The Eyes Have it...Or Do They

In Episode #447 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, teacher, author, and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach explores the extraordinary value of mentors, champions, and professional advocates. Jeff shares the personal story of his very first film audition—for Ron Howard's Splash, starring Tom Hanks and John Candy—and how casting director Pat McCorkle helped create an opportunity that became an important milestone in his acting career. You'll discover the difference between mentorship and advocacy, why honest feedback matters more than constant encouragement, how to identify people who can support your professional growth, and how meaningful relationships develop through trust, respect, and shared commitment. Jeff also introduces a practical five-step approach: Identify. Connect. Learn. Apply. Sustain. Whether you're beginning your acting career, struggling to find direction, or looking for ways to support other performers, this episode offers a thoughtful perspective on why professional growth doesn't have to happen alone. A mentor can open a door. Your preparation and talent must carry you through it. Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions online course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Joy of Performance: What Makes an Actor Come Alive? | Casting Actors Cast #446 What makes some actors seem completely alive onstage, on camera, or in an audition—even when they're playing emotionally difficult characters? In Episode #446 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, teacher, author, and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach explores a deeply personal question: What happens to the joy of performing as actors become increasingly focused on technique, auditions, professional expectations, and career results? Drawing on his years as a professional actor and his experiences behind the casting table, Jeff examines the difference between performing and demonstrating, the pleasure of concentrated attention, the importance of creative curiosity, and the relationship between preparation and freedom. You'll discover why the joy of performance isn't necessarily about happiness, enthusiasm, or outward energy—and why genuine engagement with the circumstances and other actors can make a performance so compelling. Plus, Jeff shares practical ways to reconnect with the creative experience without trying to manufacture excitement or force a particular emotional state. The audience doesn't need to see how much you love acting. They need to experience what that love makes possible. Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions online course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What If? The Secret to Memorable Acting Choices | Casting Actors Cast #445 Why do some actors deliver technically excellent auditions that are quickly forgotten, while others make a director lean forward and say, "I never thought of it that way"? In Episode #445 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, teacher, author and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach explores the difference between predictable acting choices and memorable interpretations. Using his practical "What If?" approach, Jeff demonstrates how actors can explore alternative character needs, obstacles, behaviors, and contradictions to discover surprising yet truthful interpretations of a scene. You'll learn why actors often play it safe, how to take creative risks without becoming gimmicky, how to experiment with the same dialogue in different ways, and why the ability to take direction is just as important as making an original choice. Plus, discover the three-step process: Discover. Test. Evaluate. A memorable audition doesn't always change the director's mind about the character. Sometimes it changes the director's mind about the actor. Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you hate watching yourself on camera? You're not alone—but for today's actor, learning how to review your own work is an essential professional skill. In Episode #444 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, teacher, author and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach explores the crucial difference between judging yourself and evaluating your work. Jeff explains why actors shouldn't monitor themselves while performing, how self-consciousness interferes with listening and behavior, what casting directors are actually watching in an audition, and how actors can review self-tapes and playback without falling into the perfectionism trap. You'll also learn Jeff's practical Three-Pass System for reviewing your work—Story, Connection and Technique—along with the simple professional cycle: Perform. Observe. Adjust. Forget. Because the goal isn't to love everything you see. It's to learn how to see your work clearly enough to improve it. Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions course. Do you hate watching yourself on camera? You're not alone—but for today's actor, learning how to review your own work is an essential professional skill. In Episode #444 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, teacher, author and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach explores the crucial difference between judging yourself and evaluating your work. Jeff explains why actors shouldn't monitor themselves while performing, how self-consciousness interferes with listening and behavior, what casting directors are actually watching in an audition, and how actors can review self-tapes and playback without falling into the perfectionism trap. You'll also learn Jeff's practical Three-Pass System for reviewing your work—Story, Connection and Technique—along with the simple professional cycle: Perform. Observe. Adjust. Forget. Because the goal isn't to love everything you see. It's to learn how to see your work clearly enough to improve it. Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you know whether an acting class, workshop or teacher is actually right for you? In Episode #443 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, teacher, author and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach looks beyond recommendations and famous techniques to explore what good actor training should actually accomplish. Jeff discusses how actors can identify what they genuinely need before choosing a class, the “intermediate plateau” that can keep actors training without progressing, evaluating teachers and techniques, budgeting for professional development, knowing when you've outgrown a class, and the difference between feeling challenged and actually learning. The episode also explores something increasingly important in a screen-centered and AI-driven world: the psychological and artistic value of actors working together in a room. The goal isn't simply to keep training. It's to keep growing. Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting an agent can feel like one of the biggest milestones in an actor's career—but what happens after you get representation? In Episode #442 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, author, teacher and former actor Jeffrey Dreisbach takes a practical and sometimes humorous look at the actor-agent relationship. This isn't an episode about how to find an agent. It's about understanding the professional relationship once you have one: franchising, communication, commissions and residuals, transparency, industry connections, management skills, expectations, warning signs—and the actor's own responsibilities in making representation work. Jeff also offers a simple five-part Representation Check-In built around Trust, Communication, Transparency, Strategy and Professionalism. Because representation isn't validation. It's a business partnership. Visit CastingActorsCast.com for more episodes, free actor resources, Booked It! The Actors Playbook for Getting Cast, and the Next-Level Auditions course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actors are often taught to explore emotion—but what if emotion is actually the last part of scene preparation? In Episode #441 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, actor, author and teacher Jeff Dreisbach introduces a practical four-step approach to scene analysis: WANT, NEED, BEHAVIOR and EMOTION. Begin with the writer: Why does the scene exist? Then discover what your character needs from the other person, explore the mental and physical behaviors used to pursue that need, and finally allow emotion to emerge as a result of what happens in the scene. This episode explores why preparing emotional results can limit spontaneity, how behavior creates character, why acting remains relational, and how better preparation can actually create greater freedom in performance. If you have ever tried to “be sad,” “get angry,” or manufacture a feeling in an audition, this episode may help you approach your work from an entirely different direction. ch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do casting directors actually think when you're auditioning? Are they judging you? Do they already know who they want? Do they only call in actors they know? In this episode of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, former actor and master teacher Jeff Dreisbach introduces “Empathy Casting”—a different way for actors to understand the person on the other side of the audition. Jeff takes you behind the casting process to explain why casting directors are more like “personal shoppers” for producers and directors, why a great audition doesn't always result in getting the role, how concentration can be mistaken for criticism, and why casting isn't searching for the “best” actor—but the right creative fit for a particular project. Most importantly, you'll discover why the casting director isn't your opponent. Casting wants actors to succeed because every compelling audition provides another creative possibility. Stop trying to read the room. Stop inventing stories about what casting is thinking. Bring your interpretation, your preparation and your unique creative point of view—and let everyone else do their job. Casting Actors Cast with Jeff Dreisbach — practical insights from both sides of the audition table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens to an actor when nobody is asking them to act? When the auditions slow down, the callbacks disappear, or the next job simply isn’t happening, actors often assume the frustration they’re feeling is about their career. But what if something else is going on? What if you’re creatively hungry? In Episode #439 of Casting Actors Cast, casting director, teacher, author, and former actor Jeff Dreisbach explores the psychology behind an actor’s need for creative self-expression—and why waiting for the industry to provide that expression can become emotionally exhausting. We’ll look at the complicated relationship between creativity, employment, money, identity, and the need for an audience. Why does being paid sometimes feel like proof that you’re a “real” actor? Why can a lack of performing leave you restless or discouraged? And how can you build a creative life that doesn’t depend entirely upon someone else giving you permission to participate? Most importantly, Jeff offers practical ways to recognize creative hunger and find outlets that keep your imagination, curiosity, and sense of play alive—even during the quiet periods of an acting career. Because there’s an important difference between asking: “Am I working?” and asking: “Am I creating?” The industry may decide when it hires you. It does not get to decide when you are allowed to be creative. ?? Casting Actors Cast — practical insight, encouragement, and a casting director’s perspective on the psychology, craft, and business of being an actor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actors are constantly told that film acting is "all about the eyes." But what does that really mean? In this episode of Casting Actors Cast, veteran casting director, actor, educator, and author Jeffrey Dreisbach explores one of the most misunderstood concepts in on-camera acting. Discover why the camera isn't actually watching your eyes—it's watching your thoughts. Learn why truthful thinking creates truthful behavior, why listening is one of the greatest acting skills, why the advice "don't blink" misses the point, and how simple eye-awareness exercises can strengthen your on-camera performances. Whether you're preparing for auditions, self-tapes, or your next film role, this episode will change the way you think about close-up acting forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices