Go Pluck Yourself: The Actor’s Pursuit

Chris Gun
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  • PERFORMING ARTS

Go Pluck Yourself! Because the Hollywood cavalry is not on its way to pluck you from obscurity like the proverbial claws of a claw machine. Only you are responsible for your little dent in this industry. No one is coming to pluck you out of the crowd — You have to pluck yourself. Join actor Chris Gun as he chats to his creative pals about life as an actor navigating this wonderful industry.  These are the conversations that actors and filmmakers have between takes, between shoot dates, whilst waiting for their next gig. An insight into what life is really like for a creative on their way “up”. This is Go Pluck Yourself - The Actor’s Pursuit Presented by Chris Gun Watch here: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @gopluckyourselfpod @featuring_chris_gun Support the show here:  patreon.com/GoPluckYourselfPod

  1. 4D AGO

    Ep 18 Brad McCarthy: What Actors Should Do When The Work Dries Up

    Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/GoPluckYourselfPod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts  ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod GET TICKETS TO MY NEXT PLAY ‘THE HOUSEWARMING’ HERE: https://events.humanitix.com/the-housewarming-flw   Follow me on Instagram & TikTok:  @featuring_chris_gun  @gopluckyourselfpod    My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/  Follow Brad on Instagram: @brad__mccarthy Brad’s IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9744714/ Waiting for the industry to tap you on the shoulder can quietly wreck your confidence, your health, and your creativity. I’m joined by actor and producer Brad McCarthy for a laid-back but brutally useful chat about what actually moves an acting career forward when the work feels thin and the “rules” keep changing across the Australian film and theatre scene. We get into Brad’s producing path and the momentum behind Penrose, a supernatural horror project inspired by modern genre hits and powered by young filmmakers who refuse to wait until someone says they’re ready. We talk indie filmmaking as career insurance, why staying connected matters more than perfect timing, and how a single relationship or Instagram touchpoint can circle back years later with real work attached. Then we go practical: the self-tape audition grind, why endless takes can become self-punishment, and how setting a timer, doing smart prep, and building a repeatable setup can make auditions feel creative again. We also unpack headshots, demo reels, risk-taking on set, and the awkward reality of lowball commercial casting that tries to dodge agents and fair rates. If you’re an actor trying to find balance between hustle and rest, or a filmmaker building work from the ground up, this one will hit home. Subscribe, share it with an actor mate, and leave a review so more Aussie creatives can find the show. Available to watch on YouTube or listen on all podcast platforms Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 9m

  2. FEB 27

    Ep 17 Sasha Simic: Embracing Flexibility in Your Acting Career

    Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow me on Instagram & TikTok: @featuring_chris_gun @gopluckyourselfpod My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/  Follow Erik on Instagram: @thesashasimic Sasha’s Agency Profile: https://www.randommanagement.com.au/talents/sasha-simic Sasha Simic has toured the world doing what he loves. Musical theatre, stunt work at Universal Studios Japan, cruise ships, theme parks, Jersey Boys in Alaska, even playing a pirate in the Bahamas. And he was gonna be a doctor. In this episode of Go Pluck Yourself: The Actor’s Pursuit, I sit down with Sasha for a proper chat about building a career in the performing arts without really knowing what you’re doing at the start. We talk about saying yes before you feel ready, learning under pressure, getting humbled, killing your ego, and figuring things out in real time. We get into musical theatre versus film and TV, auditioning with no clue how auditions work, working internationally as a performer, the reality of theatre in Australia, social media for actors, and being the antithesis of impostor syndrome. He shares what it was like growing up in a refugee family after the Yugoslav war, how a high school drama teacher changed the direction of his life, and why staying open to everything has probably been his biggest strength. This is a conversation about curiosity, building your toolbox, and understanding that you have to be bad at something before you can be good at it. It is about confidence versus ego, maturing as an artist, and what actually happens after drama school when the real world hits. If you are an actor, performer, creative, or someone trying to carve out a life in the entertainment industry, this one is for you. Go Pluck Yourself is an independent acting podcast hosted by Chris Gun. New episodes drop fortnightly. If the podcast fires you up creatively, hit subscribe and share it with someone who needs it Available to watch on YouTube or listen on all podcast platforms Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 8m

  3. FEB 11

    Ep 16 Erik Thomson: Life Lessons From a Career in Film & TV

    Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow me on Instagram & TikTok: @featuring_chris_gun @gopluckyourselfpod My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/  Follow Erik on Instagram: @lucasardelis Erik’s IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm6619960/ What does it really look like to keep going as an actor when the industry keeps shifting under your feet? This week I had the enormous honour of sitting down with one of Australia’s most respected and recognisable actors, Erik Thomson. Erik’s been a constant on Australian screens for decades. You’ll know him from All Saints, Packed to the Rafters, 800 Words, Aftertaste, and from way back as Hades in Xena: Warrior Princess. His film work includes The Black Balloon, Somersault, The Boys Are Back, and more recently Kangaroo Island. It’s a seriously impressive body of work, but he talks about it all with zero ego. We chat about what it actually means to stay in the work. Moving where the jobs are, adapting to self tapes and shorter runs, letting go of entitlement, and coming back again and again to the basics of the craft. There’s a lot here about auditions, perspective, mental health, identity outside of acting, and how to keep yourself steady without losing curiosity or love for the job. This isn’t a big dramatic breakdown of the industry. It’s just a really generous, honest conversation with someone who’s been around long enough to have seen the cycles come and go, and who’s still very much in it. If you’re an actor, filmmaker, or creative trying to work out how to build something that lasts, I reckon you’ll get a lot out of this one. Thanks for coming on Erik! It was a true honour. Available to watch on YouTube or listen on all podcast platforms Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 20m

  4. 12/31/2025

    Ep 15 Luca Sardelis: Building an Acting Career With Intent

    Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow me on Instagram & TikTok: @featuring_chris_gun @gopluckyourselfpod My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/  Follow Luca on Instagram: @lucasardelis Luca’s IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm6619960/ Happy New Year! Let this chat be the creative inspiration you need to kick off your year. This week I sat down with the incredible Luca Sardelis! Luca Sardelis is a Greek-Cypriot-Australian actor, writer, and all-around maker, working across film, TV, and theatre. You might know her from lead roles in The Hunting (SBS), Nowhere Boys (ABC), and Deadlock (ABC), or from A Perfect Pairing (Netflix), The Tourist (HBO Max), and RFDS S3 (Channel 7). She trained in Shakespeare and Jacobean theatre at LAMDA in London and has performed in sell-out shows like Parlour Games (Adelaide Fringe) and her self-devised piece The Fish Rots from the Head(CRAM Collective), which is headed for screen production in 2026 with Mercury. In 2023, she scored a Carclew grant to write and direct her first short, Nothing Gold Can Stay (We Made A Thing), and in 2024 she wrote, produced, and performed in the video art piece Aurora at Adelaide’s Household Gallery. Her work has also been featured in BAFTA- and Academy-qualifying festivals, including SXSW (I’m The Most Racist Person I Know) and Flickerfest (Spite, Cordelia, Daughter of the Sea). She’s constantly pushing herself, telling bold stories across stage and screen, and has a stacked slate of indie features coming up, River, Love, Tea and Epiphany, Diabolic, Ruby Ruby, and Haven’t You Heard? Everyone Hates Me. She’s a total inspiration and it was an honour to have her on the show!  Available to watch on YouTube or listen on all podcast platforms Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 18m

  5. 12/12/2025

    Ep 14 Damon Herriman: Child Actor to Charlie Manson. The Iconic Career of Australia’s Most Prolific Actor

    Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow me on Instagram & TikTok: @featuring_chris_gun @gopluckyourselfpod My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/ Grab some tickets to his show: https://arttheplay.com.au/ This week on the podcast, I sat down with multi-award-winning actor Damon Herriman, an Australian icon who’s managed to do the unthinkable: break Hollywood and build a career that’s lasted from childhood television all the way through to Quentin Tarantino, and some of the biggest shows and movies on the planet. Damon’s one of those rare performers who’s not only been around forever, but has somehow kept getting better, sharper, and more interesting with every decade. We dive into the long game behind that kind of career: the patience, the timing, the doubt, the breakthroughs, the craft, and the strange little decisions that end up changing everything. From the years where nothing was landing, to the moments that opened doors in the US, to the roles that reshaped his trajectory, it’s a look at how a multi-award-winning career is actually built. Slowly, quietly, and with a ridiculous amount of persistence. This was such an honour. Like. Share. Comment. Support. Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think. 🎵 Theme music by Nick Gun: soundcloud.com/nickgun Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 8m

  6. 11/27/2025

    Ep 13 Frazer Hadfield: Better Man Reflections with “Nate” & “Noel Gallagher”

    Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow me on Instagram & TikTok: @featuring_chris_gun @gopluckyourselfpod My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/ Follow Frazer on Instagram:  @frazerhadfield @fromage.frazer Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm9090098/ This week I sat down with fellow Better Man actor Frazer Hadfield, who played Robbie Williams’ best mate in the film, and honestly, one of the real beating hearts of the story. We get into everything from the craft, the career stuff, and what it actually feels like being on the inside of a big film like Better Man. We talk about Michael Gracie’s rehearsal style, long-take filmmaking, iPhone run-throughs, reshoots, industry myths, self-tapes that may or may not get watched, and how to stay grounded when the work goes a bit quiet. Frazer’s got this calm, honest perspective on the industry that’s genuinely refreshing, and there’s so much actors can take from the way he approaches the job. I loved this chat. Thanks for coming in, Frazer. Like. Share. Comment. Support. Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think. 🎵 Theme music by Nick Gun: soundcloud.com/nickgun Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 35m

  7. 11/14/2025

    Ep 12 Laurence Boxhall: Gollum Takes on Tennessee Williams wit

    Get your tickets to The Glass Menagerie here: https://statetheatrecompany.com.au/shows/the-glass-menagerie/ Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow me on Instagram & TikTok: @featuring_chris_gun @gopluckyourselfpod My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/ Follow Laurence on Instagram:  @laurenceboxhall Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm6278415/ This week I sit down with the insanely talented Laurence Boxhall, an actor who has genuinely done it all. From playing Gollum in Lord of the Rings: The Musical to tackling Tennessee Williams in The Glass Menagerie, Laurence has one of the most versatile and seriously impressive CVs going around. But what really sets him apart is the way he thinks about the work. He’s sharp, curious, funny as hell and full of the kind of hard-earned insight you only get from years of actually doing the thing theatre, TV, musicals, comedy, drama, all of it. We talk about growing up in Adelaide, studying at NIDA, carving out your identity as an actor, refusing to take yourself too seriously, and how to hold onto play, joy and perspective in an industry that can drain all three. It’s thoughtful, chaotic, honest and full of proper wisdom. If you’re an actor or creative of any kind, this one’s going to light you up. Like. Share. Comment. Support. Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think. 🎵 Theme music by Nick Gun: soundcloud.com/nickgun Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 29m

  8. 10/30/2025

    Ep 11 David Daradan: Viral Memes to Silver Screens

    Support the show: patreon.com/gopluckyourselfpod  🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts ▶️ Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow me on Instagram & TikTok: @featuring_chris_gun @gopluckyourselfpod My IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm8690472/ Follow Dave on Instagram:  @daviddaradan Get tickets to the SASA Nominations Screenings: https://themercury.org.au/sasa2025/ Get tickets to A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Dave: https://butterflytheatre.net/next-production/ Check out his IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm9621041/ This week I’m joined by actor, writer and director David Daradan. Yes, that David Daradan. We talk about how a ridiculous HBO credit, the Vigorous Hand Job Guy, unexpectedly turned him into a viral meme, and how he’s since gone on to create Liability, a hilarious and heartfelt short film premiering at the Adelaide Film Festival. It’s a chat full of laughs, behind the scenes stories and sharp insights about acting, directing and collaboration. David’s one of those people who somehow balances humour, humility and hard work, and it really shines through here. Like. Share. Comment. Support. Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think. 🎵 Theme music by Nick Gun: soundcloud.com/nickgun Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    1h 11m
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Go Pluck Yourself! Because the Hollywood cavalry is not on its way to pluck you from obscurity like the proverbial claws of a claw machine. Only you are responsible for your little dent in this industry. No one is coming to pluck you out of the crowd — You have to pluck yourself. Join actor Chris Gun as he chats to his creative pals about life as an actor navigating this wonderful industry.  These are the conversations that actors and filmmakers have between takes, between shoot dates, whilst waiting for their next gig. An insight into what life is really like for a creative on their way “up”. This is Go Pluck Yourself - The Actor’s Pursuit Presented by Chris Gun Watch here: youtube.com/@gopluckyourselfpod Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @gopluckyourselfpod @featuring_chris_gun Support the show here:  patreon.com/GoPluckYourselfPod

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