Todd Thaler

The Secret to an Acting Career Is Not an Agent

It must be brutal knowing about all the roles you’d sell your mother to audition for but can’t, because casting directors are generally limiting themselves to “agent submissions only.”

The Secret To Great Film Acting

Theater-trained actors, with limited or no on-camera experience, tend to reveal too much of their work externally. “Less is more” is never truer than when it comes to acting for film.

Why You Should Never Stop Playing 'Make-Believe'

I would never discourage any aspiring actors from seeking some type of formal training (especially if they plan on acting in plays). But technique is the parachute you employ when you’re not working instinctively.

Why Your 'Type' Is Irrelevant

Most serious actors I know would love to play as wide a range of parts as is humanly possible, and do not want to be limited by "type." If anything, you should hope we’re willing to cast AGAINST type!

Why 'Acting Naturally' May Land You the Role

I can learn more about you before and after the audition, than I can from the audition itself. This is not at all to imply that the audition is unimportant or insignificant. But you would be wise to consider that the entire experience is part of the audition as well.

What To Leave Behind In On-Camera Auditions

This is why a greater awareness of "what you leave behind" is so crucially important. If you have little or no on-camera experience, you probably have no idea if what you do in the room works on tape.

What Are the Stakes of Your Audition?

Ah, the odds. The chances. The stakes. To most actors starting out, auditioning can seem like a daunting, terrifying, and insurmountable responsibility. A contest. A game of luck and chance.

Why Auditioning Is Not Acting

I truly believe auditioning is a separate animal from acting. Acting is what you get to do once you get the part. Auditioning is something else entirely.