How Can You Use Improvisation in Preparing for a Role?
"Improvisation is the art of finding your freedom within a moment. Acting in film is about creating and shaping moments for the camera.One cannot create and shape moments without freedom." More »

The Hollywood Closet
I now have a chance to go to Hollywood, but I've been told I need to go way back into the closet if I want to be a leading man there. More »

Worst Acting Conditions?
"Once I hit the stage and experienced the hot glare of the lights, the oppressive heat transformed me into a fountain of sweat, with my leather pants sticking to every inch of my lower body." More »

Giving Notes?
"Giving notes to actors is a craft unto itself. It's about efficiency and timing. Knowing how and when to give a note is sometimes more important than the note itself." More »

Common Mistakes
"Doing too much in their montages. Even having a montage. Directors and casting directors really want to cut to the chase with you, not see little bits of everything you've ever done." More »

A Day In Your Office
"If you are able, I recommend that every actor should intern at an agent's office for at least a week. I started in this business as an actor interning for the agency who represented me." More »

Should I Sign with a Rep?
"Be wise to those who coast on their reputations, are always looking backward, or hold themselves out as a friend. You want a friend, get a dog." More »

Costumes and Props at an Audition?
If dressing in character or carrying a phone works, use it! The time an actor spends in the audition room is that actor's time to get the role. More »

Approaching a Role with an Accent
My actors are required to master accents. They use dialect CDs offering a step-by-step approach with specific drills and exercises. More »

Typed Out?
I want to stretch, to play parts that challenge me, but I seem instead to always be cast in similar roles. It's undermining my self-confidence. Am I kidding myself about my acting talent? More »

How Do You Collaborate With Actors?
I  like to think of a play as a blueprint for a house. All of the people involved in the production help build the house. In the context of a new play, the actors are the heavy lifters—they are the ones laying the foundation, brick by brick, of the emotional substance of the house. More »

Of All Your Performances, Which One Are You Most Proud Of?
Two years ago, I did a Shakespeare play, "Pericles," for a small Shakespeare company in Seattle, with a director named Sheila Daniels. I played Thaisa, which is not a huge part, but from start to finish the production was one of the most collaborative. More »

Can Comedic Timing Be Taught, or Is It Innate?
An acting teacher of mine (quoting an acting teacher of his, who was quoting an acting teacher of his, etc., ad infinitum) once said, "Emotion is to the actor what sweat is to the athlete." More »

What Does an Actor Need to Know Before Moving to New York?
Moving to New York to pursue your career is the first step toward a promising future, but that future isn't always as rosy as it may appear from your hometown bedroom. More »

Do You Attend Workshops and/or Showcases?
I love to attend showcases and workshops. The problem is allotting the time to do so. More »

How Do You Cast Biopics and Historical Figures?
It's a much more specific demand when we're casting really current figures—figures in the media, very visible figures. They're not just in history; they're people our audience would know very well. More »

What is the Difference Between an Action, an Objective, and an Intention?
Action is what an actor, playing a character, does or says to achieve an objective.  Objective is what the character wants, or what the character's goal is.  Intention, perhaps the most important job an actor has. More »

What Should an Actor Look for in a Headshot Retoucher?
"The most important thing an actor should look for is a professional retoucher who also does headshots. Look for people who specialize in headshot retouching."  -- J. Jhaveri More »

Fighting Fear
I've had some success as an actor, but I wonder if this is the time to think about doing something else with my life. I keep worrying about this all the time, to the point where I can't sleep. What can I do? More »

How Do You Deal with Nerves?
Ideally, I try to turn nerves into character- and situation-appropriate emotions, or at least into excitement about performing. --Alexis Raben More »

Learn About Acting as a Director?
Once I began directing, I became more fully cognizant that what is truly engaging is the energy that exists between actors, or between an actor and the audience or the camera. More »

Repeating a Great Moment Night After Night?
Stanislavsky discovered that the way to recall a past experience and express the emotion elicited by that experience is to be relaxed and in touch with your five senses. More »

How Important Is Typing for an Actor? 
When you know who you are and how other people see you, it transcends the nuts and bolts of acting technique and becomes about the true you. More »

Unmasked
Sure, it's not impossible that a "Freaks and Geeks" spinoff will land at your feet, but for most auditions, acne is not considered an asset. More »

Important to Like Your Client as a Person?
There is no possible way I could represent actors I didn't care about deeply, from an artistic love of their craft to who they are as people.  More »