Actor Mental Health

Kirsten Vangsness on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

Kirsten Vangsness

Kirsten Vangsness 1920 960 Alyshia Ochse

Kirsten Vangsness has been widely known as the bespectacled-brainy-tech-kitten Penelope Garcia on the CBS hit drama “Criminal Minds” (and its spin-off “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders”). She has long been a fan favorite, beloved for her vibrant personality and quirky style. Most recently “Criminal Minds” was re-imagined for Paramount+ and picked up for its second season on the streamer, making that a grand total of 17 seasons and counting for the iconic series. Kirsten has been a staple in homes across the world for over 18 years. Alongside starring in the series, she has co-written five episodes for the procedural series, including the series finale, alongside showrunner Erica Messer.

Kirsten was selected to present her one-woman show, “MESS,” and ensemble production of “Cleo, Theo and Wu” on the international stage at the prestigious 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of her FEMPIRE series. Her collection of shows cultivate power within the feminine self on a stage, and empower others to find their light and create opportunities for all women to shine.

She has enjoyed a long and varied career, which includes being a longtime member and former president of Hollywood’s Theatre of Note’s Artistic Board. Her stage work has garnered the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Natalie Schafer Award for best emerging comic actress, the 15 Minutes of Fem Best Actress Award, and a Garland Award for best actress for the West Coast premiere of Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig at the Geffen Playhouse.

Kirsten is originally from Porterville, CA and graduated from California State University, Fullerton. She currently resides in Los Angeles, and can currently be seen weekly on her Youtube show: Kirsten’s Agenda.


Resources

LINKS:
CREDITS: 
  • Criminal Minds
  • Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
  • Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
  • Stuck
  • Dave Made a Maze
  • Kill Me, Deadly
  • Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse
  • The Chicago 8
  • LAX
  • Phil of the Future

THAT ONE AUDITION’S LINKS:

For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don’t forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition


EPISODE CREDITS:
  • WRITER: Erin McCluskey
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri

Li Jun Li on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

Li Jun Li

Li Jun Li 1920 960 Alyshia Ochse

Born in Shanghai, China, Li moved with her family to Bogotá, Colombia at the age of six, and then moved again to New York City at nine years old. Once in NYC, Li’s parents enrolled her in classes to study Chinese Classical Dance and she fell in love with performing on stage. She attended the esteemed LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts and State University of New York at Purchase’s Acting Conservatory, further honing her craft. She went on to land roles in dozens of off-Broadway plays, before landing the lead role of Liat in the first Broadway revival of “South Pacific” opposite Matthew Morrison.

Li recently appeared in Sky Italia’s “Devils” (2022) opposite Alessandro Borghi and Patrick Dempsey, as well as in the Netflix Original Series “Wu Assassins” which aired in 2019. Other credits include: “Sex/Life” for Netflix, “Evil” for CBS, “Why Women Kill” for CBS All Access, a series regular role opposite John Cho on FOX’s “The Exorcist” (season two), and a lead role on the FOX series “Minority Report,” amongst others. In 2022, Li was cast in Peacock’s upcoming comedic thriller series “Based on a True Story.” This year, Li Jun Li can be seen starring opposite Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle’s upcoming feature film, “Babylon” (Paramount Pictures).

When Li is not on set, you can find her traveling as she loves to explore the world and learn about other cultures. She is also a dedicated animal activist.


Resources

LI JUN LI’S LINKS:
LI JUN LI’S CREDITS: 
  • Sex/Life
  • Babylon
  • The Exorcist
  • Evil
  • Devils
  • Wu Assassins
  • Quantico
  • Blindspot
  • Billy & Billie
  • Minority Report
  • The Following
  • Damages

THAT ONE AUDITION’S LINKS:

For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don’t forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition


EPISODE CREDITS:
  • WRITER: Erin McCluskey
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri

Follow @AlyshiaOchse on Instagram
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ALYSHIA OCHSE

Los Angeles-based actress, bestselling author, host of That One Audition podcast, entrepreneur, & mother.

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