Frenetic long takes, Seth Rogen’s self-sabotaging studio head, and a drug-fueled caricature of Dave Franco: The Apple TV+ satirical comedy “The Studio” turns the lens to take a distressingly hilarious look at the film industry, from those who know it best. Its ensemble cast of Hollywood stars—many of whom appear as fictionalized versions of themselves—delivers incisive commentary on all things entertainment in the multi-Emmy-nominated, cringe-inducing series. Here, we compiled the cast’s most illuminating insights on the craft of acting and surviving in the industry.
Good acting requires authentic listening, honest reactions, and the willingness to go deep.
“There are things that I look for when I look to develop a character; I call it ‘the Big Five.’ What is your strength? What is your weakness? What is your ambition? What is your fear? And what is your secret?” —Bryan Cranston
“When you’re in these scenes and you don’t actually know what these people are gonna say each take, that keeps you engaged. If I’m not listening, I’m just gonna get left way behind…. I was just listening to these great people and reacting honestly. That made me look good, and I just kind of let everyone else shine. And hopefully, me reacting in a real way lifted me up a little bit, too.” —Dave Franco
“The only tool an actor has is his body. You have to be able to utilize that to express yourself—and I try and bring that to the forefront of my work every time…. Just because you’re not moving doesn’t mean you aren’t moving. There’s a certain strength, there’s a certain explosion that can come out of stillness.” —Anthony Mackie
“Part of the reason we shot [‘The Studio’] that way…it’s how I wanted to perform every day as an actor. The idea of performing in that environment every day was very exciting to me and really scary to me. But I think that’s why it was really exciting to me. I thought it would be very challenging, but I thought if it worked, it would be the most fun I could have and the most invigorating experience I could have.” —Seth Rogen
“When you really are able to focus on one project at a time—I think you’re just able to go to a deeper place and see things more clearly when you give yourself that space.” —Zoë Kravitz
Persistence and patience will take you far.
“When I ask if you’re talented, you’d better say yes. Not in a boasting sort of way, just a quiet confidence: ‘Yes, I’m talented. I know I am.’ You need that. And you need persistence and you need patience, and that’s not contradictory.” —Bryan Cranston
“When you’re first starting out and it is a small role, you have that feeling of like, OK, I do need to stand out. I need to make my presence known. But it’s like, no, no, you got to just serve the story here. You got to serve this bigger thing. So, come in and just do your small part, and don’t overthink it, and don’t try to make it something bigger than it should be.”
—Dave Franco
“Everything builds on everything else.” —Kathryn Hahn
“I would say to any actor: You just don’t know what could be down the pipe, or if somewhere behind those people’s eyeballs, they’re looking at you for something specifically. They want you to just bring yourself. It’s almost like you have to forget about what this could be and just meet some nice people.” —Kathryn Hahn
“Rejection is protection. It might not show up right away, but I think we’re all in good hands.” —Zoë Kravitz
Be passionate and proactive about the craft.
“I don’t think passivity is the way to go. Most actors aren’t passive in their work, but for some reason in the business part, they are…. The energy of it just pushes you into that area, and you become proactive and have more control of your destiny.” —Bryan Cranston
“I constantly think about acting because I’m in love with it.” —Bryan Cranston
“I still can’t believe this is my job. I cannot believe I am a professional actor! I love my job…. Being in New York again, I see my previous selves walking down the street having just moved here, and I want to tell them, ‘Oh, my God, it’s going to happen! It’s going to happen! It just takes so long!’ ” —Kathryn Hahn
“The thing we talk most about is like, ‘Is it stuff that we’d be jealous [of] if someone else made it?’ It’s actually much more personal. It’s stuff that is like, ‘If we saw a trailer for this movie and we weren’t the ones behind it, would we be angry about that?’ ” —Seth Rogen
