That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

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 e...

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 f...

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, p...

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 y...

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 philo...

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 ap...

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 pu...

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 t...

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 a...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 prof...

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 regul...

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...

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...

From High Potential and The Lincoln Lawyer to nuanced and honest portrayals of fatherhood-gone-wild across Showtime's EMMY® Award-nominated series SHAMELESS and palpable intensity on the likes of SONS OF ANARCHY, Steve Howey reflects a classic masculinity on-screen equally steeped in humor and heart. That timeless leading man spark and quiet strength remain signatures of the acclaimed actor, write...

Before his role on Apple TV+'s hit comedy "Shrinking," Michael Urie was a native Texan active in Speech & Drama all through high school. He trained in theatre studies at Collin County Community College before being accepted at the Juilliard School, where he was the recipient of the John Houseman prize for excellence in classical theater. In 2006, Urie joined the cast of ABC's dramedy UGLY BETTY, a...

Multi-hyphenate actor, producer, writer, and director, Sarah Drew is best known for playing 'Dr. April Kepner' for nine seasons on the hit ABC series "Grey's Anatomy" and Hannah Rogers in Warner Bros' "Everwood". Her recent TV credits include Freeform's hit series "Cruel Summer" which was the recipient of the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Cable Drama Series, and the critically accla...

Tom was born and raised in New Jersey. He grew up in the town of Howell, where he attended the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Howell High School. Upon graduation, he attended Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University (obtaining a BFA in acting), where he also had the opportunity to study Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre in London, England. Tom's first professional job was on the lon...

Monica Barbaro can soon be seen starring opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Netflix's global spy-adventure/comedy series, FUBAR, out May 25th. The duo play a father and daughter who, after learning the other has secretly been working as a CIA operative for years, are forced to team up and tackle some difficult family dynamics. Barbaro recently gained recognition for her role as 'Phoenix' in Paramou...

For seven seasons Patrick J. Adams has charmed audiences worldwide, as Mike Ross in USA's hit drama, "Suits," a role which garnered him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. Adams took on the role of Major John Glenn in the Nat Geo/Disney + original series, "The Right Stuff." With Zoe Saldana & Jason Isaacs, Adams starr...

Today, we're diving into the incredible journey of Abubakar Salim, an actor who at just 16, gave himself a life-altering ultimatum: break into the National Youth Theatre or join the Army. From that high-stakes beginning, Abubakar has navigated the industry by constantly chasing the raw, unpolished instinct of his younger self. He shares how this philosophy carried him through a grueling nine-round...

Today we're diving into the incredible journey of Johnny Coyne, an actor who traveled from the rugged mountains of Cyprus to the legendary sets of the Star Wars universe. Known for his "great face" and iconic turns as authoritarian villains in The Blacklist , Preacher , and Alcatraz , Johnny pulls back the curtain on the "panic" and imposter syndrome that still fuel his craft today. We explore how...