Real Actor's Lab

A rainy Saturday calls for a comfy day in and yummy homemade soup I hope you’re enjoying this cozy weekend and soaking up all the R&R you need! For those of you curious, this soup is DELICIOUS! I like to call it my whatever-I have-in-the-fridge soup ... homemade chicken broth olive oil garlic leeks broccoli cauliflower collard greens red potatoes herbamare smoked paprika lots of black pepper *cooked until soft and blended together* ENJOY!

Technology is a blessing and a curse. So often, we get bogged down with all of our gizmos and gadgets and don’t even realize the amount of time that has slipped by. Before you know it, your name is called and you’ve given yourself ZERO lead up. Today’s ACTOR TIP is very practical- put the phone down!... Step AWAY from that distraction and step INTO your craft. Allow your mind to find peace and concentrate on the immediate journey that lies ahead. Whether it’s at home or in-person, give yourself time away from your gadgets. Sit with your preparation and allow your mind to reset and refocus.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King Jr. There are so many powerful and important #MartinLutherKing quotes but boy does this one resonate for me today. Thank you #MLK for pushing back so fiercely against white supremacy. I wish we could say the work was done -- but we will continue to stand up against racism until it is.

When I start to spin out about everything (which I do--especially after what happened at the Capitol) it really does help me to think about what we do -- all of us actors, writers, directors, filmmakers, producers, casting directors and every other human apart of the process of telling stories who are so dedicated to making an impact. Cliché as it may be, I can’t think of a better way to say this: the greatest stories heal and make us closer-- this is what I love the most abo...ut us. We get to be reminded how much we actually have in common. I like to think about movies like Moonlight @moonlightmov weaving their quiet magic inside the hearts of the unsuspecting. For real -- I mean, what if everyone saw stories like I MAY DESTROY YOU and LEAVE NO TRACE and 12 YEARS A SLAVE and MY OCTOPUS TEACHER and RUINED and @seveninbinary INTRINGULIS? (What if everyone just thought about the movie ET for a sec? ) What gets you through it? What stories do you hope seep out into other less circles?

Alright, who else out there can relate? Vulnerability is such a beautiful and wonderful thing. With vulnerability we can seek to understand, empathize with others, become better artists and grow into being even more helpful and compassionate humans. Cheers to being more vulnerable in your craft and in your life

Ok, so I heard today is national #CleanOffYourDeskDay - We’re in the process of building out my new #backyardstudio so my work zone is literally tucked into this teeeeny corner so there’s not so much room for clutter anyway! How many of you actually have a desk? Is your desk the coffee table in front of the couch? Your bed? What do you use your desk for? Want to take the challenge and clean that sucker off?... ps - I’m a geek for organization and I’d love to see DMs of your before and after pics. Or just the before! Alternative challenge - Since so much of an actor’s work is internal, perhaps you clean off your physical/mental desk. What would that look like?