Find the joy, from Jonathan Groff
As “Looking” premiered in January, Groff chatted with the magazine that helped him get his start (“I believe in Backstage. It changed my life.”). Between the HBO show and his role in Disney’s hit “Frozen,” the actor has found plenty of opportunities to perform on a foundation of pure joy. “People create from different places,” he said of his process. “Some love to create from a tortured place, some from a joyful place. And when I feel like I’m a 5-year-old kid in my backyard playing pretend, that’s when I’m happiest.” By Jennifer Demello
Study, study, study, from “Enlisted” actor Keith David
The acclaimed voiceover veteran told Backstage in January that “voice acting is still acting.” In an interview full of helpful tips, David went on to emphasize the study of theater as a fundamental building block for actors. “Study theater, because theater is the greatest training ground that you can have,” he said. “There are people who have never done theater who can be wonderful screen actors, but it all depends on your training. We all have great natural instincts, but they need to be honed.” By Jennifer Demello
Don’t worry about what the casting director is thinking, from “Trophy Wife” star Michaela Watkins
“[Auditioning is] like dating boys when you’re a teenager,” Watkins told Backstage in February. “You spend so much time wondering what they’re thinking. They’re not thinking about anything! They’re not thinking about you.” Having now cast several projects herself, Watkins can verify this from personal experience. “All you want is someone to come in and solve your problem. They can be as great as great can be, but if they don’t solve your problem, you just wish them well.” By Jennifer Demello
Risk failure to make truthful discoveries, from Lupita Nyong’o
The “12 Years a Slave” star talked to Backstage amidst her awards season whirlwind about failing gracefully, the Yale School of Drama, and working with director Steve McQueen on the movie that eventually won her the Oscar. “As actors, you become an expert at starting over,” Nyong’o said. “Every single role brings with it an ignorance and an insecurity, and so you have to approach it with the same curiosity and humility. I’m always nervous. Doesn’t matter how many times I do this. But I remind myself it’s because I care. Steve would say, ‘Fail and then fail better!’ And that environment was so liberating. It’s not about getting it right. It’s about getting it truthful.” By Jennifer Demello
Believe in your goals—however lofty, from “Mad Men’s” James Wolk
When Wolk attended the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, casting directors would warn students of how difficult the business can be. He told Backstage it was his conviction that things would be different which enabled him to forge onward. “That blind ignorance is so important—otherwise, who would pursue acting? But if you believe it, it’s just like a self-fulfilling prophecy, right? Because if you don’t believe it, it’s definitely not gonna happen.” By Jennifer Demello
Loosen up in the audition room, from Sam Rockwell
In March, Backstage chatted with screen veteran Rockwell about categorizations, focusing on craft over networking, and the advice he gives acting students: “You cannot try to get the job. Just go in there, have some fun, and do your version of that part. This is what I’m selling. If you want to buy it, that’s cool. Have some adjustments for me? That’s fine, I’ll make some adjustments, but this is basically what I want to do. That’s the attitude, sort of a ‘fuck it’ attitude. Not fuck you, but fuck it.” By Jennifer Demello
Put faith in your director, from , James Franco
Hollywood’s most prolific multitasker took to Broadway this year in “Of Mice and Men,” and spoke with Backstage in April about the importance of working closely with a director’s vision. “When I design a character, I’m doing it with the director. I view it as the director’s creation as much as mine,” he said. “And I give credit to the directors as well: If I give a good performance, I give at least 50 percent of the credit to the director. That’s just the way to work in a collaborative medium.” By Jennifer Demello
Treat auditions like rehearsals, from comedian Amy Schumer
Having now worked on both sides of the audition table, the writer-producer-star of “Inside Amy Schumer” knows how actors can make a solid impression. She told Backstage in April that when casting her show, she looks for performers who commit truthfully to their delivery, a philosophy she has incorporated into her own approach. “The way I audition now, I just treat it like a rehearsal,” she explained. “I treat it like I already have the role and I’m just going to rehearsal.” By Jennifer Demello
Follow what you love, from actor-dancer Derek Hough
In April, the “Dancing with the Stars” alum stressed the importance of simply loving what you do. “Try to be honest with yourself and not just sort of fall into something that you think will make you popular, or you think that you’ll get respect from,” he advised readers. “Ask yourself the right questions, you’ll get good answers.” By Jennifer Demello
Pay attention to what you know, from Patrick Stewart
With about half a century’s worth of stage and screen experience, Stewart knows a thing or two about acting. In a revealing interview in April, he discussed his personal discoveries during the filming of “Match,” especially a telling revelation about his father. “I thought I got him,” he said. “I thought I got my father absolutely in place—how wrong I was. Those kind of things really get my attention these days. One of the really nice things about being an actor is that no experience is wasted.” True! By Jennifer Demello
Auditioning is an opportunity to practice, from David Walton of "About a Boy"
The star of NBC’s family comedy told Backstage the fascinating story of his big break—selling knives to a Fox executive!—and his subsequent struggles. When an acting coach advised him to see auditions as an acting opportunity rather than a potential job, Walton was able to turn his career around. “If you do good work, you start to make a name for yourself and things can come around. Weird little happenstances happen,” he said. “It’s just one of those things. Do good work and do it for yourself.” By Jennifer Demello
Draw from personal experiences to make characters resonate, from “A Raisin in the Sun’s” LaTanya Richardson
“I’m trying to homogenize a lot of different women whom I have known, including my grandmother, and trying to bring it to a more modern existence so that it does stay relevant,” said actor LaTanya Richardson, who earned a Tony nomination for her work in the recent revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s play. She talked with Backstage about the tricky work that goes into evoking a modern sensibility while performing a classic onstage. By Jennifer Demello
Go ahead and produce your own work, from Kevin Spacey
Two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey brought his signature gravitas to the May 7 Backstage cover, and offered aspiring actors plenty of food for thought. As one of the faces of new media—“House of Cards” has been instrumental in legitimizing Web series—Spacey is somewhat of an expert on pioneering innovative production techniques. “[The industry is] opening up with these new streaming series, and young people are being discovered producing their own things,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I decided ultimately to self-produce.” By Jennifer Demello
Make the role yours, from “Veep” actor Timothy Simons
The man behind everyone’s favorite loser on “Veep” advised Backstage readers to approach an audition from a personal perspective, rather than the perceived perspective of those on the other side of the table. “You don’t want to go in trying to force yourself into some archetype that has been thought up by a director and translated by a casting director,” he said. “If you have a particular read on it, go in with your point of view, because it doesn’t make sense trying to go in with somebody else’s point of view.” Read More...
