https://www.backstage.com/interview/News articles for the following category: InterviewenWed, 19 Sep 2018 11:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/peter-krause-has-tv-acting-wisdom-to-impart/ Peter Krause’s parents weren’t thrilled when he told them he wanted to be an actor. Before his first-ever airplane trip (to audition for New York University’s MFA acting program) he had a “pretty big fight” with his late father. “My parents were farm kids from Minnesota, so they weren’t initially certain what I was up to,” he remembers over a corned beef sandwich at—appropriately enough—New York–style West Hollywood, California, deli Greenblatt’s. “My dad and I were both shouting. It was a rough one—and then I got in,” he says. Krause was one of 17 accepted into the program, out of more than 1,000 applicants. Though his parents were “somewhat relieved,” they remained skeptical of his career choice until he got his first job, right out of grad school in 1990, on the half-hour NBC sketch series “Carol & Company.” “They were really relieved when I was on TV with Carol Burnett,” he says, laughing. “She was my first, wonderful boss, and so supportive. Carol helped my parents accept what I was doing.” “No kidding! I didn’t know that,” marvels the legend that is Burnett byWed, 19 Sep 2018 11:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/peter-krause-has-tv-acting-wisdom-to-impart/https://www.backstage.com/interview/why-nicole-holofcener-wants-you-ask-bathroom-break-mid-audition/Nicole Holofcener knows that “The Land of Steady Habits” is different from what you’ve come to expect from her work. “I wanted to go into this sad world,” she says of the 2014 Ted Thompson novel from which her film is adapted. “I liked the challenge of having a male lead in the script, and I guess parenting and my relationship with my children and my ex-husband—I related to so much of it that it just spoke to me [and] said, ‘Make me’.... I was happy to try to get out of the ‘chick flick’ label that I am often put under.” The Netflix feature (out Sept. 14) has the acclaimed filmmaker behind “Friends With Money,” “Please Give,” and “Enough Said” turning her attention from complex women of a certain age to an affluent white male named Anders (Ben Mendelsohn), who is going through a midlife crisis and leaves his wife, Helene (Edie Falco), and quits his cushy finance job. By the end of the film, it’s not just his ability to keep a home in Westport, Connecticut, that’s been leveled: The undertow of his substance abuse, depression, and general irresponsibility sweeps away those Anders used to love (along with a fewTue, 18 Sep 2018 10:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/why-nicole-holofcener-wants-you-ask-bathroom-break-mid-audition/https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-actor-went-background-principal-role/Jacqueline Wright was happy to nab a background spot in the film “Libba.” But when a principal actor was forced to drop out, Wright was bumped into the larger role.  She booked “Libba” in true show-biz fashion.“[The] crazy thing is, I didn’t audition! I submitted to the [Backstage] casting call, which was a background role, and got cast, but I then got selected for a supporting role due to a scheduling conflict with the actress originally cast for Louisa.” Every project creates connections.“When cast in a project, you get to know the people you work with and stay in touch. Some of the cast and crew may not be local, but you can stay connected. It’s especially cool when you see someone [you know] has been cast in something.” Backstage is accessible—everywhere.“Depending on where you live, trying to find casting calls can be hard. But Backstage helps you reach every market, which is especially beneficial for me since I’m a military spouse and am always moving.” Not in NYC or L.A.? Don’t underestimate what your market has to offer. “I currently live in North Carolina. When I first moved out here, I wasn’tFri, 14 Sep 2018 08:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-actor-went-background-principal-role/https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-makes-emmy-worthy-casting-according-tv-academys-governors/The Emmy Awards are Hollywood’s only major awards show that recognizes the art of casting with a statue—and four of them at that. (This year’s casting honors went to comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” drama “The Crown,” limited series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” and reality show “Queer Eye.”) We watch and follow along as actors in anything from leading to guest roles take home trophies, and on television’s most important night, the casting directors who put them in those roles have a chance at one of their own.  Even the casual TV watcher might be able to devise a brilliant performance, and likewise understand how an actor comes to deserve an Emmy. The way a casting director does, though, proves a little more perplexing. As the profile of casting rises and more people become familiar with casting directors’ contribution to TV, film, theater, and more, it’s still not easy to extract what makes an award-worthy casting job—as opposed to what makes simply a notable performance. To help answer that question, Peter Golden and Howard Meltzer, the two governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ casting peerThu, 13 Sep 2018 16:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-makes-emmy-worthy-casting-according-tv-academys-governors/https://www.backstage.com/interview/rj-cyler-why-actors-need-always-think-their-feet/Before his breakthrough as Earl in 2015’s “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” RJ Cyler made a cross-country move from Jacksonville, Florida, to Los Angeles after getting accepted into an acting camp in the city—and he hasn’t looked back since. He’s staying especially busy this year, reprising his role on Showtime’s “I’m Dying Up Here” and co-starring in “White Boy Rick” opposite Matthew McConaughey, in Netflix’s “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser,” and on MTV’s “Scream.”  What skills have you taken away from the various projects you’ve worked on recently? I definitely learned how to think on my feet, but to think consciously on my feet. There are certain times when a whole scene could get cut out or a whole scene could get added, and you need to know it in 30 minutes as if you’ve been rehearsing it for two years. And then just how to respect everyone’s energy on set and around you. You don’t really know how people’s days are; you can never say, “I know exactly how you feel.” But to respect the energy that’s around you and invite that energy, it makes for fluidity on set, it makesThu, 13 Sep 2018 09:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/rj-cyler-why-actors-need-always-think-their-feet/https://www.backstage.com/interview/nia-long-why-actors-should-know-what-they-needand-how-ask-it/It’s been 25 years since Nia Long co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg in the comedy “Made in America,” but she holds what she learned from the Oscar winner in high esteem to this day.  “She taught me how to ask for what I need to be great.” Not for what she wants, she clarifies over drinks at the Bowery Hotel. She says that learning to navigate the difference between the two in an industry that judges women (and particularly women of color) when they ask for anything at all has been a decades-long endeavor for the Brooklyn-born actor. But with a string of recent stints on television shows like “Empire” and “Dear White People,” as well as a fierce, scene-stealing performance in the indie feature “Roxanne Roxanne” (streaming now on Netflix), Long is proving once again how she so successfully transitioned from ’90s “it” girl to seasoned screen veteran, all the while staying true to herself. Fifty, she knows, is just around the corner (“I don’t feel it. I don’t look it,” she winks), but that milestone only energizes her more. Even as she’s getting used to the workload and rhythm of network TV—she currently playsWed, 12 Sep 2018 17:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/nia-long-why-actors-should-know-what-they-needand-how-ask-it/https://www.backstage.com/interview/3-steps-finding-success-scene/While Amanda Warren’s résumé boasts some of the buzziest film and television projects of recent memory—among them “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,”  “Black Mirror,”  “The Leftovers,” and “Mother!”—her latest starring turn on USA’s “The Purge” gave her a new and exciting challenge: being a part of a franchise (and one of today’s most successful horror ones, at that). The New York native came by Backstage HQ to discuss playing Jane, who takes advantage of the titular holiday’s legalization of crime to climb up the corporate finance ladder; the significance of “The Purge” today; and how she approaches her scenes—even through inevitable stressors.   She’s always wanted to be a part of franchise storytelling. “Being a part of a major franchise is something that I’ve always wanted. If you look at my body of work, it’s mainly indie features, arthouse cinema, especially coming off of ‘Mother!’ and ‘Three Billboards’ and ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’ And then there was also ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘House ofWed, 12 Sep 2018 10:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/3-steps-finding-success-scene/https://www.backstage.com/interview/paul-feig-simple-favor-advocating-women-onscreen/Paul Feig’s preferred armor is a three-piece suit. As a childhood cinephile of 1940s formalities and old Hollywood glamour, the “Bridesmaids” director dons them daily, each dapper look featuring a carefully selected shirt-and-tie pairing and meticulously folded pocket square. So when Blake Lively met with Feig and costume designer Renée Ehrlich Kalfus to discuss her latest character’s clothing, the actor turned to him and said, “Honestly, I just want to dress like you.” That’s how Lively’s sexy, debonair aesthetic—complete with ornate pins, pocket-watch chains, and customized tear-away dress shirts—came to be for “A Simple Favor,” the suburban noir thriller in which Lively’s enigmatic executive suddenly goes missing, leaving her mommy-vlogger friend (Anna Kendrick) to solve the mystery. Adapted by Jessica Sharzer from Darcey Bell’s gripping novel, the Sept. 14 release—also featuring Linda Cardellini, Andrew Rannells, and relative newcomer Henry Golding—is not only Feig’s most stylish movie yet, it’s also his first foray into the thriller genre. “This was a house of cards like no other movie I’ve doneTue, 11 Sep 2018 10:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/paul-feig-simple-favor-advocating-women-onscreen/https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-its-play-eliza-doolittle-once-week-broadways-my-fair-lady/Once a week, Kerstin Anderson dances all night. That is to say, the actor understudies the role of Eliza Doolittle in the Lincoln Center Theater production of “My Fair Lady.” Unlike most understudies, though, Anderson knows she will be going on every Sunday (in place of Lauren Ambrose), a stark contrast to the never-knowing-ness of most covers. Anderson, who is onstage in the musical’s ensemble for non-Sunday performances, spoke with Backstage about the unique mindset of her track, her first time going on without ever having had a full runthrough, and her advice for all future superheroes known as understudies. How is being an understudy and knowing you’re going on different than being a regular understudy?This is my first understudy experience, but it does feel very different knowing that I’m going to get to do it once a week from the never-knowing-when-you’re-gonna-go-on moment. That is way more terrifying. There’s some sort of security in knowing that you do it once a week, and now that I’ve done it however many times, should anybody get sick, it feels less daunting. Back when it was like, “Just be ready whenever something happen,” [Ambrose] would cough in theMon, 10 Sep 2018 16:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-its-play-eliza-doolittle-once-week-broadways-my-fair-lady/https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-you-can-learn-casting-making-film-48-hours/The 48 Hour Film Project empowers filmmakers and actors to collaborate on and complete a film in, as the organization title suggests, 48 hours. Writing, casting, costumes, everything is done during the two-day period. The project gives filmmakers of all experience levels a crash course in being on set and going through the process of making a film from pre- to post-production. On Friday, teams draw a genre out of a hat and are assigned a character, prop, and line that must end up in the seven-minute film. By Sunday night, they’ve completed their films and the finished products are screened in a local theater. For people familiar with the months- to years-long process of making some of Hollywood’s highest-grossing films, it might seem impossible. However, over the course of its existence, more than 40,000 films have been made as part of the project. Co-founder Liz Langston talked to Backstage about the 48 Hour Film Projects origins and what filmmakers should know, whether they have two days or more to make their project. How did you and Mark Ruppert begin working together and what sparked the idea to try to make a film in 48 hours? Mark and I met at a Film Biz Happy Hour in Washington, D.C. I had some scripts andFri, 07 Sep 2018 16:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-you-can-learn-casting-making-film-48-hours/https://www.backstage.com/interview/1-thing-s-more-important-ambition-actors/New York City–area actor Tiffany Peach has a morning routine: drinking coffee and perusing Backstage. That’s how she booked the Off-Broadway play “Park for Your Problems.”   The play is like NYC itself.“[It’s about] strangers in a park realizing that, after all, they are not that different from one another and actually share many experiences and secrets, [which] was very intriguing to me. It is a feeling I have encountered frequently since moving to New York.” Don’t box yourself in.“I would advise everyone to apply for parts they think they might not be the right fit for, if it’s a project you want to be a part of. I’ve often been called in for parts I was sure I wasn’t the right type for, and, surprisingly, those were also the jobs I often ended up booking.”   Backstage is a daily necessity. “[I use Backstage] pretty much on a daily basis. Backstage now is actually a crucial part of my morning routine, and often the first thing I do (after coffee, of course).”  Know your type, but don’t let it limit you.“I always get super excited whenever I see a lead part in a play listed, since theater isFri, 07 Sep 2018 08:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/1-thing-s-more-important-ambition-actors/https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-actors-need-know-stepping-tv-set-first-time/Director Patricia Riggen had a number of film credits to her name when she decided she wanted in on the episodic television action. She started with the big leagues: Amazon’s CIA thriller “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” the first season of which is now streaming in full. Riggen spoke with Backstage about relinquishing some control when helming television versus film, how her relationship to actors changes medium to medium, and her advice for actors stepping foot on set for the first time.  What inspired you to make the leap from directing film to television? There’s so much happening on the television front. There’s great writing, there’s great actors, everyone’s talking about TV shows. Part of our everyday conversation is following those storylines, so I wanted to experience it, and I was very thankful that I got the opportunity to jump right in. Since [“Jack Ryan”], I have already shot two more pilots.   READ: How to Become a TV Director  What’s a major difference in directing film opposed to TV? One of the things is as a TV director you don’t participate in the development or in the post [-production] phase of the storytelling,Thu, 06 Sep 2018 10:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/what-actors-need-know-stepping-tv-set-first-time/https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-mustafa-shakir-moved-past-marvels-first-rejection-star-luke-cage-and-deuce/Mustafa Shakir’s summer is bookended by roles on Netflix’s “Luke Cage” and HBO’s “The Deuce.” On the former, Shakir plays the season’s villain, crime boss John “Bushmaster” McIver, his first role in a comics-inspired series after auditioning for Season 1, the CW’s “Black Lightning,” and “Black Panther.” Ahead of reprising his role as Big Mike on Season 2 of “The Deuce,” Shakir discusses how he needed to “chill” early in his career. How do you typically prepare for an audition?You want to be as tall as possible. It’s a strange situation to go into a small room with someone you may or may not know and pour your heart out. Take a few minutes to meditate. You have to know what your character is saying. Scour the text and really digest that. I don’t like to over-rehearse or practice. Once I get the lines down, it’s about speed—how fast I can do it, how accurately I can do it—so when I’m in the space, no matter what energy is thrown at me, I can adjust how I do my thing. It’s about knowing what you’re going to say and getting in the room and allowing the moment to dictate howThu, 06 Sep 2018 09:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-mustafa-shakir-moved-past-marvels-first-rejection-star-luke-cage-and-deuce/https://www.backstage.com/interview/ethan-hawke-reveals-shamanistic-process-his-performances/“My whole life, I’ve been really interested in this idea that the arts are not as different as people make them out to be—that communication and storytelling and expression are all fundamentally coming from the same well.” So says Ethan Hawke within minutes of sitting down for lunch at Manhattan’s bustling Tanner Smith’s—and for the next 80 minutes, he covers everything from his theatrical roots with Sam Rockwell and Josh Hamilton to his emotional maturation while facing “a lot of rejection” over the years to now helping his daughter, Maya, follow in his and her mother Uma Thurman’s actorly footsteps. In person, Hawke exhibits a contagious enthusiasm for the task at hand (in this case, chatting about his craft and career over a pastrami sandwich and a side of fries). He meets each talking point with an equally engaging but off-the-beaten-path tangent—anecdotes of working with Denzel Washington in “Training Day” or Robert De Niro in “Great Expectations,” thoughtful metaphors of the craft (one borrowed from Hemingway and involving an iceberg), and favorite quotes from Shakespeare and Whitman to match. Even at age 47, salt and pepper specklingWed, 05 Sep 2018 11:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/ethan-hawke-reveals-shamanistic-process-his-performances/https://www.backstage.com/interview/michel-gondry-reteaming-jim-carrey-biggest-challenge-directing-kidding/The search for identity in a character’s psyche is a journey many can relate to, one that can cause even the most successful actors to experience a performative break. Jim Carrey, for example, recently said that internal dialogue and navigation is what first enticed him to Showtime and creator Dave Holstein’s “Kidding.”  Speaking on the series during the recent Television Critics Association summer press tour, Carrey said that “the search for identity” his Mr. Rogers–esque character Mr. Pickles undergoes through the series’ 10 episodes “is a theme that’s always been attractive to me. There’s definitely something in this piece that calls to me.” Part of that resonance came, he said, from Holstein and director and executive producer Michel Gondry’s exploration of “trying to hang on to the idea of the self.” Carrey stars as Mr. Pickles, a children’s show host who preaches self-love, inner peace, and golden rule sensibilities to great success and acclaim; over the years, he has become the singular face of a $100 million franchise. All of that comes into question, however, when his personal life—specifically with his wife,Tue, 04 Sep 2018 10:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/michel-gondry-reteaming-jim-carrey-biggest-challenge-directing-kidding/https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-make-most-your-marvel-audition/“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” fans rejoiced when news broke this summer that Jeff Ward and his Deke Shaw will be returning for Season 6 as a series regular—and with good reason! Want to learn how Ward made it to Marvel? We sat with him earlier this year to discuss just how he landed the role and the advice he’d give to actors new to television: “Everything moves so quickly—you really have got to do your homework.” Backstage played a vital role in his early career.“Every day on my way in and out of [NYU Tisch School of the Arts], I would pass a bodega that had Backstage in the window, and I would see what the new issue was every time, and read it and read all the tips and tricks of the trade and all that stuff! Backstage has a place in my heart.”  With Marvel, secrecy is the name of the game.“Marvel is obviously top-secret about everything, so literally all of us don’t know what’s going to happen until we get the next episode. It feels like I’m watching the show, because I have no idea what’s ever gonna happen. And that’s, at first, a very scary way of working, because you’re kind of thrown in blind and you’ve got to makeTue, 04 Sep 2018 10:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-make-most-your-marvel-audition/https://www.backstage.com/interview/should-you-work-cruise-line-rws-entertainment/Over the last few years, the production value of performances on cruise lines has skyrocketed, and it seems the days of putting a performer’s career out to pasture on the high seas are over. Cruise lines are attracting big-name talent, Broadway choreographers, and highly skilled set designers. RWS Entertainment Group, which works with Holland America and Azamara Club Cruises, has contributed to the uptick in the quality of singers, dancers, music, and set design. We spoke with Ryan Stana of RWS to hear about the misconception he most commonly encounters about working on a cruise ship, what to expect in auditions, and branded shows that tour cruise fleets—“much like touring Broadway productions,” he says. What’s a common misconception about working on a cruise ship that you’d like to dispel?We hear so often, “It’s just a cruise ship.” As if it’s “just” a paycheck and there’s nothing else to be gained from the experience, artistically or personally. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Some of the most versatile and talented people in the industry are performing at sea right now. Our shows range choreographically from ballroom to ballet toFri, 31 Aug 2018 16:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/should-you-work-cruise-line-rws-entertainment/https://www.backstage.com/interview/kin-filmmakers-jonathan-and-josh-baker-finding-their-teen-star/Filmmakers and brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker believe in the power of stillness within larger genre fare. And they indeed find quiet moments in their new film, “Kin,” a feature adaptation of their short film “Bag Man,” which was nominated for a SXSW Grand Jury Award four years ago. Their goal was to maintain the indie spirit of their acclaimed short while expanding upon its sci-fi elements. “It was really fun for us to think about how to do these outrageous stylized ideas in a very grounded, gritty America in 2018,” says Jonathan. The two have been directing commercials, music videos, and occasional shorts for the last 15 years, so delving into a feature-length film was an opportunity to flex their storytelling muscle. “A lot of commercial directors making their first feature often go the visual route, and that can become a bit of a cliche,” Josh says. “We were really interested in not focusing much on the visuals but focusing more on character and tone. We knew we wanted it to feel different and have elements you’re used to from a blockbuster but treat it in a much more restrained way.” They always knew this short of theirs had the potential to be adapted intoThu, 30 Aug 2018 11:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/kin-filmmakers-jonathan-and-josh-baker-finding-their-teen-star/https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-be-production-designers-favorite-actor-set/For BritBox’s “The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco,” production designer Joanna Dunn Thompson had to transform the flats of Vancouver into the hills of 1950s San Francisco—a literally steep task she achieved with some outside-the-box dexterity. Dunn spoke with Backstage about that specific challenge, her general approach to collaborating with actors, and the one time an actor overstepped their bounds (and how you can avoid doing so!).  How would you describe the role of production designers? You are the large umbrella that oversees construction, paint, green screens, props, set directing, palettes of the show. You work closely with the costume designer, but you’re not really in their world as much. [However], you want it to look like the worlds live together. Pretty much everything to do with before the camera shows up—I have my finger in all the pies. READ: How Production + Set Design Will Help You Develop Your Character  How closely does the production designer work with the director on TV shows?You’re the constant in a TV series, because new directors come every episode, but you have to still be faithful to the look of the entire show. So sometimes directors are like,Thu, 30 Aug 2018 10:30:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/how-be-production-designers-favorite-actor-set/https://www.backstage.com/interview/mayans-mc-star-antonio-jaramillo-how-not-take-rejection-personally/Antonio Jaramillo fell in love with acting on the stage. After moving to San Diego as a teenager, the actor, who’ll be seen next as Michael “Riz” Ariza on FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” spinoff “Mayans M.C.,” devoured the literature and culture of the theater. This turned into onscreen roles, too: Jaramillo starred alongside Jennifer Lopez on NBC’s “Shades of Blue” and on TNT’s “Dallas.” Coming off a run in “Three Days in the Country” at Antaeus Theatre Company, Jaramillo shares how theater training impacted his latest role. Have you ever used Backstage in the past?Oh, of course! It’s been a while since I got it, but when I first moved, it was the magazine that you read for auditions, for theater, for films. Just to get information about the industry, what people are doing. I used to look at it all the time and read the articles. You’re balancing shooting “Mayans MC” and the play “Three Days in the Country.” How do you manage that?It’s a little crazy. Sometimes I barely get to the theater. They’re working with me on set. It’s just a couple of scenes where I’m working later in theThu, 30 Aug 2018 09:00:00 -0400https://www.backstage.com/interview/mayans-mc-star-antonio-jaramillo-how-not-take-rejection-personally/