Killer Casting Lisa Zambetti, Dean Laffan

If you watched this year's Superbowl, chances are you (and 123 million people) saw my guest Tony Robinette in the Dunkin Donuts commerical starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, and a slew of other cameos. That high profile spot capped off an incredible year of work for Tony, who has defied all odds to become one of the busiest actors in Hollywood (who you may not have heard of...yet). Despite two entertainment industry strikes, in 2023 Tony booked several TV shows including Ryan Murphy's Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, NCIS, Tacoma FD, Waco: The Aftermath and Nightcourt. In those projects, Tony toggled between boisterous comic performances to heart breaking dramatic characters. How did he do it? Join our conversation to find out how Tony got his start, how he stays so busy, how he keeps a positive mindset and how he juggles not one but five (?) agents! Tony also takes us behind the scenes of that crazy DD commercial! 
 
Want more Tony? You can watch his work here
https://www.tonyrobinette.com
Follow him here
https://www.instagram.com/thetonyrobinette/
And get coached by Tony here:
https://www.workingactorscoach.com
 

📍Well look who took time out of his busy schedule coaching A-List actors like🤩 Bradley Cooper, Michelle Williams, Kerry Washington, Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek and Austin Butler to sit down with Lisa and talk about the craft of acting, 🎭 the Oscars 🏆and also the new edition of his book 📖 “Fine on Acting: A Vision of the Craft”, none other than legendary acting teacher Howard Fine!  Howard and Lisa gab about all kinds of things that are on their minds these days about process, technique, and elements that help make actors better at their art. Howard gives all kinds of nuggets of wisdom and shares stories about working with A-list actors on their award-winning performances.
You can get a copy of Howard’s book here. It is truly a must have resource for any actor or any acting teacher. https://amzn.to/4a2xOUN
Want to study with Howard or his master teachers? Check out his programs here: https://www.howardfine.com
#acting #actors #actingclass #actingcoach #oscarwinningperformance #hollywood #craftofacting #actingtechnique 

Sometimes Lisa needs to remind herself why she ever wanted to do casting in the first place and it is because of incredible casting directors like her mentor Emily Schweber 💕who exposed her to artists like the filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro. Both Emily and Andrea are her guests today to talk about a very special project. Lisa assisted Emily on casting Andrea’s first film the evocative award-winning “Medeas” starring Catalina Sandino Moreno…and now years later comes Andrea’s third film, also cast by Emily that is getting all kinds of acclaim, “Monica” starring Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, (both giving 🏆Oscar worthy performances) Emily Browning, Josh Close and Adriana Barraza. 
🌸“Monica” is an intimate story of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother. A mother who due to a terminal illness, the passage of time, and other factors, doesn’t recognize her own child. Or does she? It is a film so universal that many people can relate to it — the fractures that split up a family, abandonment, healing old wounds, coping with the end of life, finding your way back to your past…and yet the film also is a very very unique look of the journey of a very particular woman. 
Andrea’s filming style is extremely distinct in its nuance, pacing, and framing. You are not going to see a standard two-shot, or easy transitions between scenes. He lets the audience sit with the people in this world, in their silent thoughts, in their private moments, uninterrupted. 
Emily and Andrea tell Lisa about the challenges of casting “Monica” and how they want the audience to experience the film, its revelations and ultimately the redemption of the characters. 
You can find “Monica” on Hulu, AMC, and many other streaming platforms. 

Lisa woke up this morning realizing she is WAY behind on her Oscar nomination watching! Like, she has only seen “Barbie”. So to psych herself up to watch all the rest of these performances for all the Best Acting awards at least, Lisa sits down with Oscar savant Paul Sullivan, who has seen EVERY best picture nominee since 1943, to discuss the task she has ahead of her. Paul gives Lisa a little preview on what he thinks of all the films this year, and weighs in on all the performances (and he may or may not do a few impressions)…Paul also takes us down the rabbit hole of past Academy Award winners and compares them to this year’s hopefuls . (btw, humble brag, Lisa cast nominee Colman Domingo in a film years ago, so she is already rooting for him without seeing him in “Rustin” yet, is that wrong?). Will Lisa be able to set aside her existential angst about these award shows in general before the big ceremony? Tune in to our pre-game chat to find out. (Note, yes, you will hear the moment that their dog Eleanor knocks over a big flower pot in the yard and gets a snootful of mud, we didn’t have the energy to edit that out).  
 
 

She IS awake ! ... and so are we! 

Well folks it is time for all one-eyed polar bears to make their way off to that ice cave for a big long snooze, because Issa, Jodie, Kali, Finn and team … including Fiona ( I gut coyotes and polish my rifles on New Year’s Eve for fun) Shaw are delivering us from the darkness of our wildest conspiracy theories, into the light (see what I did there?) of clarity.

Well, maybe ...did this most watched season of True Detective of all time tie up all the loose ends flapping around the Ennis permafrost? Almost! Listen to Lisa and Dean break it all down for you. 

But wait !  This week we are joined by fellow podcasters Sarah Callen and Jennifer Han. Like Lisa and Dean, Sarah and Jen have been recapping this series on THEIR fantastic podcast titled ‘TV & Us. Check them out here https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tv-us/id1681955735 or wherever you get your pods.

Your Dynamic Duo (squared) will dig into the finale like one of Qavvik's pups eating their reindeer kibble .. and reassemble it in one easy to digest TV dinner of explanatory goodness.

I could go on here with the Shownotes (sez Dean) but why not just ‘go on’ on the pod !

Holy rolling oranges Batman ... to the Ice Cave !
🎶 Nah nah nah nah  nah nah nah nah naaaaah ...


LINKS
TV &Us The podcast created by today’s guests Jennifer Han and Sarah Callen https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tv-us/id1681955735
https://open.spotify.com/show/0dTz1JYqqoQ8S8UbcVFOVO?si=61329f4da3934c97
“Lawless,” a ProPublica Local Reporting Network project by the Anchorage Daily News that reveals how indigenous people in Alaska are denied public safety services, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and Public Service
https://www.propublica.org/series/lawless
Is this Navarro ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3srZfRSUf0
Joel Montgrand’s own podcast on First Nations talent in tv and film  is called ‘Actors and Ancestors’  check it out here https://www.actorsandancestors.com/

Issa deconstructs the Finale episode
https://slate.com/culture/2024/02/true-detective-season-4-night-country-finale-ending-explained.html?fbclid=IwAR1pc5s7SE-js62VcK1aLr2IUWKjTtCOXRL5gGp-w0BK6BtEEqmsXvHgXrg#lsthmfese5rflf1a92e
Screenrant ask: Is Wind River better than True Detective ? 😱
https://screenrant.com/true-detective-night-country-wind-river-movie-taylor-sheridan/

RECAPS

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a46820836/true-detective-season-4-ending-explained/
https://www.vulture.com/article/true-detective-night-country-recap-season-4-episode-6-part-6-finale.html
https://screenrant.com/true-detective-night-country-episode-6-finale-recap/#navarro-leaves-but-keeps-her-promise-to-danvers
https://www.slashfilm.com/1519971/true-detective-night-country-finale-spiral-reveal/
https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/true-detective-season-4-episode-6-finale-release-time-and-recap/
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-recaps/true-detective-night-country-episode-4-recap-otis-heiss-jodie-foster-john-hawkes-1234959256/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/18/arts/television/true-detective-season-4-episode-6-recap-stories-are-stories.html
https://www.theringer.com/2024/2/18/24076909/true-detective-night-country-season-4-episode-6-finale-recap

Well that was unexpected ! Issa and crew certainly delivered a shock ending. Farewell Hank ... thanks for the cool tune on the way out.

Lisa and Dean cover off on all the aspects you'd imagine ... and some you wont expect.

Peter and Liz have worst New Year’s Eve ever (though it must be said, it was even worse for Hank and Heiss.

We're still being kept in the dark (see what I did there?) about whether there truly is supernatural stuff going or are the visions just trauma associated with tke case and the unnatural eternal darkness. 

Hank showed his true colours, but so did Kate and Connolly. Will they get their just deserts 

Will Issa give us closure on the whole Holden/Jake backstory?

All will be revealed !

Links
Great interview with John Hawkes.
https://www.gq.com/story/true-detective-night-country-episode-5-john-hawkes-interview

Recap away 
https://www.vulture.com/article/true-detective-recap-season-4-episode-5-part-5.html
https://screenrant.com/true-detective-night-country-story-recap-whats-going-on/
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a46686629/true-detective-season-4-episode-5-recap/
https://collider.com/true-detective-season-4-episode-5-recap/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/09/arts/television/true-detective-season-4-episode-5-recap.html
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a46686629/true-detective-season-4-episode-5-recap/
https://www.avclub.com/true-detective-review-season-4-episode-5-part-5-1851235960