The Acting Mastery Podcast

• 013 | Staying True As An Artist with Director, Kriv Stenders

  We’re honoured to host one of Australia's most versatile, fearless, and acclaimed filmmakers, Kriv Stenders. From intimate, improvisational, cinéma vérité-style dramas like ‘Blacktown’ and ‘Boxing Day’, to one of Australia's biggest crowd-pleasers, ‘Red Dog’, that went on to become one of the highest-grossing Australian films of all time, to large-scale war epics like ‘Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan’, and most recently, the courtroom thriller, ‘The Correspondent’, Kriv has moved across genres while always keeping actors and performance at the heart of his work.On television, he's directed acclaimed series including ‘The Principal’, ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘Bump’, ‘Mother and Son’, and ‘NCIS: Sydney’. Like me, he's a graduate of the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School, and he's been someone who has consistently pushed the boundaries of Australian cinema. In this episode, I'm excited to dive into his career, Kriv's process, and the many lessons he's learned along the way, particularly around perseverance, resilience, and staying true to yourself as an artist.

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• 012 | Truth, Imagination & Behaviour with Berg Studios founder, Gregory Berger

  If there was one guest I've wanted to have on this show since the beginning, it's Gregory Berger. Founder of Berg Studios in L.A., Berg, as he's affectionately known, is not only a highly acclaimed acting coach to several Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winning actors, but he was also my acting coach when I lived in L.A. A graduate and a former faculty member of the Yale School of Drama, Berg studied under two legendary teachers, Paul Mann and Earl Gister. Being in Berg's class was a revelation. I'd never encountered a teacher quite like him or an approach like his. His work provoked in me a much deeper understanding of what was possible for an actor, especially in terms of specificity and nuance. His clients have appeared in some of the most celebrated film and television projects of the past decade. The ones we can mention include Riz Ahmed from ‘The Sound of Metal’ and ‘Rogue One’, Michaela Cole from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and ‘I May Destroy You’, Winston Duke from ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Us’, Yaha Abdul Mateen II from ‘Watchmen’ and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’, and Simone Ashley from ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Sex Education’. In this episode, Berg takes us deep into his philosophy of acting, not just as performance but as a practice of truth, imagination and behavior. He talks about what it means to be private in public, why your body often knows more than your brain and why trying to get it right is the death of spontaneity. So whether you're just starting out or you're already working, this episode is packed with the kind of insight that will stay with you.

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• 011 | Creating Your Own Work with Award-Winning Writer-Director, Yolanda Ramke

  We're thrilled to bring you an incredibly insightful conversation with one of Australia's most exciting writer-directors, Yolanda Ramke.Yolanda first captured international attention with her short zombie film, 'Cargo', which she co-wrote and co-directed with Ben Howling. That short film, originally made for Tropfest, went viral and was praised by the likes of Simon Pegg. It went on to become a feature-length Netflix original film, starring Martin Freeman.‘Cargo’ was nominated for 5 AACTA awards, including Best Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was recognised by the Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA) with 5 award nominations, three Film Critics Circle of Australia award nominations, and 2 Fangoria Chainsaw award nominations (including Best First Feature). Yolanda went on to win her first Australian Writers' Guild (AWGIE) award for ‘Cargo’ in the Feature Film - Adaptation category. Following the success of 'Cargo', Yolanda was tapped by the creator of ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, Mike Flanagan (‘Midnight Mass’, ‘The Fall Of The House Of Usher’), to direct pivotal episodes of his follow-up series for Netflix, ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’. She also went on to create the ABC TV series, ‘Troppo’, inspired by the novel Crimson Lake, by New York Times best-selling author, Candice Fox.In this episode, recorded during one of our Industry Talk Nights in Sydney, we discuss how Yolanda broke into the industry, what it was like pitching to Hollywood, working with actors like Martin Freeman, her own creative process, and why creating your own work might just be the most powerful move an artist can make.

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• 010 | Authorship for Actors with Legendary Coach, Gerry Grennell

  We are honoured to share one of the most transformative conversations we’ve had in recent memory with one of the world's most in-demand acting coaches, Gerry Grennell.  If you’ve watched the ‘I Am Heath Ledger’ documentary, you would be familiar with Gerry’s name, and learned about the extraordinary collaboration between Gerry and Heath on some of Heath's most iconic roles, including his Oscar-winning portrayal as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's ‘The Dark Knight’.  Gerry Grennell has quietly become one of the most in-demand acting coaches in the world, and his client list reads like a who's who of Hollywood royalty: Heath Ledger, Meryl Streep, Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Natalie Portman, Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Bruce Willis, Oscar Isaac, Joel Edgerton, Sean Penn, Anne Hathaway, and many more.  With a background in Alexander Technique and voice, Gerry trained at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and went on to co-found the Bow Street Academy in Dublin, Ireland.  What was initially meant to be a 90-minute interview turned into a 2.5hr journey of philosophies and profound insights, particularly on the subject of ownership and authorship for actors. This interview is so full of ‘aha’ moments, and we hope it resonates with our listeners as much as it has for us.

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• 009 | Award-Winning Actor, Damon Herriman

  Damon Herriman is one of Australia's most versatile and respected actors, with a career spanning over decades across film, television and theatre. Known for his chameleon-like ability to fully inhabit a wide range of characters. Damon has captivated audiences with performances in critically acclaimed projects, such as his chilling portrayal as Charles Manson in both Quentin Tarantino's ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ and David Fincher's Netflix series ‘Mindhunter’. Damon's most recent films include the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic ‘Better Man’ from ‘The Greatest Showman’ director Michael Gracey, and ‘The Bike Riders’, directed by Jeff Nichols, where he starred alongside Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon. His extensive body of work also includes roles in major productions like Clint Eastwood's ‘J. Edgar’ opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe's ‘The Water Diviner’, and Oscar winner Barry Jenkins' ‘The Underground Railroad’. Damon also worked with David Mamet three times, including in one instance opposite Al Pacino. Other amazing credits include ‘Breaking Bad’, the Aussie hitman series ‘Mr. In Between’, and recently the Disney series, ‘The Artful Dodger’. His IMDb lists at present 119 acting credits. He's won or been nominated for over 35 awards. An actor who learned his craft on the job, Damon continues to push the boundaries of his work, making him truly a compelling figure in the world of acting.In this episode, we dive deep into Damon's journey, exploring some pivotal moments that shaped his career, his approach to the craft, and lessons he's learned from decades of experience working with some of the most renowned directors and actors in the world.

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