Leah Costello

Leah has both the soul to pull you in and the heart to disarm you. She has an idiosyncratic beauty that lights up a room and the screen.  Leah has continued to work with us in an ongoing class where she’s been doing some gorgeous work.  From there, I brought her in for a role in Masters of Sex, a series I’m casting for Showtime. She booked the role and shot it last week, working with Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. Her work was once again superb. Everyone on the show took time to let her know that she was special.

Leah graduated top of her class from University of Miami’s Theater Program and has already toured with numerous theater companies before relocating to Los Angeles.  She has been compared to having the looks of Liv Tyler with the sensibility of a mix between Zooey Deschanel and Patti Smith, according to some folks.

I just say that she’s an uniquely gifted actress and I’m so excited to watch her bloom!

Leah Costello

PICS/RES: http://resumes.breakdownexpress.com/690512-2448627   

We are in process. As artists we are always creating the work and ourselves. We don’t have to suffer extra hard… we suffer enough. Our individual lives are rich with feelings and personal interpretations, experiences that inform our creative journey. Unique to us and powerful in what we bring to the world. It’s what we do with the pain and the pleasure of our experiences that both impact our personal expression and feeds the collective.  Everything we do, feel, undergo (and as creative beings we sense it all deeply) contributes to the complexity of our lives. The wounds become breathtaking scars. The failures become triumphs. The labor builds works of art. 

We cannot be perfect. We can, however, be whole. And, how we endure the “extreme heat and pressure” of any coal compression will reveal the diamond within. Diamonds aren’t perfect. They have brilliance – brightness, symmetry, and reflection. They reflect the color of the truth around them. They hold their power. With certainty. So, in that, what we really want to do is make space for the diamond to glow. Give it space, time, and respect. And do whatever we have to do to honor our brillance. 

As actors, do the work. It will expose you – your exceptional  gift, energy, character. It will move you from coal to diamond. And in the engagement of our passion our brilliance is revealed.

“The seed of your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.” (David Bayles)

Diamond Planet spotted Oct 2012

MAC FYFE is an actor who I had the pleasure of directing in Canada in The Con Artist, a feature film.  He walked into the room to read for the role of Dean and he owned it (after a rather frustrating day of seeing actors acting too much or doing nothing at all).   

On Set with Mac & Rossif (& me)

He showed up. He was alive, loose, strong, specific, engaging, daring, funny. He had all of the intensity of the character and yet the work seemed effortless – not work at all.  And, might I add, that the role was conceived for an older character guy; Mac made it his.

Mac and I had a wonderful collaboration and I became a fan for life. I recently saw him at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, as part of VideoCab’s Production of The War of 1812 The History of the Village of the Small Huts: 1812-1815, written & directed by Michael Hollingsworth. It was a magical, wild production. Mac’s work (or rather, play) was impeccable. The War of 1812 Vid Cab at Stratford  

Video Cab 

What I love about Mac is that he’s drawn to the best work, not the most commercial. He’ll commit to a play over a dull role in a TV show any day. He loves the theatre and is faithful to deeply exploring roles that challenge him. He completely commits (with ease) to any role, transforms himself, and emerges electrically alive on stage or screen. He’s also very sexy; an actress recently described him to me as “hot and dewy”. 

Tidbit: Mac’s mom is the amazing Canadian actress, Nancy Beatty.

Mac Fyfe on IMDB

Mac Fyfe, Chameleon actor

 I look forward to whatever Mac does next; it’ll certainly be provocative, innovative, and spirited. 

 

Mac & Rossif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mac & Rossif Sutherland improvising in our film, The Con Artist.

What I love about Francis (Ford Coppola) is that he always did what was intuitive for him, rather than what was the norm. Casting The Outsiders his way (with the help of the great eye of Fred Roos, casting maven and producer, and the amazing casting team of Janet Hirshenson & Jane Jenkins) is what brought such truthful, real performances and soon-to-be stars to his films. I’m reminded that we have to trust our instincts in the process to get the best out of our actors, our team. I’m inspired.

And here are 2 more clips of -

The Making of The Outsiders part 1

The Making of the Outsiders part 2

- told by some of the actors and the DP, Stephen Burum.

What is acting anyway? We think we have to show ourselves and that’s true, we do. But trusting that the “showing” can be simply revealing is the challenge. It’s a longer discussion but plainly said, to me, it’s a human being experiencing something strong, deep, crazy, glorious, with another human being or alone (always in relation to another human being), and allowing the camera or an audience in. Truthfully. Personally. That’s where it lives.

But we often don’t trust that. We try to create something. To “perform” it. Or to demonstrate it. Maybe we don’t believe the experiencing it is enough. Maybe it doesn’t feel like work. And isn’t that the goal? For it to feel like life… Effortless. Fluid. And our very own, even private, intimate. And messy and unpredictable… If it’s alive, it can be anything. This experience should transport you, give you a “high”. (And us too; don’t keep that high to yourself.) It’s why you’re doing it, why you’re compelled to live it. Why someone wrote it. Why we’re engaged, hopefully fully captivated.

It’s a ludicrous thing, this acting. It takes a little bit of madness, sometimes a lot. To surrender to those parts of ourselves. And to reveal them. To tell a story with our full beings. Our human experiences are extraordinary and deserve our fullest commitment. Whatever genre, however long or short, whatever the story. It’s ours to play a part in.

This clip of Anna Magnani, from The Fugitive Kind (1959), brings us into her very personal world with such truthfulness. Her pain and her ecstasy are palpable.

And BTW, she’s gorgeous, isn’t she? In today’s Hollywood would she be recognized as attractive? Who cares. Her ownership of her beauty, her sexuality, her experience, is stunning. And her strength, her desperate desire to encounter her pain and reach through it for happiness, is what pulls us in.

Thank you, John Ruskin, for sharing this with me a while back. I woke up with this in my head (have no idea why) and watched it again. Fell into it. And I wanted to share it with all of the actors with whom I’ve been working recently who have such enormous life in you. You have to take risks, and in that, trust that bringing your life to the “story” truthfully, personally, and bravely, is what will bring you into our hearts. Ain’t that what it’s all about?

Experience Anna Magnani. That’s acting, ladies and gentlemen. (And the other guy’s pretty good too.) 

For more on Anna Magnani:

Anna Magnani at MSN

Anna Magnani at Yahoo Movies

]]> http://risabg.com/2012/08/18/anna-magniani/feed/ 0 http://risabg.com/2012/07/15/keonmohajeri/ http://risabg.com/2012/07/15/keonmohajeri/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2012 05:08:06 +0000 Risa http://risabg.com/?p=2693 A talented actor or other such artist who’s recently grabbed my attention:

Keon Mohajeri came to my attention this past spring when he came down to LA from Toronto as one of 4 actors selected as TIFF (Toronto Film Festival)’s Rising Stars of Canada. He was introduced to me via Larissa Giroux, who runs The CFC’s Actors Conservatory (Canadian Film Centre) and has an amazing eye for talent.  On that visit Keon read for me on a SYFY pilot I was casting, “Rewind”, and surprised the hell out of me. He was exactly right and so good. After an intense audition process over several weeks Keon won the role of “Charlie” as a Series Regular in the pilot. 

Keon has a really fascinating combination of great looks, charm, smarts, and sensitivity, while also bringing a sharp edge to his roles. He grabs the screen and goes deep. 

Keon Mohajeri, Rising Star in Canada

This is Keon’s bio via TIFF’s Rising Stars of Canada:

Keon Mohajeri began his career on stage in Philadelphia and off-Broadway in New York. Now he’s back in Canada and appearing in film and television productions.

Austin Highsmith came to my attention a year or so ago when I was casting the pilot for A Gifted Man (CBS). She was recommended by Zach Book who was an intern at the time and couldn’t stop raving about her. Her audition was breathtaking. No, she didn’t get the role, but she did make a lasting impression as one of the most present and emotionally available actors I’d seen in a very long time.

Austin and I have spent time in my Master Classes, digging in, getting dirty, figuring it out. She also introduced me to John Ruskin and his Theatre and Ruskin School of Acting and I’ve been thrilled to get involved with the work he’s doing.

Austin has done extensive film, television and stage work. She’s hugely committed to the evolution of her craft and has both dedication and drive. She’s also one of the most generous and sensitive artists I’ve known and that’s a great gift. She’s in the zone and on track for pretty amazing things.

Austin on IMDB

Meisner - The Neighborhood Playhouse -1957

Grabbing this from John Ruskin  - an intimate look at Sanford Meisner through a documentary in 7 parts. John is a wonderful teacher and someone who was fortunate to have been chosen to be Sandy Meisner’s first apprentice, then taught at the Neighborhood Playhouse; now John runs the Ruskin School and Theatre, its LA representative.

John’s bio can be found here:  John Ruskin

I never studied “Meisner” but I feel a deep connection with the work and carry the inspiration. I wish I’d have known Sandy as John and so many great actors, directors and writers did. He speaks to me so clearly, so truthfully. And that’s what we aim to achieve in our work on stage and screen alike. Telling the truth, sharing our personal and collective human experience, in the most spontaneous, immediate, and authentic way. Being wholly in the moment, and mastering the art of listening… something that serves us in our creative collaborations as well as in our lives altogether.

I share this with you, courtesy of John Ruskin (& the Ruskin School of Acting) and in the spirit of Sandy Meisner…

Here’s the Meisner page on John Ruskin’s site – with the documentary that I encourage… no, implore you to watch: Sanford Meisner - The Theater’s Best Kept Secret — A documentary in 7 parts.  Produced by Sydney Pollack – Directed by Nick Doob.

click here and scroll down on the page:

Ruskin School/Sanford Meisner

Act Before You Think

                – Sanford Meisner

Gabriel Luna

Gabe came to my attention very recently in casting the Syfy TV pilot, Rewind. He seemed to come out of nowhere and blew us all away. He’s from Austin, Texas and starred in a film, Dance with the One, out of Texas, directed by actor/director, Mike Dolan. Gabriel has the rare combination of confidence and humility. He’s deeply soulful. He’s a pure artist. He’s one of those actors who just gets it, settles into the role, and lives it. Watching him work is inspiring. He’s incredibly gifted.

Have a read — wrote this for Backstage this week.

“… We’re hoping for and needing you to show up completely in control, self-possessed, fully who you are, ready, and eager to work. We want to see you. We want to know who you are in this role. If you bring your most authentic self to the character, if you can go on a journey for a few minutes and take us along, we’re hooked…”