Confessions of a Working Actor

Michelle Hurd

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:00:46 GMT

“I’m so much more interested in helping the many, instead of just the few.” Now there’s an actor who’s also clearly an activist! Michelle Hurd has done it all: theater, Film, TV… Hmmm, let’s do some math: Law & Order SVU 25 episodes, Another World 52 episodes, Leap Years 20 episodes, The Glades 43 episodes, Blindspot 27 episodes, Hawaii 5-O 8 episodes, Daredevil 6 episodes, Star Trek: Picard 19 episodes AND THAT’S ONLY A FEW OF HER CREDITS CHOSEN AT RANDOM, AND THAT’S ALREADY 200 EPISODES OF TV!!!! Chris and David hear about what got Michelle so fired up about acting - and activism - an a young age; why she says you all have to “be your own biggest fan;” and of course why she got the SAG-AFTRA President’s Award For Union Service, “No matter the size of the role, come to set with the same respect, intention, and preparation as if you are number 1 on the call sheet” Damn good advice.

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Daniel Serafini-Sauli

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 13:30:07 GMT

“It’s a miserable life. But you should really, really, probably do it.” Who told Daniel Sauli that and why? This week, Chris and David have got a guy. He’s more than just a guy who knows a guy. He’s Tommy Longo from “The Deuce.” He’s Joe Martini from “NYC 22." He’s Patrick Parisi from “The Sopranos.” Daniel Sauli is an intense, dedicated actor and a gift to anyone lucky enough to share a stage or a screen with him. Is it true he has no idea what happened to the film "This Is The Night” that he did with Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannevale? And is acting really still doing it for him, or not? “I need and want to MAKE things!” Advice about acting, writing, not trying too hard (i.e. “not giving a shit”), and inspiration abounds.

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Kelly Stables

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 13:00:03 GMT

“Wanna go to a whorehouse? Or a cockfight? Or should we see a play?” This week’s guest got her first job as a monkey on “Planet of the Apes.” On an interesting solo-hosting adventure this week, David talks with accomplished actor and long time friend Kelly Stables. They did 64 episodes of “The Exes” together, and it shows! You also know Kelly as the bubbly, bright receptionist on “Two and a Half Men” and from shows like “Superstore” and films like “The Ring 2.” How did stunt work lead to this amazing acting career? What’s an under 5 foot tall human to do when confronted with casting bias? Why, turn that into a plus, of course! There’s no shortage (see what we did there?) of good advice from Kelly, and some great stories, too.

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Ted Sullivan, Writer & Producer

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 13:00:28 GMT

“One of the things I love most about actors is when they elevate the script in a way I could never have imagined.” We’ve got something a little different for you this week. Yes, the show is called “Confessions of a Working Actor,” but in this episode Chris and David talk to…wait for it...a writer/producer. Emmy nominated writer Ted Sullivan has been a producer, staff writer, and co-executive producer of some major TV shows like “Riverdale,” “Star Trek,” “Pure Genius,” “Supergirl,” “Revenge,” and “Rizzoli & Isles.” And all that experience with actors has generated some wisdom you’re gonna want to hear. Like this gem: “I want confidence from an actor, I don’t want to have to babysit them or teach them.” Has he ever had to do that? What’s his advice from the other side of the table? Wanna find out? Tune in!

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Edward Furlong

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 13:30:55 GMT

“I always felt like I was pulling something over on everyone.” This week’s guest is making a comeback, and we’re so glad. He’s such an inspiration, what a journey he’s been on. Edward Furlong became a HUGE movie star at just 13 years old after starring in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Then he did films like “Pecker," directed by John Waters, "Before & After" by the amazing director Barbet Schroeder (where he starred with Meryl Streep!) and "The Grass Harp” with Walter Matthau, Jack Lemon, and Sissy Spacek. And of course there was “Detroit Rock City,” “Green Hornet,” and the highly underrated “American History X.” David explains why he thinks this is one of Furlong’s - and Ed Norton’s - best performances ever, and he and Chris go deep into Eddie’s acting insights. Throw in some honest talk about addiction and sobriety, and ya gotta listen to this.

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Erinn Hayes

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 12:00:47 GMT

“Hey actresses: those couple of pounds that you’re stressing about? Or those bangs? Or whatever you’re trying to do to be perfect? All of that doesn’t fucking matter!” This week David and Chris talk to a wonderful actor and, we think, a comedy genius. Emmy nominee Erinn Hayes has been on shows you know like “Parks and Rec,” “The New Girl,” “Transparent,” “Kevin Can Wait” and more. She also plays “Jane Bales” on the hit comedy “The Goldbergs,” and was a lead in the hilariously absurd comedy series “Medical Police.” And of course you may know her best from her 67 episodes as Dr. Lola Spratt on “Children’s Hospital." Hear Erinn talk about “Bill & Ted Face The Music” - is Keanu Reeves as kind as people say he is? And we’ll find out about her most recent film "A Christmas Story Christmas” with an all grown up Ralphie! Don’t miss this one!

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Jack DiFalco

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 05:00:40 GMT

“My specialty is playing troubled youth.” This week we’re talking to another brilliant up-and-coming actor, Jack DiFalco. David did a terrible horror movie with him a while back, but that’s not his claim to fame. He’s been on TV shows like Blue Bloods, FBI, Daredevil, Prodigal Son, and more. And, he’s a serious Broadway guy, too — he's starred in plays like The Ferryman, Torch Song, and Marvin’s Room. What does Jack mean when he says that “It’s a never ending string you have to keep pulling on?” How is the out-of-town tryout in Boston for Sing Street going? And, here’s an interesting twist: he was discovered while in the foster system!

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Leah Remini

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 05:00:57 GMT

“To walk into a room and make people smile, that to me is such a gift.” You’ve never met a nicer, more compassionate badass than Leah Remini — trust us. She’s Bensonhurst through and through, and she knows it and flaunts it. Also, she’s as famous and as humble as they come. Did Jimmy Burroughs really throw her under the bus at a sitcom taping, telling her, “I disagree Leah, I think the president of the network is a lovely guy, you’re wrong”...right in front of that president? What did Leah learn in some of her earliest acting classes? There’s a lot to unpack here, and the laughs abound. What about the time the casting folks and producers talked the whole time she was auditioning? Did they like her audition? “No, they said they didn’t like YOU as a person.” Damn, rejection is cold, but Leah Remini somehow makes it heartwarming.

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Beth Dover

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 04:00:47 GMT

“Stay in your own lane!” This week, just out of SuperMax…it's “Linda” from “Orange Is The New Black!” Yep, we found her. Really, it’s the brilliant actress who played Linda and so many other great roles, Beth Dover. She’s been in SO many shows, including "Burning Love,” "Another Period,” and the hilarious "Children’s Hospital.” David and Chris recently had her husband on the podcast, actor Joe Lo Truglio, and Beth might dispute a few things he said. “Wait a minute, did my husband tell you that?” Oh yes he did! David and Christ talk with Beth about “The Donor Party,” written by Rob Corddry, growing up a military brat, and knowing she wanted to be an actor from age 3. What’s something Beth wishes she’d known back when she was doing the Miss Pre-Teen Osan Air Force Base pageant? We’ll find out!

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Meeya Davis-Glover

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 04:00:20 GMT

“Everywhere you go and everything you do as an actor, there’s something to be learned.” Up-and-coming actor Meeya Davis-Glover is the focus of this week’s episode. She's the voice and motion-capture actor for the character of Tilly Jackson in the wildly popular game “Red Dead Redemption” with a huge cult following, and she’s been on shows like “Crashing,” “High Maintenance,” and “Orange Is the New Black.” We’ll talk about her films “Premature” and “Know Fear” (that one had a lot of lessons about what NOT to do!) and we’ll find out what happened when this Detroit native showed up 2 hours late for a commercial audition. Also, let’s find out why Meeya keeps saying, “You still got the sauce!”

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Joe Lo Truglio

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 04:00:28 GMT

“Make it about the work, and don’t be a dick…” Okay folks, hold on to your hats because on this week’s episode, we’ve got a ridiculously funny guy — really, no one should be allowed to be this funny. You know Joe Lo Truglio from 153 episodes of “Brooklyn 99,” “Reno 911,” and probably some other shows with a 9 in the title. He’s done some of the funniest episodes of “Drunk History” ever made, he was in “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Burning Love,” and we’re going waaaay back now but true comedy fans remember that he was a creator and cast member of MTV’s brilliantly funny “The State.” David and Chris talk with Joe about all that, and more. Like the horror film “Outpost” that Joe wrote and directed and produced. Tune in and hear why this incredibly funny, talented actor — like all of us — sometimes still muses aloud, “I don’t understand — how many more of these hoops am I going to have to jump through?”

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Sonya Vai

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 04:00:13 GMT

“Just keep going. Either don’t do it, or keep going, that’s all.” This week David and Chris get an interesting perspective on the business from prolific stand-up comic Sonya Vai. Sonya was born and raised in NYC, but is constantly asked “where are you really from?” by drunk men in bars. And, although she's of South Asian descent, she says she has a culturally diverse face and is often mistaken for a terrorist. See? She’s funny! We talk about her national comedy tour — where she performed in 20 cities over 23 days — her European tour this past summer, what it’s like to open for Judah Friedlander, and being on stage nightly in NYC at venues such as New York Comedy Club, The Stand NYC, Gotham, and Carolines. Actors who want to be stand-ups, tune in!

You can find Sonya's comedy show schedule on her Instagram:@sonyavaicomedy

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Phil Lamarr

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 05:00:37 GMT

"Making a living as an actor is a moving target, and there is no one path.” That from the very versatile mouth of Phil Lamarr, an amazing actor and voice of an astoundingly diverse group of animated characters that include Samurai Jack, characters on Futurama, Family Guy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Justice League, and dozens more. But many people don’t know that he’s also an actor with chops: he was an original cast member of "Mad TV,” starred with Paul Reubens in the Broadway production of The Pee-Wee Herman Show, and of course, there’s the iconic but ill-fated “Marvin” from Pulp Fiction. We hear from Phil about how he moves from VO to on-camera so seamlessly, what it means to him to bring pieces of himself to his roles, and what the best part of having his head shot off by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta was.

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Jack Merrill

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 04:00:11 GMT

“Become that one person you always wanted to meet.” In this week’s episode, Chris and David interview veteran actor Jack Merrill — who knew one guy could expound on David Mamet, Miley Cyrus, and even D.B. Sweeney in the same episode? Jack shares about co-founding the legendary New York theater company Naked Angels, and what happened when he tried to tie an agent to a chair during an audition. Yes, really. Want to know what it was like playing Rupert Murdoch in a film with the real Stormy Daniels? Jack shares that plus a whole lot more, and tells us about his most memorable piece of advice about looking inward. Also, the Russian Tea Room figures into things somehow, and so does Madonna.

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Alysia Reiner

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:00:17 GMT

“Don’t wait, create!” is just one of the gems offered up by TV and film star Alysia Reiner in this week’s episode. She may play badass roles like Natalie “Fig” Figueroa in Orange Is The New Black and Agent Deever in the new Disney+ smash hit Ms. Marvel, but this guest is all heart. Alysia talks about how hard it was starting out, and how she learned not to “carry her own baggage” into the audition room. The group also discusses "being of service," and how that can keep actors grounded and curious at the same time. Tune in and find out which famous casting director told Alysia “maybe that audition will help you decide if you really want to be an actor or not,” along with Alysia’s secret formula for bringing yourself back into a scene or audition when you find yourself somewhere else. Invaluable advice, indeed!

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Jenny Mudge & Chris Coffey

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 04:00:28 GMT

“You’re the only you there is, just go and be yourself.” This week David and Chris actually talk to TWO wonderful actors, so expect double the wisdom, double the advice, and double the fun. Chris Coffey has been in Chicago Fire, Instinct, The Good Wife and many more, and even did a voice for Grand Theft Auto. Jenny Mudge is a Drama Desk Award nominated actress who’s been in dozens of TV shows including Boss with Kelsey Grammar. Both are seasoned NY theater actors, too. And...they happen to be married to each other. Which spouse has the best piece of advice? Will they kill each other before the episode is over? Tune in to find out.

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David DeLuise

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 04:00:40 GMT

“Give your gift!” David DeLuise's mother, actress Carol Arthur, gave him that advice and he’s lived it ever since. He's an actor, director, producer, and son of legendary actor and comedian Dom DeLuise. Which is made even cooler by the fact that his godparents are Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. Actor David DeLuise has been in countless TV series — 106 episodes of “The Wizards of Waverly Place,” 46 episodes of “3rd Rock From The Sun,” and many more. David talks to us about trying to fill his father’s shoes, how he went from hating being on set to gratitude for it every day, and shares some silly stories about his journey thus far.

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Richard Kind

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 14:50:55 GMT

“I call myself the Costco of acting: I come in quantity, and I come cheap...” This week David and Chris interview legendary actor Richard Kind. You know his face (175 episodes of “Spin City,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Mad About You" and many more) and you know his voice (Bing Bong in the Pixar film "Inside Out,” Moly in “A Bug’s Life") and now you’ll know his story. Richard was a member of Chicago’s famed Second City, he once played the role of Rudy Giuliani (without the dripping hair dye), and he stars in the upcoming film “The Outlaws” with Nina Dobrev, Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan. Is there anything this guy can’t do? Want to hear about being directed by Billy Crystal in “Mr. Saturday Night?” How about Clint Eastwood telling him “just do it faster?” Richard shares some wisdom and history and one very big piece of advice for actors about how to walk into the audition room.

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Trailer

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:45:18 GMT

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