The Actor’s Guide to the End of the World

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 88! This is another thematic episode- we all been there, it's just easier to quit than to keep pushing on. But this one is our favorite, most inspirational bits from actors and former guests from the other side - and why it's worth it.  We start with the five words Denzel Washington told a struggling Delroy Lindo — advice that s...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 87! This is another change of pace - Rían is busy in rehearsals for getting on stage, and    E-Kan is producing a series but have no fear, new recordings will be coming soon. Until then, this is a super mashup - unreleased segments and previous bits we feel are relevant to this week's topic - AI in Hollywood, but specifically wi...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 86! This is not a typical episode, but incredibly timely. Last week, E-Kan and Rían dove into the viral story of the art director of "Obsession", a massive success that has taken over Hollywood. Sally Choi blows the whistle on low film crew rates and opens a very important conversation on the financial stability of the indie fil...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 85! E-Kan and Rían dive into the viral story of the art director of "Obsession", a massive success that has taken over Hollywood. Sally Choi blows the whistle on low film crew rates and it cut right to the heart of the dangers of independent film. Was her post misguided?  They break down the post, what it means to "flip" the pro...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 84!  SAG-AFTRA just approved a new contract with a 91 percent approval rate — but only 19 percent of members voted. What does that level of disengagement actually say about where actors are right now? E-Kan and Rían fresh off an inspiring conversation with SAG-AFTRA board member and AI safety advocate Heather-Ashley Boyer, discu...

Welcome to Episode 83 of The Actor's Guide to the End of the World! Actor, producer, and  SAG-AFTRA LA Local Board Member and AI regulations and Technology guru Heather-Ashley Boyer joins E-Kan and Rían this week on the show. Heather shares the pivotal moment during the Actor strike in 2023 and how that had led her to run for the Local Board of SAG-AFTRA and fight for AI Safety on the state and fe...

E-Kan and Rían are just two working actors cutting through the noise of Hollywood — the real stories, the practical wisdom, and the occasional chaos of life on set. This week we're talking about the Grey's Anatomy Texas spin-off landing in LA — good news for production in a city that needs it. Also some drama during the final show of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a gut punch for the crew and...

Apologies for the delay this week, but this was a monstrous episode and worth the wait.  The SAG-AFTRA deal is officially approved by the board and the 18 page summary got dropped. The vote is up in a few weeks - Actors, this is what you need to know before you vote. This deal touches on many topics that affect union members and the acting community, including AI protections, and the pension and t...

The SAG-AFTRA deal is heading to a member vote — and before you cast yours, you need to hear this episode. We recorded this before the SAG-AFTRA National Board approved the tentative agreement, which makes everything we break down here an essential primer for what actors are actually being asked to sign off on. The streaming bonus structure, the 90-day window, the $40 million that never materializ...

Welcome to the Actor’s Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 79! E-Kan and Rían unpack some lessons of wisdom and inspiration from the conversation with Mel Rodriguez last week, including how he found balance in such a chaotic industry. From there, deep questions arise, like "Have you ever gotten to the breaking point of quitting acting?, "Do you feel like you're 'one foot in, one foot ou...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 78 with special guest, Actor and Writer Mel Rodriguez (The Residence, Better Call Saul, Last Man On Earth). E-Kan and Rían talk to the hilarious Mel Rodriguez who shares about his storied career, including the time he had to drive away from Hollywood with his wife when a phone call changed everything.  He landed the HBO cult fav...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, episode 77!  This week we break down what's really happening to the working actor right now.  Over 2000 filmmakers and actors including Pedro Pascal, Florence Pugh and David Fincher signed a petition to block the Paramount-Warner Bros merger. E-Kan and Rían discuss why Damon Lindelof's brutally honest post about why he was afraid to sig...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 76! Holly Shervey and Emmett Skilton, friends of the show and the creative force behind “Crackhead”, the New Zealand hit series now streaming on HBO Max. The show, which Holly stars in and wrote while Emmett directed, is based on Holly’s personal experience in a psychiatric clinic early in her life and has been getting rave revi...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 75! There is Jonathan Majors’ drama on his latest movie for, wait for it, Daily Wire..? Jonathan Majors and his costar fall through a window which highlights the importance of safety measures taken on set, labor rights, and sparks a larger conversation about working in today’s film industry. E-Kan and Rían dive into the drama, i...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 74! A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for knowingly designing addictive platforms that harmed children — and with 1,500 similar cases waiting in the wings, this verdict is just the beginning. E-Kan and Rían break down what it actually means, why this might be Big Tobacco all over again, and what actors need to kno...

Welcome to the Actor’s Guide to the End of World, Episode 73! E-Kan and Rían go DEEP this episode, and even talk affirmations and mindset. But before we go down the rabbit hole, we have word about a possible U.S. federal film tv tax credit. The guys will break down everything you need to know as well as why U.S. might need one, and what Noah Wyle has to say about it. Meanwhile across the pond, UK...

Sinners, PTA, and the Night Hollywood Got it Right... Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 72! The big night is here, and it lived up to all of our expectations.  Hollywood chose real filmmaking — and it was beautiful. E-Kan and Rían break down the biggest winners- Sinners, PTA, Frankenstein's practical effects sweep, as well as Conan's best bits, the speeches that...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, episode 71! The Oscar race just flipped, and now Michael B. Jordan is now the favorite to beat Timothée Chalamet for Best Actor.  Was it Michael B. Jordan's win at the SAG Actor Awards or Chalamet's comments about ballet and opera? Both? We break down what he said, why it matters to Oscar voters, and the surprising family connection tha...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 70! Hollywood just got a whole lot smaller. The Paramount-Warner Bros.-Netflix drama is coming to a close with a stunning ending, and one company is about to own DC, Harry Potter, CNN, SpongeBob, the Sopranos, Game of Thrones, and countless other titles. E-Kan and Rían break down what a Paramount universe will actually means for...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World, episode 69! E-Kan and Rían recently stumbled on Ryan Coogler's deep appreciation for Irish culture, and they do a deep dive on how that comes through in his Oscar-nominated hit, Sinners, and why the lead vampire is Irish. They geek out on Ryan Coogler's beautiful DGA Awards speech, his families’ strong ties to unions, and why Sinners, which has...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, Episode 68! Seedance 2.0, an AI video generator, just dropped new videos from the program and shots are fired. SAG-AFTRA immediately released their firmest statement yet declaring why it's infringement on its actors and stands by studios like Disney which has already sent cease-and-desist letters. E-Kan and  Rían break down why this AI...

Welcome to the Actor’s Guide to the End of the World Podcast, episode 67! This week we have an extra-strong dose of actor inspiration. E-Kan shares how Denzel Washington and Delroy Lindo have been friends for 48 years since their acting conservatory, surviving on wheat bread and peanut butter, and how Denzel watched Delroy act in class and thought, “I need to get better." And after a conversation...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World Podcast, episode 66!  Vertical dramas are here, and they're not going anywhere. E-Kan and Rían talk about the $26 billion industry — but now, Kim Kardashian, Ashton Kutcher, and Taye Diggs are all in, as well as Netflix and TikTok building their own vertical dramas platforms. SAG-Aftra just put out a signatory contract so they can get in on it t...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World, Episode 65!  The Oscar nominations just dropped, and Sinners broke records with 16 nominations. E-Kan and Rían break down their favorites and top picks, but most interesting story - The guys diving into Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary casting debate. The Shark Tank billionaire got cast in a major role for Oscar favorite Marty Supreme with zero exper...

Welcome to the Actor's Guide to the End of the World, Episode 64! E-Kan and Rían dive into some more awards shows stories (the bad ones). There is an unfortunate trend, award shows are disrespecting filmmakers like giving Best Foreign Language Film - on the red carpet...? And then the Golden Globes cuts Original Score winner, Ludwig Göransson for Sinners, from the telecast to the dismay of many, i...