Stella Adler

Christopher Thornton
Christopher Thornton 1920 1080 Alyshia Ochse

Christopher Thornton — actor, writer, teacher, and one of the most quietly extraordinary storytellers working in Hollywood today.

His journey is not a straight line. It is a rock climbing accident that fractured two vertebrae and left him in a wheelchair — and an agency that dropped him in a signed card from his hospital bed. It is a then-unknown Mark Ruffalo tricking him into performing Waiting for Godot five months later — and the Drama-Logue Award that changed everything.

It is understudying the lead at the Mark Taper Forum with zero rehearsals and going on for a matinee AND an evening performance the same day. It is writing Sympathy for Delicious in 1997 and not shooting it until 2009. It is a Magnum P.I. surfboard scene he absolutely claimed he could handle. And it is thirty years of showing up — to the stage, to the room, to the tape, to the work — until Vice Principals, Magnum P.I., Lincoln Lawyer, and now The Pitt and Netflix’s All the Sinners Bleed made the industry take notice.

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Christopher Thornton right here.

About Christopher Thornton:

Christopher Thornton is an actor, writer, and teacher with over three decades of experience across stage, film, and television. A Drama major from the University of New Orleans and a longtime faculty member at the prestigious Stella Adler Academy in Los Angeles, Thornton has built one of the most remarkable careers in Hollywood — one defined by resilience, reinvention, and an unshakeable commitment to the craft.

He is perhaps best known to television audiences for his recurring role as Shamie on the hit CBS reboot Magnum P.I., which ran for five seasons, and for his scene-stealing work on Danny McBride’s acclaimed HBO series Vice Principals. He currently appears in the groundbreaking medical drama The Pitt on Max as Dr. Caleb Jefferson, and recently wrapped production on Netflix’s limited series All the Sinners Bleed, based on S.A. Cosby’s bestselling novel, directed by Joe Robert Cole. As a writer-producer, Thornton co-wrote Sympathy for Delicious, directed by longtime friend Mark Ruffalo, which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and starred Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney, and Juliette Lewis. He also created the role of Harry in John Belluso’s celebrated two-hander Pyretown, which ran Off-Broadway in New York to critical acclaim.

Credits:

  • The Pitt
  • Magnum P.I.
  • Vice Principals
  • Lincoln Lawyer
  • All the Sinners Bleed
  • Sympathy for Delicious
  • Waiting for Godot
  • Alias
  • Will & Grace

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EPISODE CREDITS:
  • HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse
  • WRITER: Maddie McCormick
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu
023 Paul Greene on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse - Horizontal

S2 023: Paul Greene
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The Secret’s in the Love

Canadian born actor/musician Paul Greene is a true Renaissance man and has been called the Cary Grant of the Hallmark Channel, leading countless films and series.

His career began as a model: he was scouted in college and immediately became a global success. He spent most of his 20’s traveling the world working for brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, and Tommy Hilfiger. At 30, and with a 5-month-old son, Paul relocated to LA to start living his original dream of acting. He began booking commercials and later series regular and guest spots on dozens of TV shows including NCIS, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Newsroom, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, and Bitten. He currently stars as Dr. Carson Shepherd on the Hallmark hit series When Calls the Heart.

In 2019, Paul released a new album called Freedom for your Soul—a Southern-folk and rock album dedicated to his father who he lost to ALS. And on Father’s Day 2021, he’s releasing a book, 52 ways to be the Dad you wish you had.

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“The tithing to this day has been the financial trampoline to my life.”

“You can cycle through creativity. There’s no end door, there’s no stopping point.”

“I am what I am, and I own it.”

VIDEOS:

Credits:

  • WRITER: Lizzy Dalla Betta
  • SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes
009 James Badge Dale On That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

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Perfect is Boring: Winning with Your Imperfections // Lessons in Long-term Relationships With Yourself, Your Art, and Your Team

James Badge Dale is an American actor known for his early work in the 1990 film adaptation of Lord of the Flies, and his roles on the popular Fox TV series 24, HBO’s The Pacific, and AMC’s Rubicon.

James was born in New York City to actress Anita Morris and actor/choreographer Grover Dale. At 10 he was picked out of his 5th grade class in Wonderland Elementary School to play Simon in Lord Of The Flies. After five months on location in Jamaica, he returned to California and took a pause from the industry. He pursued hockey and played as a goalie at Manhattanville College until an injury prevented him from playing. This break from sports re-ignited his passion for acting and he decided to move to NYC to train as an actor.

Since then, and in addition to working on several award-winning TV series, he’s been in multiple feature films including The Departed with Jack Nicholson, Iron Man 3, World War Z, The Lone Ranger, Parkland, and Only The Brave. Currently you can watch him starring as Detective Ray Abruzzo in STARZ’s new crime drama Hightown.

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“If you’re acting, it’s not a part time thing—it’s a full-time thing.”

“It’s the only time in life when being reactive is actual damn good.”

“I don’t want to live this way: where my own self-worth as an individual is based on these auditions.”

VIDEOS:

Credits:

  • WRITER: Lizzy Dalla Betta
  • SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes

077: Amanda Warren
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Today we’re chatting with actress, Amanda Warren, whose incredible artistry is matched by her wisdom, insight, and extraordinarily grounded and compassionate energy. She has established herself with a resume that is not only lengthy, but loaded with some of TV and Film’s most respected projects in recent years. From her work with Martin McDonagh and Darren Aronofsky to Denzel Washington, Francis McDormand, and beyond, her work ethic and craftsmanship has earned her the respect of her peers and gained the attention of artists across the industry.

She shares how she works on set, what she’s learned from working with world-class artists, and how she stays focused on her own journey—putting in the work, one step at a time.

Most recently her on screen work includes THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, THE PURGE for USA, MOTHER, HOUSE OF CARDS, BLACK MIRROR, THIS IS US, HBO’s THE LEFTOVERS, and Apple TV’s new series DICKINSON.

IG: @amandawarrenofficial

 

Tune in

Listen On iTunes

 

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“We do not need to adhere to this ‘stuggling artist’ theory anymore. This is your craft, this is your talent, you are giving of yourself and your tools. I’m going to give you my energy and pay you to see it…”

“You do the work at home so you can play on the day. If you do the work at home, you can do everything 7000 different ways to Sunday.”

“There’s a lot of money that goes into telling stories, expecially with the screen work, and time is money. It is so valuable, expecially these days. People need to know that they are trusting you with not only the story, but the money that they’re going to put into this.”

“There are quality rejections–quality ‘no’s.’ Just because it doesn’t work out for you then, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work out later.”

“What makes those great people so great at what they do…what makes them great craftspeople is that they work with their scene partners, they are never above their scene partner.”

“We’re in the business of saving lives…it’s an escape for people. Don’t think about the business, just bring them with you. Help them escape, help them stop thinking about business.”

VIDEOS:

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ALYSHIA OCHSE

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

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