On this BONUS episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis speaks with his wife, actor and coach Colleen Basis. In Part 3, we chat about improv as a rehearsal technique, the chemistry of two willing & open actors, the key to villainous characters, her love of actors & the craft of acting, Claire Foy's breath-control in The Crown, how coaching is like bartending, putting yourself out there, and making an actor's journey a little bit easier.  Colleen Basis is a Los Angeles based Acting Teacher and Private Coach, and creator of the viral social media graphic "The Actor's Iceberg." She ha ..read more

On this BONUS episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis speaks with his wife, actor and coach Colleen Basis.  In Part 2, we discuss "The Actor's Iceberg," mind-body connection, actable words & actions, the actor as an instrument, her love of TV, what an actor's "wheelhouse" is, the path of least resistance, speaking to each actor differently, cultivating & developing objectivity, loving rehearsal, and doing the best you can in the time you have with a self-tape.  Colleen Basis is a Los Angeles based Acting Teacher and Private Coach, and creator of the viral social media graphic "Th ..read more

On this BONUS episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis speaks with his wife, actor and coach Colleen Basis.  In Part 1, we talk about Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh & Shirley MacLaine, growing up a shy kid, playing Jocasta in Oedipus, being both a participant & an observer, attending GW, touring with The Olney Theatre, the conservatory program at the Michael Howard Studios, her technique tool-belt, dramaturgy, running a business, and studying with Harriet Worrell, Alan Wade & Larry Singer.  Colleen Basis is a Los Angeles based Acting Teacher and Private Coach, and creator of t ..read more

On this episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis continues to speak with actor Goya Robles (Get Shorty, POWER Book III: Raising Kanan, 11:55, Brut Force, Rattled!)  In Part 2, we discuss the crossroads of abuse and trauma, his mentor Ellen Burstyn, not being killed off on Get Shorty, working with director Adam Arkin, his self-critical nature, rehearsing more to reduce the "noise," working with Javier Molina, chemistry as a willingness to receive, experiencing truth, going towards the uncomfortable, LatinX buying power and representation, humanizing "villains," feeding his acting compulsion, an ..read more

On this episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis speaks with actor Goya Robles (Get Shorty, POWER Book III: Raising Kanan, 11:55, Brut Force, Rattled!).  In Part 1, we talk about Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, hip hop, Def Jam Poetry, studying with Elizabeth Kemp, the core wound, shadow work playing Raul in Extremities, almost leaving school, using animal work, making urgent choices, the importance of therapy, the Idiot Workshop, working too hard, living his truth, always learning new things, being in the question, the "fuck it" stage, and his epic audition for Get Shorty.  A Stamford, CT ..read more

On this episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis continues to speak with actor Polly Lee (The Americans, The Blacklist, Law  Order: SVU, Gotham, Nurse Jackie, Chicago Med, The Looming Tower, Younger).  In Part 2, we discuss the fundaments, audiobooks, being stranded on stage in her underwear, hating seeing herself, teasing out the humanity of a scene, serving new plays, missing human randomness, character as the actor's domain, perfection vs. progress, faking chemistry, being positively judgmental, the exact right amount of intimacy, and wanting a universal basic income for artists.  ..read more

On this episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis speaks with actor Polly Lee (The Americans, The Blacklist, Law  Order: SVU, Gotham, Nurse Jackie, Chicago Med, The Looming Tower, Younger).  In Part 1, we talk about The Sound of Music, playing Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, her novelist mum and vicar dad, being a princess, observing the human condition, studying with Barbara Poitier and Gene Lasko, her one weeping eye, giving fear a name, playing worried moms, having your own personal comic timing, the given circumstances, Fiona Shaw in Medea, and the subjective art of acting.  Pol ..read more

On this episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis speaks with actor Gabe Fazio (I Know This Much is True, The Place Beyond the Pines, A Star is Born, Homeland, The Path to 9/11).  In Part 1, we talk about Room Service, the Fringe Festival, Joe Isuzu, being a "caveman," Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, studying with Geraldine Barron, statue exercises, asking questions, digging for gold, using yourself, letting it go, chemistry with Michael Aronov, and how tinnitus helped him prepare for working with Mark Ruffalo and Derek Cianfrance.  Actor Gabe Fazio attended Suffolk Community College before ..read more

On this episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis continues to speak with actor Al Vicente (Sons of Anarchy, Bosch, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Queen Sugar, Allegiant, Star Maps).  In Part 2, we discuss being a working Latino actor, anxiousness, Gary Oldman, loving theatre, auditioning for Gary Sinise at Steppenwolf, reps that believe in you, life on the road, the power of listening, "thinking loudly but speaking softly," and learning to use yourself to the best of your ability.  Born and raised in Chicago, IL - Al Vicente spent a couple of years training at Columbia College. He starte ..read more

On this episode of ActorSpeak, Austin Basis speaks with actor Al Vicente (Sons of Anarchy, Bosch, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Queen Sugar, Allegiant, Star Maps).  In Part 1, we talk about Pacino in Scarface, playing in a band, Mr. Berksen, guideposts, Audition by Michael Shurtleff, coming alive onstage, his "summer wind" rhythm, Michael Jordan's work-ethic, doing things differently, trusting himself, taking control, and loving self-tapes since 2012.  Born and raised in Chicago, IL - Al Vicente spent a couple of years training at Columbia College. He started working in theater at ..read more