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Nancy Banks

030 Ahna O'Reilly - Square (2)

S2 030: Ahna O’Reilly
S2 030: Ahna O’Reilly 750 750 Alyshia Ochse

Kismet and a Work Ethic to Back It Up

Ahna O’Reilly is an American actress from Northern California but also grew up all over France and Washington State. She attended USC for one year as an English major before she dropped out to pursue acting and never looked back.

Ahna forayed her great love of literature onto the screen starring in an adaptation of Steinback’s IN DUBIOUS BATTLE, and two Faulkner adaptions, AS I LAY DYING, and THE SOUND AND THE FURY. She has also graced the Off-Broadway stage in THE LONG SHRIFT at the Rattlestick Theater and THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM, which won three Lucile Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Revival.

Appeared in nearly 50 films to date, including such marquee films as FRUITVALE STATION, MARHSHALL, JOBS, and BOMBSHELL, Ahna is perhaps best known for her breakout role in THE HELP, for which she won a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

She is currently starring in Apple TV’s THE MORNING SHOW.

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QUOTES:

“I was really driven by how much I LOVED Elizabeth (my character) — I loved the book, I loved the dialect, I just loved it so fiercely!”

“You do realize how different it is; what we think something is going to do for us, and the reality.”

“What makes you an interesting actor in the long run is the life you live.”

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Credits:

  • WRITER: Nicole Steinwedell
  • SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes
003 Leonardo Nam on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

S2 003: Leonardo Nam
S2 003: Leonardo Nam 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

Loud and Clear: Trusting Your Inner Voice

Acclaimed actor Leonardo Nam is set to reprise his fan-favorite role as Felix Lutz for season three of the award-winning HBO series “Westworld.” In addition to “Westworld,” Leonardo is set to recur throughout season 4 of CBS’ hit action-drama series “MacGyver”, star in HBO’s fantasy-dramedy anthology series “Room 104,” created by the Duplass brothers, and he has a leading role in the upcoming indie drama “Phobias,” which premiered at the Mammoth Film Festival in February 2020. Leonardo is also set to star in the indie comedy “Marvelous and the Black Hole,” premiering at the TriBeCa Film Festival in April 2020.

Born in Argentina to Korean immigrant parents and raised in Sydney, Australia, Leonardo has since relocated to San Diego, CA, where he enjoys spending quality time with his husband and their twin toddlers.

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QUOTES:

“No one is gonna do it quite like you’re going to do it.”

“I can still feel that longing, that feeling, that sense of importance that I knew that something was calling me to go this other way.”

“When I trip on a line or something, I think AH! It’s my body telling me there’s something to MINE from that.”

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Credits:

Bridget Regan

099: Bridget Regan
099: Bridget Regan 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

The Gift of Our Craft: Always Learning, Always Growing

Bridget Regan stars as the villain Rose AKA Sin Rostro on the Golden Globe nominated series, “Jane the Virgin.” This, as well as portraying the original Black Widow, Dottie, in Marvel’s Agent Carter (2015), and the multiple personality spy opposite Matt Bomer on USA’s “White Collar” made E! Online declare her “The Ultimate Kick-Butt TV Villain.”

From 2015-2018 Regan starred opposite Eric Dane as the bad ass, multi-lingual Navy Intel Officer, Sasha Cooper, on the TNT hit action drama series The Last Ship (2014) produced by Michael Bay.

A native of Carlsbad, California, Regan relocated to New York City to pursue her acting career upon graduating from North Carolina School of the Arts under the direction of Gerald Freedman. Regan fulfilled a life long dream to work on Broadway, originating the role of Cecile Leroux in the comedy ‘Is He Dead?’ written by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives and directed by Michael Blackmore.

In 2010, she completed her run bringing to life the heroine, Kahlan Amnell, in ABC Studio’s cult hit “Legend of the Seeker,” produced by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, shot in New Zealand. Her other television credits include recurring roles on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “MacGyver,” “The Good Wife”, “Person of Interest,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Beauty & The Beast,” “Perception,” “The Black Donnelly’s,” Lisa Gardner’s bestselling mystery thriller, “Hide” alongside Carla Gugino, “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Six Degrees” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

Regan’s film credits include “Devil’s Gate” opposite Milo Ventimigllia, “John Wick” with Keanu Reeves, HBO’s “The Leisure Class,” “The Best and the Brightest” alongside Neal Patrick Harris, “Sex and the City,” “The Babysitters” and “Binders.”

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LINKS:
QUOTES:

“My only real ritual is preparation.”

“You have to let yourself off the hook, the truth is that an audition is just a sketch.”

“We have to accept that we’re always gonna be growing, we’re always gonna be learning. That is the gift of our craft.”

 

098: Lesley-Ann Brandt
098: Lesley-Ann Brandt 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

Punch Above Your Weight

Born and raised in Cape Town South Africa, Brandt immigrated with her family to Auckland, New Zealand in her late teens. Discovered by local casting directors, Brandt took on the role of “Naevia” in the Starz hits, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” and “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.” Working with producers Steven S. D Knight, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert, she captivated audiences with her performance and became one of the show’s breakout stars.

Brandt’s other credits include the feature film Drift opposite Sam Worthington, Fox’s “Gotham” and the dark comedy, Killing Winston Jones starring opposite Richard Dreyfuss, Danny Glover and Jon Heder for director Joel David Moore. In 2015, she won the role of Maze in the FOX television series Lucifer and has since played the role in all 5 seasons of the show’s run.

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QUOTES:

“I always like to work with people where I feel like I’m punching above my weight.”

“Your managers, your agents, your publicists are extension of you. When they speak, they speak for me… it’s as if it’s me speaking. Be tough, but be respectful.”

“It’s our jobs to inspire the people who work for us…”

VIDEOS:

090: Beau Garrett
090: Beau Garrett 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

Broaden Your Community and Keep the Faith

Beau Garrett is an American actress and model born in Los Angeles, CA and grew up in Topanga Canyon where she rode horses and was a competitive equestrian. She began her career appearing in GUESS advertisements in the late 1990s after being discovered by an Elite modeling agent at age fourteen. She first appeared on TV in the hit show Entourage in 2004 and made her feature film debut in the horror film Turistas (2006). She later portrayed Captain Raye in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) and Gem in Tron: Legacy (2010).

Garrett would later appear as a regular on the television series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2011) with Forest Whitaker. She played Phoebe in the hit Bravo series Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and In 2017 she signed onto the ABC series The Good Doctor.

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QUOTES:

“If you have expectation, it’s gonna burn you. The thing you think is gonna be the thing isn’t the thing.”

“There really is no small role…you feel like you’re small all the time, but you’re not. These roles matter.”

Erin Cummings on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

085: Erin Cummings (LIVE From LA)
085: Erin Cummings (LIVE From LA) 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

Discovering Artistic Strength: We Create the Reality We Live In

That One Audition Live from Los Angeles with Erin Cummings.  We dive into the deep and gritty aspects of sex in auditions and on set, being a local hire, getting screwed on contracts, and not wanting to be just good enough.  You want honest and real, this one pulls back the curtain on all the things this industry does to make your head spin and gives you tangible ways to not only survive in it but also thrive in it!

Erin Cummings is a graduate of the University of North Texas, with a degree in Journalism. Cummings began her professional acting career, when she was spotted by an L.A. talent scout, while performing in community theater near Dallas. Cummings later went on to study Shakespeare at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, preparing her for her future roles as “Lady Macbeth” and “Queen Gertrude” in the Santa Susana Repertory Theater Company’s productions of “Macbeth” and “Hamlet”, respectively.

Most recently seen as “Sura”, the Thracian wife of “Spartacus” in the Starz original action-adventure drama series, Spartacus (2010). She also had a recurring role on Matthew Weiner‘s Emmy Award-winning AMC series, Mad Men (2007). She was seen, alongside Martin Lawrence, in Universal Studios’ Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008). On TV, Cummings was a series regular on the second season of Dante’s Cove (2004), on the Here! Network. Her other television work includes a guest lead turn on Cold Case (2003), a recurring role on Dollhouse (2009), and appearances on Nip/Tuck (2003), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), Threshold (2005) and Charmed (1998).

Erin is the founder of “Mittens For Detroit”, a community initiative whose sole purpose is to collect and distribute new gloves and mittens to children and adults in the city of Detroit.

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Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“We are so lucky as artists because we can create the reality that we live in.”

“As good as it feels to believe the good stuff that people write, if you believe the good stuff you gotta believe the bad stuff, and all of it is bullshit and none of it matters.”

035: Toni Trucks
035: Toni Trucks 1500 1000 Alyshia Ochse
Toni Trucks started early in this business of acting, dancing and singing with a goal in mind…to be on Broadway.  But how she achieved that goal came with a tenacious spirit and openness of saying yes to opportunities placing her in front of the decision makers.  This interview will inspire you to say YES to all opportunities and teach you how to manifest your dream job.  Toni gives practical insight on how to handle disappointment in the predictably unpredictable industry.  The Organized Actor Book has taught Toni how to effectively take control of her business and stretch each year as an artist.  Toni has been working as an actress the majority of her life and shares intimate details of some of her most successful auditions to how she handles heartbreak and ego.
Toni Trucks is currently a series regular on the hit CBS show SEAL TEAM.  She is best known for her work in the Showtime series BARBERSHOP, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN-PART 2, FRANKLIN & BASH, and MUSIC & LYRICS.

Tune into our Interview on iTunes HERE

 

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“Alliteration is key.”

“Toni Trucks, TT, everyone always told me you’re either a wrestler or a striper.”

“I started working right away because I was very tenacious.”

“I would do one new thing a year, that was always my goal.”

“That’s the exciting thing about theater, every gets in there and you’re having this experience as a family.”

“I was really in the habit of learning things very quickly.”

“I had not seen the movie Barbershop before my audition.”

“I call Pat McCorkle every year on the anniversary of the Barbershop audition and thank her.”

“I wrote myself a letter that I was suppose to open if I didn’t get the part.”

“It was hard because in the moment you feel so big but it is appropriate to make yourself feel a little small.”

“It was like who was going to win the lottery.”

“If its meant for you, it will be there for you.” | CLICK TO TWEET

“Even though I was a lead on a TV show, I couldn’t break myself out of the mindset of hustle.”

“As a performer we are predictably unpredictable.”

“Prepare for the worst because you know you can always handle the best.”

“When I didn’t have lines in Twilight, it re-invigorated my appetite for lines. It reminded me of what I wanted.”

“Mirror work; manifesting the things that you want.”

“I can’t tell you how and I can’t tell you when, but everything is going to be okay.”

“Your work saves you.”

“Trusting what is yours will come to you.”

“You are an actor, you are the sum of your experiences.” | CLICK TO TWEET

“If you love your job and your craft more than you are uncomfortable, press on!” | CLICK TO TWEET

 

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ALYSHIA OCHSE

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

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