Creating Behavior with Charlie Sandlan

An artistic life can take you places you never imagined, especially when you remain curious enough to explore the unexpected. This week, Charlie welcomes former Maggie Flanigan Studio student Sophie Becker, an actor, writer, and ventriloquist who stumbled into an almost forgotten art form during the pandemic. What began as a hobby has taken her from New York's downtown performance scene to st...

Some actors have enormous talent. You'll never see it. They're too afraid of being wrong, looking foolish, or making a choice that might invite criticism. This week Charlie examines how our own psychology can sabotage our artistic instincts, drawing on Freud's id, ego, and superego to explore the destructive power of the inner critic. He also confronts an uncomfortable question: can...

It’s a common piece of advice given to actors, and Charlie has been saying it for twenty years: don’t quit. Work hard, develop some grit, play full out with yourself, and keep going. But what happens when the dream you’ve spent years pursuing no longer belongs to the person you’ve become? In this solo episode, Charlie wrestles with ambition, identity, sunk costs, failure, and the fear of changing...

What happens when an actor stops waiting for permission and starts creating their own work? Charlie sits down with former student Graham Powell to discuss his feature film Shackled , the realities of independent filmmaking, what actors can learn from writing and casting, the meaning of professionalism, and the fanatical faith it takes to carry an idea all the way into the world. Hosted by Charlie...

What happens when you get the role you dreamed about—and discover success is different than what you imagined? Six years after her first appearance on Creating Behavior , Charlie sits down again with former student and All the Queen’s Men star Candace Maxwell. They talk about five seasons as DJ Dime, the realities of working professionally, why talent isn’t enough, the insecurities that success ca...

What do you say you want—and does the way you live support that claim? We admire excellence, but often resist what it takes to achieve it. In this episode Charlie explores wasted talent, failure, comparison, distraction, curiosity, and the private work behind a serious artistic life. Who are you when no one is watching? What owns your attention? And if someone watched how you spent the last 30 day...

What happens when the craft and technique you once worked so hard to develop begin to dull? In the Season Six premiere, Charlie explores what it means to return to process, discipline, imagination, vulnerability, and truthful artistry. He also announces Return to Craft  https://www.returntocraft.com   - a new program created for trained actors who feel distanced from the artist they once were, and...

We live in a time where modern culture increasingly rewards performance over truth. An age where branding, appearance, and clever curation often substitute for real artistry. Visibility has begun to replace depth. In this Bonus Episode before the launch of Season Six, Charlie reflects on why art and truthful artistry still matter. A conversation about discipline, artistic rigor, high standards, vu...

Well fellow daydreamers, another fantastic season of CBP has come to an end. Thank you to all of the actors and artists out there who have found this podcast to be a source of inspiration and a way to continually stimulate your intellectual curiosity. This week Charlie talks about the work of Nicole Kidman, Colman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, as well as sharing highlights from this season's guests...

Hard to believe it's time for Trish Barillas to come on for her 5th episode of CBP. We are winding down season five fellow daydreamers, and Trish once again has a lot to say. This time Charlie and Trish talk about some misconceptions people have about the wellness space, her thoughts on peri-menopause, and the importance of staying up to date on your breast health. Trish also has a few books...

Daydreamers! This week Charlie brings on actor, writer, composer, musician, playwright, and director Tyrone Robinson. Tyrone is a former MFS alum, and has been carving out a multi-faceted career for over two decades. Charlie and Tyrone discuss his artistic process, and what he has learned along the way about creating all forms of content. A great conversation about living a professional creative l...

Daydreamers! A solo episode this week. Charlie shares a few tidbits on human tears, and his thoughts on the films A Different Man, Emilia Pérez, and Anora. We've also lost a few titans of the art form in James Earl Jones and Maggie Smith. Charlie reflects on their careers, along with some words on the passing of dancer Michaela DePrince. And of course you know what you can expect from Charlie...

Well fellow daydreamers, we've made it to episode 100, and Charlie decided to do something he's never done before - bring on a current student of his for a conversation. This week Charlie talks to Maggie Flanigan Studio second year student Tariq Kateeb. Tariq has a fascinating life story having grown up a Palestinian living in Jordan. Charlie and Tariq discuss what that was like, how he...

Daydreamers! Today Charlie shares his conversation with actress Francis Benhamou. Francis has been carving out a career for over two decades, and most recently earned critical acclaim for her Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk award winning performance in Joshua Harmon's play A Prayer for the French Republic. Charlie and Francis discuss her four year journey with this play from a table read for th...

It's a solo episode this week fellow daydreamers, and Charlie devotes all of it to The Hurt Man, the fifth episode of Ryan Murphy's Netflix series Monsters. The second season of this hit series focuses on the Menendez brothers and the murdering of their parents in 1989. The actor Cooper Koch plays Erik Menendez in the show with Ari Gaynor portraying his attorney Leslie Abramson. Cooper&a...

There's a certain amount of tenacity and grit you will need if you are going to carve out a professional creative life. The actor's journey never plays out the way you think or hope it will. This week Charlie talks to one of his best friends of thirty years, actor PJ Sosko. PJ has never sat back and waited for things to happen. He writes, directs, produces, and edits his own content. Sev...

Daydreamers! An artists path can take unexpected turns. The vision we have of our life and career when we start out can lead us to a life purpose we could not have imagined. We kick off our first conversation of season 5 with Charlie's former student Tara Magalski. Sixteen years ago, Tara was fully pursuing her acting career, having success and moving forward in exciting ways. The sudden deat...

Greetings fellow daydreamers! After a six month break Charlie is back with season 5 of Creating Behavior! This week Charlie kicks off with a solo episode. He discusses the careers of Gena Rowlands, Alain Delon, and the director/producer Roger Corman. Charlie shares some of the television that he thinks you should watch, along with a few actors and some upcoming films to look out for. Get ready for...

Well fellow daydreamers, another sixteen episodes in the can! In this season's final episode, Charlie shares some thoughts on the actor Barry Keoghan and his performance in Saltburn, the movie American Fiction, and a new book called Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, by the director Ed Zwick. Of course it would not be a season finale without some of the best clips from all of Charlie's gu...

It's that time again fellow daydreamers for Charlie's wife Trish Barillas to sit down for another episode of A Face of Anxiety.  Only this time Trish wanted to turn the tables, so this week she's taking over CBP to interview Charlie. Trish shares some insights and tips on navigating mental health and anxiety, and how to fight for your light.  She then gets Charlie on the other side...

At some point you'll have to ask yourself, do you just love acting, or do you love pursuing a professional acting career?  This week Charlie has a conversation with his former student Isha Blaaker, who has answered this question. Isha talks about what he learned working with Tyler Perry, and his incredible experience bringing to life Allison Davis in Ava DuVernay's newest film Origin, ba...

Another solo episode fellow daydreamers! This week Charlie discusses the legacy of Norman Lear, thoughts on the NYC production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea with Chris Abbott and Aubrey Plaza, and the movies May/December and Past Lives. Charlie also shares some insights from the actress Sandra Hűller on how she approached playing a Nazi in the film Zone of Interest. You can follow CBP on Instagra...

This week Charlie talks with his dear friend and grad school classmate Lawrence Ballard. Charlie and Larry discuss the use of a racial slur in a structured scene work exercise in the first year of their grad school training in 1998. The impact it had on Larry, on Charlie, and on the rest of their class is talked through with vulnerability and honesty. This is an amazing conversation about racism,...

This week Charlie talks to his former student, actor and recording artist Ellis Melillo about her EP release Cry Wolf. Ellis went to a Brittney Spears concert with her dad at the age of five at Jones Beach. For over two decades she saw herself on that stage performing to a sold out crowd. Charlie and Ellis talk about that dream coming true when she opened for the Zac Brown Band this summer at Jone...

It's another solo episode this week fellow daydreamers! This week Charlie talks about the importance of digging into the past with two silent films, Buster Keaton's masterpiece Sherlock Jr., and the 1932 cult classic Freaks by Tod Browning. There's also some thoughts on Timothée Chalamet, and Theater for a New Audience's current production of Waiting for Godot. Charlie also dis...