That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

In this episode, 23 years as a SAG-AFTRA member, and I'm watching eight-page, plot-driving roles get labeled "Large Co-star" by CBS, ABC, HBO, Netflix, and Apple — a mislabel that's the difference between needing 23 TV bookings a year to qualify for health and pension versus needing 3. This week, I'm breaking down SAG's actual co-star definition, the pattern I'm seeing across every platform, and why it matters for every actor...

Today we sit down with Luke Tennie — the Shrinking, Abbott Elementary, and Nickel Boys actor whose path to Hollywood began not in an acting class but on a football field, where being "too small" for the O-line turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.

Luke takes us inside his jaw-dropping first week out of AMDA, when he pinned both Jumanji and Shock and Awe simultaneously — and chose Rob Reiner. He shar...

Today we're sitting down with the luminous Natalie Martinez, whose path to Hollywood started not in a classroom or on a stage — but at a mall in Miami, wearing a tank top and no bra, auditioning for Jennifer Lopez on a $100 bet from her mom.

From winning J.Lo's national model search to becoming one of television's most trusted leading ladies, Natalie has spent over two decades learning the craft entirely on the job. She share...

Christopher Thornton — actor, writer, teacher, and one of the most quietly extraordinary storytellers working in Hollywood today.

His journey is not a straight line. It is a rock climbing accident that fractured two vertebrae and left him in a wheelchair — and an agency that dropped him in a signed card from his hospital bed. It is a then-unknown Mark Ruffalo tricking him into performing Waiting for Godot five months la...

Cara Jade Myers asked Martin Scorsese how he wanted her to play Anna in Killers of the Flower Moon. He said — "You're the actor. Figure it out." And that single sentence gave her permission to know exactly what to do. This week we unpack why the permission you've been waiting for has always been yours to give yourself — and why Cara's decision to stop waiting for the industry and start writing, producing, and creating h...

Today we are sitting down with Cara Jade Myers — the Native American actress who spent ten years grinding through background work, PA gigs, and craft services before booking one of the most coveted roles in recent Hollywood history: Anna in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.

Cara takes us through the entire extraordinary journey — from auditioning for casting director Rene Haynes for years before getting noti...

Okay. A LAMDA trained British actor who is also a fully practicing member of The Magic Circle walked into this week's episode and completely changed how I think about self tapes. Brendan Patricks — Downton Abbey, Rivals, Gentleman Jack — figured out that the same techniques magicians use to control where an audience looks apply directly to your tape. This week we break down the Miles Davis philosophy of treating every s...

Today, we're joined by Brendan Patricks, the British actor and close-up magician whose 20-plus-year career has taken him from the West End to acclaimed series like Downton Abbey, Rivals, and Gentleman Jack. Brendan shares how picking up his first deck of cards at 21, after his father gave him a tiny book of tricks, sparked a lifelong obsession with magic and ultimately transformed the way he approaches acting.

In this episode, Bren...

Cindy Busby spent two years in a career slump that almost broke her — and came back with a philosophy that changed everything. This week we get honest about the part nobody talks about: the hurt that lands in your body even when your head knows casting is selection not rejection. We break down why you are never being evaluated on whether you are good enough — only on whether your piece fits the puzzle they are building ...

Today, we're stepping inside the audition room with Cindy Busby, an actress who has built an incredible two-decade career with more than 20 leading roles across film and television. From her breakout role as Ashley Stanton on the beloved series Heartland, to starring in fan favorites like Unleashing Mr. Darcy and Royal Hearts, to her current series lead on When Hope Calls, Cindy knows what it takes to build a career with real stayi...

Get ready for an incredibly fun and insightful episode as we sit down with the hilariously talented Bill Glass, the actor behind one of the most recognizable faces, and fake mustaches, on television as Progressive's legendary "Dr. Rick"!

In this conversation, Bill takes us back to his Chicago roots and shares his journey from high school class clown who stumbled into improv to a true "lunch pail actor" who has spent 26 years buildi...

Inspired by Michelle Lang's jaw-dropping creative renaissance — 80 million views, a Netflix directing credit, and a full career reinvention at 43 — this week we tackle the one practice every great athlete, musician, and director swears by that most actors completely avoid. Watching their own work. We break down the difference between self-criticism and self-study, the three questions to ask every single time you press p...

Today, we are joined by the phenomenal multi-hyphenate Michelle Lang, who bypassed the traditional studio system to carve out an extraordinary career as an actress, stunt performer, producer, and director. In this episode, Michelle shares her invaluable "cheat codes" for navigating the industry, from her wild beginnings landing the role of Bruce Lee's wife to her self-taught journey into producing.

She opens up about the raw realit...

Logan Marshall-Green said it took him over a decade to truly own himself in front of a camera — and he also said something that reframes why it takes so long for all of us: "You don't make art to impress. You make art to unveil something about yourself." This week we break down the difference between performing AT the camera and letting it actually find you, why the gap between what you feel in a scene and what you see on you...

Today, we're sitting down with powerhouse actor Logan Marshall-Green, who has spent decades carving out an extraordinary career from the stage to the screen. His story begins with famously turning down a role in Terminator 3 in order to finish his MFA. In this episode, Logan takes us through his raw and honest journey, from battling intense imposter syndrome on the set of Ridley Scott's Prometheus to eventually finding his camera "...

In this episode, what does casting look for when you are self-taping?

This week's Wednesday Wisdom is a look inside Slaytember 2026, a three-week live casting class from Anna LaMadrid (HBO's The Rehearsal) and Alyshia Ochse (HBO's True Detective) that walks actors through a full TV pilot audition process — self-tape submission, a Zoom callback, and a live chemistry read with working casting professionals, including confirmed ...

Today's guest, Alex Bonifer, has taken a decidedly unconventional route to becoming a standout in some of television's most unique comedies. A summer improv class, forced upon him by his father, set him on a twelve-year journey through legendary comedy institutions including iO West, UCB, and The Groundlings. Alex went from working as a furniture salesman and Uber driver to becoming a series regular, landing memorable roles in Supe...

Jason Momoa was the FIRST one to audition for GAME OF THRONES and the LAST one cast a year later. His cousin's impact on his life helped him make a strong choice that ultimately landed him the role. But it took him a few years and a couple of classes to trust his instinctive strong choices and learn how to "audition." BAYWATCH discovered him in his native home of Hawaii among a 1,300-person cattle call. Jason responded to a radio c...

With thick skin, an optimist's heart and a realist's mind, the incomparable Michelle Monaghan tells us how being championed by her parents in a town of 700, mentored by Frances McDormand in North Country, and ending up on Constantine's cutting room floor gave her the courage, confidence and opportunity to make every mission… possible.

Michelle Monaghan is a Golden Globe nominated actress with over two decades of experience i...