Ep #13: Tony-Winner Reed Birney on Actor Despair and Roles That Scare You

Reed Birney thought he was just going to be a schmuck actor after decades of struggle. Then he takes on a part that terrifies him and it leads to a number of great projects and successes, including a Tony Award. Just a bit of what we cover: The freeing nature of doing nudity in both theatre and film Why he chose not to go to Juilliard after being accepted, and why he might have hated acting if he went The unbelievable circumstances of his first Broadway show Why your imagination is so important, along with children playing in sandboxes What can lead you to "bad acting" and how to avoid it His experience working with The Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi early in their careers The excitement and challenges of working on Casa Valentina The helpful note from the director that helped him unlock the character in The Humans The example he tries to set for both his children who are actors   Check out the show notes for additional info and items mentioned in this episode. Become a PREMIUM member and part of the Working Actors Community, starting at just $2/month! Get your free copy of "12 Top Acting Tips from Season One". See additional content on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.   Want a free audiobook? As a listener, get yours and a free trial with Audible.