelt
scene. And you're just like, oh, man.
And like you just like every time the actress came in and
knocked it out, you're just like, wow, that's amazing.
But you're like, that's why you love comedies, right?
OK, I want to talk about nobody wants this and but first I want
to pay you and the team a huge compliment because before I had

(43:33):
ever watched an episode, I had three friends in the casting
world tell me you have to watch this.
And it was I was like, wait, what?
And they were like, it's amazing.
Like everything is on high octane.
Everything is just so spot on and I will hand to God.
It is the only thing that I havehad three different casting

(43:55):
friends say you must watch this because wow, OK.
And then of course I watched it and absolutely fell in love and
so excited for season 2. But what were the conversations,
the creative discussions that were happening before you ever
started? Because it's it is so
beautifully done. You can so clearly hear the
girls voices and like that tone.But when you're starting out,

(44:20):
being that they'd never done a show before, how did you all get
that and understand what they were going for?
Yeah, absolutely. It's like, well, first of all,
when it's like, oh, it's a project with Kristen Bell.
You're like, yes, please, because I love her.
And he is honestly like queen, do you know what I mean?
And like seeing her, you know, we do the table reads and stuff.

(44:41):
She is just so like, good, you know?
And it's like it's it's her comedy and just everything is
just right there. I love her.
I love her. Yeah.
When we started it, we were justso excited to work on it.
And it's like, and here's the thing, at the end of the day,
like, you never know, right? You, you know, you get the
scripts and you can be like, it's cute, like, and we like it

(45:01):
and it's like, we hope, you know, you hope that, you know,
people are like it. But it was just so it was
received so well and that we were just like, Oh my God.
We were just like, because then I watched it and, you know, we,
I watch everything that we work on, obviously because you want
to, you know, support it as well.
But this was honestly one of those like, so I worked on New
Girl. Not since New Girl have I had so

(45:25):
many people like talk about a show that I worked on.
And it's just like, because likeliterally now I'll just be like,
oh, I'm working on. Nobody wants this.
Do you know it? And everybody's like, everyone's
like, yeah. And I'm like this way.
It's so awesome. So it's so awesome to work on
something that so many people like love and really like, you
know, and that's why we're working on season 2 right now.
And it's like, to me, I've been reading the scripts, you know,

(45:46):
obviously, and like, it just seems like I'm like, Oh my God,
I hope people love it. It just seems like it's so fun.
And I just love the storylines that are happening.
So hopefully, fingers crossed everyone love season 2 as much
as they love season 1. But but yeah, no, there's a,
there was a lot of talk about obviously like representation
and, and wanting to be true to, to, to representation, which I

(46:09):
think they did very, very well. And I and you know, and then
just in terms of like, you know,I think we wanted Adam Brody
from like the beginning. And then of course we, you know,
we, we did read other people forthat role.
But at the end of the day was like, it was still always just
Adam Brody and just so funny because he is like, I mean, come
on, right? He pretty much broke the

(46:30):
Internet when? Like, I mean, I mean when it's
just. And the two of them, the
chemistry which I would have thought to put the two of them
together and. I know, I know.
It's like, and then when you kiss, watch it, what comes
through the screen, you're like,hello.
You're like, it's like this likea chemistry that I probably
didn't even see during the tableraise.
I was like, yeah, they're cute. But then you see I was in.

(46:51):
You're like, wow, what's going on?
You know, we just we love Jackietone.
She actually originally came in probably for one of the other
roles as one of the smaller roles, fell in love with her and
then gave her like Ester and then just, you know, and, and I
think she was originally a guest* and we didn't want to lose
her. So she became a series regular
in season 2. And but honestly, that casting

(47:13):
was just so fun to do. And then we went actually it was
straight into series. So it was pilot and wasn't even
waiting. I think we we did pilot and then
went straight into series. That was a fun one.
It's a fun, it's a fun one to work on.
I'm very, we're very proud of ofthat one.
Yeah. As as you should be, as you
should have been. Fingers crossed.
I mean nomination maybe for casting.

(47:34):
Oh yes, when you are working on a show that is so they're just
not, I mean, hugely popular doesn't even do it justice.
It's beloved and it's, it's just, it broke through the white
noise of the streaming bubble and like really was original and
and so special. Do you see submissions just
skyrocket now that you're working with Season 2?

(47:54):
Is it? Oh. 100% Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And. Then how do you all like work
through that to then come back to who really should be reading
and how do you work through and make time to work through all of
that extra kind of business? Yeah, I think it's like, you
know, it's like the nature of the business, right?

(48:15):
Because like I said back when, because it's true when you're
working on pilots or you're working on, you know, shows that
maybe don't, I would say more pilots because I think once a
show's on air, like people kind of know it or whatever, pilots
are the ones where you're like, you kind of kind of sell it,
right? You want to come over here and
play you? Know but but yeah, when you work

(48:36):
on something like this it's always fun to be like checking
avails and like you get the avails back right away right
looking. At your emails.
And people who may be like or guest starring people who are
like, listen, I'd be willing to do a Co star kind of thing
because, you know, they just love the show so much that
that's always a wonderful. It's a it's a wonderful thing,

(48:58):
you know, but then you kind of feel bad because you can't see
everyone, right? So it's like like, oh, I know
everyone's like, we love the show so much.
I'm like, I know, but we can't yeah, we can't see anybody or
like just now we had somebody who sadly it happens to where
they film and then they get cut.So we had like, you know, the
actor deletion reported. So we had to let an actor know
that sadly the role got cut. And then it's like, ah, like

(49:19):
that sucks because, you know, they're probably like, I'm going
to be on this show and then they, you know, end up but.
I mean, as long as it wasn't something that was behavioral on
set, it's it's they still they booked it, it's.
They booked it. You still have it on your
resume. You still have it right.
It's. Still made positive impressions.
Do you have? Because I can tell you just
absolutely, you love being in the room, you love actors, you

(49:41):
have that heart for it. Do you have any favorite
audition stories or like an actor's journey that you were
able to go with them through several reads and then
ultimately like they got something that was like really
meaningful to them? So a couple of audition things.
So one, and of course with no names but one, one that I will

(50:04):
always tell people that I'm like, which I absolutely love,
was there was a pilot I was working on and it was for the
lead of the pilot. So pretty big names, right?
And I think the lead was maybe going to play sort of like on
the spectrum. There was going to be 1 actress
that was going to come in meeting only because she was a

(50:25):
name and she's been working and stuff.
And she was like, no, I want to read and came in and, and read.
And the reason that I love that story so much is because I'm
like, you know, when people. And I'm not saying that, that
people, obviously there are certain roles that you can be
offered only for, right, When it's like a guest star role and
it's something I can do in my sleep.
But you know, there are people that are like, you know, the

(50:45):
thing about offer only is like, you know, you really have to
decide when to do that because because you're sort of taking
away the opportunity of getting in front of producers because
not every producer knows every actor.
Like, I guess it's casting's job, but not every producer
does. And it's like, you know, when
you're already kind of offer only when maybe not everybody
might know you, I think you're kind of missing out on some

(51:06):
opportunities. So to have this person who was a
name say, no, I'm going to read because it's not about that.
I, I know I can act. It's not about that.
It's about are you can you see me in this role and when I do
this role and that's me. I just was like like that just
impressed me because that to me is a true actor who's like it's
about the craft, right? That's something I will Oh, I

(51:27):
will never forget. Another one was I mean, I guess
I can say this name. Yes, I'm going to say this name.
I worked on a pilot, Carrie, always, I love him, right?
And Princess Bride is part of the reason why we got into this.
And we were working on a pilot and we had big names come and he
came in to read and I literally read with him.

(51:50):
OK, Like I read with him. I was the reader.
Tell me that's not a dream come true.
So those are days that you're like, this is my job, right?
This is my job, right? So that's that.
I'm like, I have to say his name.
But then other stories that I, that I love are like we, we
hired somebody for a pilot who was like SAG eligible and he got

(52:13):
a series regular role. That's friggin awesome, right?
Other people that like, maybe they only have a few guest *
roles and like we bring them in for like a series regular role
And like they test even if they don't get the role, like for us
like, or people that we've been reading forever.
Because like I always say to actors and they know this and
they've heard this, I'm sure many, many times to book the

(52:35):
room and not the role. Because if you get in good with
a casting office and they love you, they will just keep keep
bringing you back in, right. When we've had actors that we've
read over and over and over and then finally get like a series
regular role or whatever, we arejust as happy and excited for
those actors as they are. You know, where we write back
and we're like, yeah, yes, finally.

(52:55):
Because we know we, you know, there are actors that we love,
right? And there are Times Now where
now I can watch certain projectsor movies or shows and like,
know who cast it because, you know, because there's just, you
know, we, yeah, 'cause certain offices, they have people that
they love. And that's great.
You know, that's great, you know, because.
Because if you get in with an office that'll keep bringing you
in, like it'll, it'll, it'll happen.

(53:15):
So those are stories that that we love as casting because, you
know, we're behind those actors as well.
And to see, you know, all the hard work and years that they
put into it finally come, you know, come into to fruition is,
is always amazing. And we love that.
And so we wind down, is there any closing Nuggets, pieces of

(53:36):
advice, things that people can go and can percolate on or put
into action after the episode while things are picking back up
cautiously, optimistically? I will say, and I know we, we
touched on this before, but I think it gets forgotten a lot is
to still have fun doing this because I think we can get so

(54:00):
and I get it because we want this so badly.
And I, and I know that it's like, it's a dream, right?
It's like anything in this creative world is like a dream,
right? But at the end of the day, it is
a job. It is a job.
And I think when you look at thebusiness side of it, you know,
you can get bond down with that.And I think that's kind of what

(54:22):
happened to me a little bit. But it's like have other
interests. I will always say this, and I
know a lot of people say that it's like have other interests
because if when it becomes that this is like all-encompassing,
you know, there's a lot of actors.
I know that, you know, you sadlyget, you know, hardened and you
get like, you know, bitter. You get, you know, a little bit.

(54:45):
And it's like, listen, we, we'rechoosing to do this, right?
We're, you know, no one's makingus do it.
We're doing it because we love it and you know, remember that,
like remember, remember that it's fun.
We're playing. You know, sometimes I'm in class
and people are like, you know, it's like, oh, I'm so nervous.
I'm like, guys, it's just worth playing.
We're we're literally, it's pretend.

(55:07):
We are, we are literally have lines in front of us and we're
pretending to be someone else. It's like, this is the most
awesome job in the world, right?It's hard to put into practice
when it's, you know, about putting, you know, food on the
table and trying to make some money and insurance and all that
good stuff. And I understand that, but it's
like, you know, it, it, it's tough, but it's like just to
kind of remember the good in it and the fun in it and always try

(55:30):
to be creative in one way or another, whether it's having a
little group that you guys get together and just read plays or,
or, you know, like I said, you know, create your own stuff, get
a camera and just fuck around, you know, and just just film
stuff and whatever. Because at the end of the day,
it's still always going to be just working and then getting,
getting sides, like, I don't know, sides express or whatever,

(55:51):
just continue to get sides, evenif you're not auditioning and
like work on analysis, work on your script analysis, because it
has to become sort of second nature so that you know, when
you work on it, you can, you cangive yourself a couple hours,
right? It's to be days and like
whatever it's like, it can just be the hours of giving yourself
that time to work. So that when you do, when you

(56:14):
create a self tape, it's, it's, you know, it's something that
can pop. But at the end of the day, if
there's anything like my castingself can say to my old actor
self is that it's not personal. And I think as actors, we read
so much into every little thing like we, you know, can we, do we
send this e-mail? Can we say this?

(56:36):
Did I do this wrong? Did I, you know, whatever.
Like if I'm, you know, if you can see my house in the
background, is that bad? Or is that, you know, whatever.
And I like, I literally want to tell actors like, we don't care.
Like it's like we're, we're human.
We know you guys are human. Like, Oh my God, if we're on a
zoom and like, like the Internet, the connection is bad.
Like it does that look bad on us?

(56:57):
And I'm like, guys, we get it. Like we know that Internet is
bad. Like we're not going to look at
you and go, Oh my God, they wereoff.
And I feel like we get so in ourhead about that as actors that
I, I just want to say don't worry about that stuff like the,
the business is hard enough without worrying about all the
little sort of minutia that we're not even like caring

(57:18):
about, you know, it's like. You know, you would never stop a
tape if a siren went down the street in New York or something.
And that happens all the time. And it's just it, it is the
reality of it. And I think we as actors think
because we have time to do theseself tapes, they have to be
produced and perfect. And I do, I do believe, and I'm

(57:39):
a huge advocate of put forward professional work, but within
the reality of what one person can produce with a reader.
Absolutely, absolutely. Be the first one to say you
don't have to edit stuff together.
I don't know if that's like in the commercial or whatever, but
people are like, oh, we have to edit stuff.
I'm like, you don't have to editanything.
Send separate clips. You don't have to edit.

(57:59):
I've, I've had people audition and they're literally putting
like background music and noise and what?
And I'm like, guys, we're not asking for that.
And it's like, don't like, because to me then it's like,
that's a lot of work that you'reputting into the stuff.
Like literally, if we can see you and we can hear you put the
work and the effort into the actual piece.
At the end of the day, that's what's going to get you the job.

(58:19):
Right. And the only other thing that I
want to say is and just going back to like auditioning, yeah,
that now in this world of self tape, a muscle that is getting
lost is, is being able to audition.
Like I would say to everybody when if they offer Zoom every
once in a while, you may not have don't do it every time.

(58:41):
You can pick and choose which ones you want to do.
Maybe the lower stakes one, likeif you get one for a student
film or short film or whatever, but take them up on the offer
for Zoom because that's a musclethat also needs to be worked.
And I think because in the day and age of self tape, we're
getting very used to, and I still say we as actors, we're

(59:02):
getting very used to doing the multiple takes, doing the, oh, I
could do this a little bit differently or I can do this,
whatever. We need to get back to getting
used to doing it once, like bringing it when you need to or
twice if you get like a redirect.
But also having actors realize like when they do do the Zoom,
it is not now a work session. It is still an audition.

(59:25):
And I know because there are a lot of actors too that are like,
oh, it was so fast. And I'm like, right, Because
it's not a work session now. It's still like back in the day
when you used to walk in the room and say, hi, I'm Lily, do
you have any questions? Let's do it.
OK, let's try it again like this.
OK, thank you very much. And be able to let it go.
We need to work that muscle because I think a lot of actors
are are are losing that muscle. They're getting so used to doing

(59:46):
it over and over and over that they need to be able to just
bring it because guess what? When you're on set and the
director need you to do it, you need to be able to do it.
Right. That was what I was going to
say. It's not a muscle that you can
let get flimsy because on set they do not have the budget,
time, patience, none of that foryou.
Get in the zone. When you, especially if you

(01:00:06):
work, like if you, if you come in and you do a guest star or
something, it's like you're not the star of the show.
So you have to come in and you need to have your lines down.
I mean, in to move the story foryou, you're also there to have
the show moving. Forward Oh, the series regular
can come in and make a mistake. The series regular, of course,
you know, but but as the guest show, you want to be as ready

(01:00:27):
and prepare as you can be. So yeah, that's definitely a
muscle that you want to. Like I said, I can keep talking
forever. I am going to I'm going to wrap
us up now because you actually we have a tradition of what what
is one thing you wish you could go back and tell yourself, but I
love how you answered. You answered for your your
current self to your younger self from casting to acting.
And I was like, love that. That's a first Alexa, I could

(01:00:50):
talk to you for hours. You're a blast.
We're going to link where folks can connect with you for classes
and coaching and the show notes.And I just.
I thank you for bringing your heart and, and just the
excitement and the enthusiasm for it that you do to the
business. You're just you're a light and
I'm I'm so glad to have you on the podcast and I look forward
to to coaching with you and it'syou're just a joy.

(01:01:12):
So thank you for being here. Awesome.
This is such a pleasure. This is such a pleasure, Laura.
Hi everyone, thanks for listening and being the absolute
best part of our creative community here at What's My
Frame? If you'd like to learn more
about our guests, please check out the show notes and please
join us on socials at What's My Frame?
To stay in the know for upcomingevents, I'm your host, Laura

(01:01:33):
Linda Bradley. We'll see you next Monday.