Second Act Actors

As actors, we sometimes feel like we’re at the centre of an entire film production but we need to remind ourselves that we’re there to bring a vision to life and that vision is the script. So on this episode of the Second Act Actors podcast, I’m talking to screenwriter Courtney Harrell about where her ideas come from and how she translates them into words.   Courtney lays out her journey and tells...

“You don’t get into acting because it’s cool”. Angie Hung is the latest guest on the Second Act Actors podcast and she’s here to get real about what it takes to thrive as an actor. Join us as we talk loving your craft, what representation really looks like and how the Spice Girls inspire us to live our best lives.   Angie tells me about her corporate life and how she rediscovered her love of actin...

Neuroscientist, producer, sporadic hemiplegic migraine warrior, writer aaaaaaaand… actress! On this episode of the Second Act Actors podcast, I’m talking to one of the busiest and most interesting people I’ve met, Abby Tozer.    Like many of us, Abby started her acting career when she was cast in a school production of Annie . She tells me about her pursuit of her love of acting and performing and...

What’s it like to go from acting to casting? How does it feel to be in charge of deciding which actor to choose from an amazing round of auditions? Jesse Griffiths made the transition from acting to casting and is now a casting director at Jesse Griffiths Casting in Toronto. He tells me all about this journey on this fun, interesting episode of the Second Act Actors podcast.    Jesse begins by exp...

Katie Prentiss’ personal saying is “Never say no for someone else”, and that’s what she had in mind when she sent off her first ever self-tape audition. She ended up booking a part in a film and has been hooked on acting ever since. In this episode of the Second Act Actors podcast, we cover her transition into acting, how it’s working around her job as a photographer and the importance of having g...

Kurt was drawn to acting by the sense of unity that it gave him. Since he caught the acting bug, he’s been in plays, on hit TV shows and in films and he’s taught acting too. In this episode of the Second Act Actors podcast, we talk about imposter syndrome, life experience, learning acting and Kurt’s exciting Artist 2 Artist project.    Kurt uses his acting coach perspective to list some of the mos...

“I love every day of my life”: Isn’t that the dream for many of us? Or all of us? On this episode of the Second Act Actors podcast, I talk with actress and supply teacher Alicia about teaching, acting, career advice and building a life that works for you.    Alicia tells me about her childhood which was full of creative passions, and how that translated into graduating as a teacher. We discuss one...

  “I’ve always been an actor” is not the usual response I get from my guests on the Second Act Actors podcast, but it’s what Ray Buffer told me in this in-depth and interesting interview. We talk about being on set, what the Covid-19 pandemic changed for us and whether you should put more of your energy into making money or pursuing your creative passions.    Ray tells me about how he got into act...

What made Kato take the leap from working in insurance sales to becoming a full-time actor? On this episode of Second Act Actors , I interview Kato and find out what her life is like now that she’s giving acting her all.   Kato walks me through her transition from insurance into acting and how her life changed once she started making space for her natural creativity. Kato tells me about getting an...

This episode of Second Act Actors features a truly Hollywood-style entry into acting: Ryan was working at the grocery store when he was scouted by a producer who gave him his email address and told him to get in touch. Next thing you know, he’s on set and working as an actor!    In the episode, Ryan and I dive into the details about what acting has been like for him as a deaf person.  Ryan gives m...

Rebecca Durance Hine is a second act actor and cancer survivor and she joins me on this episode to discuss acting, cancer, gratitude, people pleasing and making the most of the present moment.   Like a lot of second act actors, Rebecca was interested in acting from a young age. She studied theatre at university and spent six months after graduation looking for acting work but eventually lost her c...

Yale Quarterback to actor…is it a viable career path? On this episode of the Second Act Actors podcast, I talk to Alvin Cowan who made the leap from the football field to the big screen.   Alvin tells me about his journey from American football quarterback to professional actor with credits such appearances in Westworld and Better Call Saul to his name. He details how he broke into acting as a you...

On this episode of Second Act Actors , I introduce the lovely and talented Erin Zukowski who’s moved into acting from an office management job and is starting to gather momentum in this second act of her career.   Erin recounts her life story of growing up in Florida, losing her dad at a young age and then deciding to move to Chicago. She met her husband in Chicago and they always enjoyed watching...

This episode of Second Act Actors features the lovely Stephanie, who came to acting after working in sales but who also has experience as a waitress, cleaner, gogo dancer, mother, wife and much more. Tune in as we go over her story and share our thoughts on rediscovering acting after your 20s.   Stephanie tells me about the huge overlap that exists between working in sales and acting, which is an...

Michael Stein is a second act actor unlike any other. Acting is actually part of his first and third act, as he started out doing stand-up and then landed a role in a film through a friend. From there, he tried to get his own films off the ground but wasn't having any luck in the Hollywood pitching game so he left acting behind to start his own business. He managed to make half a million dollars i...

For this episode of Second Act Actors , I’m sitting down with another actor who came into acting from the medical field. Eliza Shin applied to medical school and spent years training to be a doctor and then specialising in urology, but she knew in her heart that medicine wasn’t for her. She tells me about her mental health struggles throughout her time in med school and how she built up the courag...

This episode of Second Act Actors is packed full of advice and insights from actor and acting coach Jacqui Maloney. From the ‘tall poppy’ syndrome to her mentality around auditions to the right reasons and wrong reasons to become an actor, Jacqui’s got a wise word to say on every topic.   Jacqui is another second act actor who felt called to act from a young age but put her dreams to one side to t...

Vincent Salvador has had a pretty interesting life. He acted in plays in school but decided to study humanities at university. After graduation, he ended up working nights with an organisation combating financial crimes. During the day, he pursues his acting career, auditioning for roles and writing scripts.   Vinnie and I talked about his passion for acting and how by chance he came to work on an...

            What does being a cop have in common with being an actor? Well, more than you’d think, according to Victor Dobro! Victor is my guest on this episode of Second Act Actors and he’s here to talk to me about background work, auditions, starting out as a new actor, and drawing on his real-life experiences to portray a more accurate and relatable character.   Victor always enjoyed watching c...

Megan Beers is an American-Canadian actor who’s worked in both Toronto and Los Angeles. Today she’s my guest on Second Act Actors and she shares her experiences of moving to a new city, working on the set of The Handmaid’s Tale and what marketing and acting have in common.   Megan always knew that she wanted to be an actor but decided to complete a degree in marketing with a minor in theatre. She...

              Tune in and settle down to listen to this soothing and inspiring episode of the Second Act Actors podcast with the truly wonderful Dr Becky Van Iersel, who is a grounded, lovely doctor who also made a change in her career to align it more with her life and her feelings about health and wellness.   Becky has worked several different roles within medicine but struggled to balance the d...

On this episode of Second Act Actors , I talk with Compassionate Inquiry coach and end of life doula Claudia about midlife transitions and how to honour your life’s purpose in a healthy, meaningful way.   Claudia tells me her life story and about how her own experience of burnout as a photographer shaped her and gave her an interest in helping others through the same process. She talks about what...

On this episode of the Second Act Actors podcast, I’m sitting down with fellow Janet and actor Janet Walmsley, who was a dental hygienist for 27 years before her son persuaded her to audition for a play in a local theatre. Since then, Janet hasn’t looked back and has acted on stage and screen, been nominated for awards and has started her own acting class for people arriving into acting later in l...

On this episode of Second Act Actors , I talk with Lara, an Toronto-based actress who’s passionate about acting training and building communities of skilled actors. Lara felt pressured by her parents to pursue a ‘traditional’ career and had a job in social work but couldn’t let go of her dream to act and sing. She eventually switched into acting and is excited about the possibilities of developing...

On this episode of Second Act Actors , I sit down with Will, who’s a lovely, stable, positive person who’s also an actor and a teacher. Will’s a first act actor, having attended theatre school in Toronto, and today he acts and teaches other actors to have a positive mindset and to value themselves so they can truly put themselves into the character they’re playing.   Will tells me what he did and...