Author: Katt Shea

The very best way of getting in front of casting directors and ultimately directors and producers more, is to be so alive, spontaneous, surprising and real when you do get an audition, that we, who hire you, can’t forget you. If you don’t get out on auditions enough – don’t squander the auditions you get! If you hardly ever go out on auditions, get coached for the ones you do get! There are always excuses why actors don’t invest in themselves — but what career can you have without investing in it? When opportunity comes, get coached for it! At…

Actors often say that they don’t want to be too “big”. The problem is not with being too big. People in life are often too big. The problem is with being real. When you are in your head and trying too hard and pushing to make something work, it’s horrible to watch. But when you are real, authentic, totally in your heart and your body, in the moment, not trying to make something happen, big is magical and will often get you booked. We, on the other side of the casting table, don’t hire the actor who plays it safe.…

From a director’s perspective, I’ve noticed that many new actors are so intimidated by their idea of a director or a director’s image that they are afraid to actually do their job. I can understand why. The director’s guild and directors themselves have done a very good job of promoting the complete auteur persona. And it is hard to know your boundaries when working on productions where you go in for wardrobe fittings and your wardrobe has already been chosen for you. Your hair and makeup may be dictated as well. You get the feeling your only job is to…

There is a myth that you have to know all about camera lenses and exposures before you can be a great director and it’s simply not true. There is no need to be intimidated by the technical side of directing. You may do your best directing without even knowing what a 50 mm is. Personally, I directed my most visually distinctive movies before I could choose a camera lens. I did it by being able to communicate the look and feel I wanted for the overall look of the movie and then the look and feel I wanted frame by…

As a writer/director I have some very big news for actors. I’m about to take all the pressure off you to cry in an audition. What we, who are hiring and working with actors really want and are really after, is not necessarily tears, but honest emotion. I have written a novel and many produced screenplays. In a novel you can describe a characters innermost feelings, you never have to say they cry, and in most cases, real people hold back their tears, which is much more interesting. But in a screenplay you must describe things from the outside. As…

What makes one actor compelling to watch and another actor tedious? I was coaching an actor who brought in a monologue that at first I didn’t like at all. It was written in a complain-y way about somebody being suicidal. She’s a good actor and her first take was sincere and deeply felt, but I found myself bored by it and resisting working on it. We did a few exercises to get her out of her head and it got more lively. Thank God. I don’t want to torture myself just to make a living. Then I prodded her to…

What I’ve learned after writing and directing many movies and working for decades with many actors and all the various levels of their success is that actors who want to act more than anything else in the world probably have the least chance of making it. That sounds brutal, but it is a weird truth. Why? Because often those actors are waiting for success before they really allow themselves to live and it’s vitally important to have a life if you are going to be a successful actor. It’s vitally important not to care that much. It’s essential to have…

For some reason I’ve been attracting people lately who want to know how old I am. I don’t keep track of my age and I haven’t for so long I really don’t know. I also don’t keep track of my horse Henry’s age, he doesn’t mind, but people like to ask me how old he is too and it nearly drives them crazy when I say, “I don’t know, I don’t keep track of age. And neither should you.” Then they want to know, well, about how old? It drives them even crazier when I don’t know my own. For…

It’s inevitable that you are going to flub a line when you are auditioning. But did you know that that f-up can actually lead to your most shining moment? It all depends on how you react to it. Most actors are thrown when they mess up a line, but real pros know that the little mess up shocks them into reality and, if you utilize it, can make you much more authentic and in the moment. Actors flub a line for various reasons; perhaps you’re not relaxed into the moment, you’re trying a little too hard, you’re a bit stressed…

Most actors on auditions are a bit nervous and it comes off like you feel unworthy. When an actor comes in confident, secure, professional, it’s actually a rare thing – and as a film director I mostly see actors with resumes that contain good movie and TV credits, so I am talking about them. Bother them. What does that mean? I’m going to tell you about my student Jackie who has many many credits under her belt, but wasn’t currently booking anything and who, I felt, came in with an unworthy vibe. She got an audition for a major network…

So many actors, even some who’ve booked jobs in the past, act as if we who are casting are doing you a favor by having you in to audition. I don’t want you to be arrogant, but you have to realize you are doing us the favor of showing us your work without even being paid for it. You have taken classes, reviewed the material, put your time and energy in, chosen your wardrobe, worked on your appearance, possibly coached (which is a very good idea), traveled- using your vehicle and gas, all to come in and “read” for us.…

Film Acting is not like other arts or other disciplines, it’s a bit of a wild ride in that it doesn’t always get better with more and more practice or rehearsal, as a rule it doesn’t get better with specific criticism. It soars when the actor is truly free. Interesting, because we wouldn’t tell a gymnast, a violinist, a singer – ‘just be free and you will soar’. No they need those hours of repetitive practice. And the actor needs his/her set of skills too, but they are different than these other disciplines and it can be quite tricky to…

Should you do nudity? The answer actually lies in the quality and intention of the project and one cannot always tell what that is based on the budget or even the ‘style’ of the project and by style I mean, whether it’s an exploitation film or something intended to be more serious.  The lines are so blurred today – a so-called exploitation film, even a low budget one, can be a brilliant piece that 20 years from now you will be proud to have your body seen in. And the reality is, that well-intentioned serious drama could be boring or…

Halloween offered me an opportunity to do something I’d never done before, be a man. I’d decided to go to the Halloween parties I was invited to as a cowboy, not a woman dressed as a cowboy, but as a totally convincing man. I pulled it off and it was quite an experience. I’m five foot ten so my height certainly helped. I took on a persona and an attitude, I had the walk, my voice is already low so I could just lower it a little more and I’d probably pass. I’m not a particularly masculine woman, but I’m…