Industry Topics Blog Posts

‘Tomb Raider’ Star Alicia Vikander on Her Intense Training for the Role of Lara Croft
Tomb Raider actress Alicia Vikander grew up watching action and adventure movies, wondering what it would be like to act in such rigorous stories. Playing the iconic character Lara Croft has given her the opportunity to climb cliff faces, zipline… Read More

Casting Director Bonnie Timmermann Chooses Her Actors by Looking Deeper into the Individual
Casting director/producer Bonnie Timmermann has an understated manner about her, but she’s certainly a powerhouse. Throughout her 44-year career, she’s cast about 100 films including Heat, Black Hawk Down, Armageddon and Amadeus. With her open heart and hard work, she’s… Read More

Casting Director Nina Gold Shares Casting Insights
You’d be hard-pressed to miss Nina Gold’s work, as the multi-award-winning casting director has hand-selected spot-on actors for numerous productions over the past decades. Examples of her work include The King’s Speech, Les Miserables and The Martian. Gold is best… Read More

7 Actresses Who Don’t Drink Alcohol
Hollywood is known for its parties, after-parties, galas and mixers. It also has its share of cautionary tales, which can put the entertainment industry in a bad light. That being said, it’s perfectly reasonable to attend parties without ever sipping… Read More

Bill Skarsgård on the Intense Role of Pennywise in ‘It’
You may not recognize Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård without cracking demonic clown makeup. Best known for his portrayal as Pennywise the Dancing Clown from the film adaptation of the 1986 Stephen King novel and mega movie hit It, the 33-year-old… Read More

The Top 3 Things a Hosting Agent Looks for in a Reel
If you want a successful career in broadcast hosting, one of the first things you need to do is find a great agent to represent you. It may sound simple, but it’s tougher to get your foot in the door… Read More

Top Actors Describe What They Believe Makes a Good Actor
If you ask an acting coach, casting director or other entertainment industry professional what you need to become a great actor, you might hear a lot of the same things. Many will tell you that being an exceptional actor takes… Read More

A Look at Prince’s Acting Roles
The prodigious musical talent and original artist Prince passed away exactly seven years ago today in his suburban Minneapolis home. There’s no doubt that the pop star’s multitude of fans across the globe are celebrating his life by listening to… Read More

Did Dustin Hoffman Go Too Far with Method Acting in ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’?
The set of Kramer vs. Kramer could have been described as Dustin Hoffman vs. Meryl Streep according to Michael Schulman’s 2016 cover story for Vanity Fair. Schulman wrote the legendary actresses biography entitled Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, as well… Read More

An Actor’s Job Requirements, According to Famous Performers
In the entertainment industry, many people want to know what exactly is an actor’s responsibility, and what are the job requirements for actors? Whether the performer is involved in stage productions, a commercial actor, a film actor, television actor or… Read More

How Leonardo DiCaprio’s Role in ‘This Boy’s Life’ Influenced His Acting Career
Leonardo DiCaprio has a hall-of-fame-worthy acting career. He’s received seven Oscar nominations (winning an Academy Award in 2016 for his performance in The Revenant) and worked on major feature films with iconic actors and directing titans such as Robert De… Read More

Kate Winslet Overcame Drama Teacher’s Advice to “Settle for the Fat Girl Parts”
Good thing Kate Winslet didn’t listen to her drama teacher as a teenager. The instructor told her that if she continued to be overweight, she was likely to only get roles for “cute, fat best friend role or the ugly… Read More

Ask a Former Hollywood Agent for Career Advice on Reddit
If you ask actors what drew them to the field of acting, you can bet your bottom dollar they won’t answer, “Oh, it was definitely the business side of acting.” Rather, you’re most likely to hear that it was the… Read More

Watch Henry Thomas’ Perfectly Improvised Audition for ‘E.T.’
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released over thirty years ago; it’s an enduring story about a lonely boy who makes close friends with an abandoned alien called “E.T.” The film’s concept was based on an imaginary companion that a then-teenage Steven… Read More

A Look Back at Jim Carrey’s Maharishi University Commencement Speech
If your parents prefer you find a “real” job instead of pursuing acting or if you find yourself second-guessing the decision to follow your passion, then you might be interested in hearing Jim Carrey’s commencement speech at the 2014 Maharishi… Read More