An Actor Despairs

Join your host Ryan M. Perez and guest Ever Carradine as they discuss growing up in one of Hollywood's most recognizable acting families, finding her own path in the entertainment industry, navigating rejection and the unpredictable nature of an acting career, her work on Party of Five , Commander in Chief , Marvel's Runaways , and The Handmaid's Tale , the challenges of balancing moth...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez and Daniel Bessner for Part Two of their conversation around Daniel's new book, IMPERIALIST REALISM. This time, the conversation turns from the decline of mass culture to the people trying to make a living inside the system replacing it. Daniel examines what he describes as the "deindustrialization of white-collar work," and why the instability consuming Hollywood may...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez and guests Daniel Bessner and Neal Bledsoe for Part One of a wide-ranging conversation centered around Daniel's new book, IMPERIALIST REALISM. Together, they examine what Daniel describes as a moment of American "decomposition and decay," and how the decline of American hegemony intersects with a rapidly changing entertainment industry. They discuss the disappearance o...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor and producer Jefferson White, known for Yellowstone , The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping , Civil War , and The Americans , to discuss his unlikely journey from growing up in Iowa without imagining acting could ever be a career to becoming part of one of television’s biggest shows. Jefferson reflects on moving to New York, breaking into...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor, producer, and entrepreneur Theo Rossi, known for Sons of Anarchy , Luke Cage , Emily the Criminal , The Penguin , and Army of the Dead , for an honest conversation about how the entertainment industry has evolved since the pandemic. Theo reflects on how Emily the Criminal reshaped his career, led to opportunities like The Penguin , and renew...

Part 1 of 2: Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor, producer Theo Rossi, known for Sons of Anarchy , Luke Cage , Emily the Criminal , and Army of the Dead , to discuss his journey from growing up in Staten Island to becoming one of Hollywood's most recognizable character actors. In this first installment, Theo opens up about his childhood, overcoming addiction, discovering acting...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Langley Kirkwood, known for Warrior , Banshee , Black Sails , and Generation Kill , to discuss his journey from growing up in apartheid-era Johannesburg to building an international acting career. The conversation explores the formative experiences that inspired him to become an actor, his breakthrough roles in South Africa and Hollywood, wor...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez and guest Thomas Coombes as they discuss growing up in the U.K., discovering the arts at a young age, navigating drama school, and breaking into one of the world’s most competitive industries. Thomas reflects on the realities of training, finding representation, landing his first auditions, and the perseverance it took to build his career. They also dive into his work...

Join your host Ryan Perez and guest Gretchen Mol as they discuss growing up in Connecticut, discovering acting, moving to New York, landing early roles in THE FUNERAL , DONNIE BRASCO , ROUNDERS , and SPIN CITY , and the lessons that shaped her career. Gretchen also reflects on the changing television landscape, the realities of self-tape auditions, staying true to her artistic compass, and the adv...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Brian Geraghty, known for 1923 , The Hurt Locker , Flight , and Jarhead , to discuss his journey from growing up in New Jersey to studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and building a career in Hollywood. The conversation explores his early years in New York, the perseverance it took to establish himself as a working act...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor, writer, and director Macon Blair, known for Oppenheimer , Blue Ruin , and Green Room , to discuss his journey from growing up in Alexandria, Virginia to building a career as one of independent cinema's most respected storytellers. The conversation explores his lifelong creative partnership with Jeremy Saulnier, making homemade films together...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor David Denman, known for The Office and 13 Hours , to discuss his journey from growing up in Orange County and attending eight different schools before discovering theater in high school, to earning a spot at Juilliard alongside actors like Alan Tudyk. The conversation explores his challenging experience at Juilliard, booking his first profess...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Kevin Kane, known for Life & Beth and Law & Order: SVU , to discuss his journey from growing up in Philadelphia and Myrtle Beach to building an acting career in New York City. The conversation explores his early years pursuing the craft, his friendship and creative collaboration with Amy Schumer, his work on Life & Beth and Law &a...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Matt Jones, known for Breaking Bad , Mom , Bob Hearts Abishola , and Gilmore Girls , to discuss his journey from growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles to building a career in television and film. The conversation explores his early love of movies, his transition from sports to theater, performing with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, breaking in...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor and composer Brittany Allen, known for Dexter: Original Sin , The Boys , All My Children , and The Pitt , to discuss her journey from child actor in Toronto to building a career across Canadian and American film and television. The conversation explores her breakthrough on All My Children , navigating the realities of the entertainment indust...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with Daniel Bessner, college professor and host of American Prestige , to discuss the history of Hollywood’s financialization and the decline of the middle class in the entertainment industry. The conversation explores how Hollywood evolved from the studio system of the 1920s-1950s into a gig-based economy following the labor strikes of the 1960s, and e...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with Neil Forsyth, creator of  Guilt  and the new Legends on Netflix, to discuss his journey from growing up in Dundee, Scotland and writing football fanzines to becoming a successful television writer. The conversation explores the making of  Legends , his breakthrough into television with  Bob Servant , the deve...

Part 1 of 2: Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with Daniel Bessner, college professor and host of American Prestige , to discuss his upbringing in New York, academic journey into U.S. foreign policy and democracy, and his analysis of how entertainment and media shape public understanding of the world. The conversation explores Hollywood’s evolution from a more artist-driven industry in...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Ivana Miličević, known for Banshee , Seinfeld , and Casino Royale , to discuss her journey from immigrating from Bosnia to building a decades-long career in Hollywood, her transition from modeling to acting in the 1990s, and the career-defining experience of starring in Banshee . She reflects on coming up in the industry alongside actors like...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Eric Lange, known for The West Wing and Escape at Dannemora , to discuss his journey from Ohio to Hollywood, his eight-year struggle before landing his breakthrough role, the transformative experience of playing a heavy character in Escape at Dannemora , navigating the challenges of today’s entertainment industry, and his approach to acting r...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Eva De Dominici, known for The Cleaning Lady and Balls Up , to discuss her journey from Buenos Aires to Hollywood, starting her career at age five in Argentina and breaking out on Chiquititas , moving to the United States without speaking English, overcoming language barriers in the industry, landing her first major roles, and the perseveranc...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez as he sits down with actor Happy Anderson, known for Mindhunter , The Knick , and The Standoff at Sparrow Creek , to discuss his journey from upstate New York to a thriving career in film and television, his early days in community theater and breakthrough in Equus , overcoming substance abuse and finding sobriety, navigating the challenges of today’s acting landscape,...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez and guests Jessica Sherman and Jenn Presser of Tipsy Casting as they discuss their journey into casting, the shift from in-person auditions to self-tapes, and how the casting process has evolved post-pandemic, along with their insights on the future of auditions and what actors need to understand in today’s changing industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez and guest Luke Barnett as they discuss his upbringing in Maryland, his journey from working in bars in Hollywood while pursuing acting, taking time away to focus on writing and producing, and his return to acting with projects like Faith Based , Crossing Over Express , and Dark Winds , along with the importance of persistence and creating your own opportunities in toda...

Join your host Ryan M. Perez and guest Kirk Acevedo as they discuss his upbringing in the South Bronx, discovering acting at East Harlem Performing Arts and LaGuardia High School, his breakout roles in "Oz" and "Band of Brothers," and the challenges of being typecast, along with navigating an evolving industry and creating opportunities as an actor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...