Conversations with Ross

This episode of Conversations with Ross features actor Joseph Gatt. Joe is currently appearing in Star Trek Into Darkness. He talked about how J.J. Abrams runs his set and gives notes, acting in a movie when the expectations are high, and the first time he stepped on the Enterprise Bridge. Joe is perhaps best known for his motion capture work as Kronos in the popular God of War video game serie...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features Matt Sax. Matt is a playwright currently working on the musical Venice. Matt discussed how he made Venice from script-to-stage, his writing process, and how the project initially came together. Matt also talked about how he broke in, his experience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and his worst moment in front of a live audience. This is a behin...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features Annet Mahendru. Annet is an actress currently starring on The Americans. Annet and I discussed how she broke in, her worst audition experience, and what attracted her to acting in the first place . She also spoke about her role as Nina on The Americans. I asked her if she feels like Nina is the moral compass of the show, and how her character has...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features actor Christopher McDonald. Christopher discussed his role in the Broadway play Lucky Guy, which he is starring opposite Tom Hanks. He talked about how the play came to be, what it’s like to work with Tom, and how getting notes from a theater director differs from a film director. Christopher also discussed his life as a working actor. He t...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features Shanola Hampton. Shanola is an actress currently starring on Shameless. Shanola and I discussed why she always knew she wanted to be an actress, how she broke in, and her worst audition experience.  She also spoke about her role as Veronica Fisher on Shameless. She talked about getting that part, the nude scenes, which plot point grossed her out...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features actor Raphael Sbarge. In addition to focusing on his role as Jiminy Cricket on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, Raphael gave an honest account of his life as a working actor. He talked about how show-business has changed in the thirty years he’s been working, his worst audition experience, and how social media is changing things for actors. Ra...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features actor Navid Negahban. Navid discussed his role as Abu Nazir on Homeland. In addition to focusing on his role and the show, Navid also spoke about working with Claire Daines, specifically on how she gets into character and prepares for a scene. Navid also spoke about his life growing up in Iran, what opportunities are available there for aspiring...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features actor Dennis Christopher. Dennis discussed his upcoming role as Leonide Moguy in Django Unchained. In addition to the role itself Dennis spoke about working with Quentin Tarantino specifically on how he runs his set and communicates with actors. He also detailed his experiences working with Robert Altman, and Federico Fellini whose directing sty...

This episode of Conversations with Ross features Michael Mohan. Michael is a screenwriter and director, his latest movie is the romantic comedy Save the Date starring Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, Geoffrey Arend, and Mark Webber. Michael discussed how he made Save the Date from script-to-screen, his writing process, and how the project initially came together. Michael also talked abo...

Last week I attended the 8th Annual New York Television Festival. Development Day is is where the festival truly shines. The first panel I attended was Light-Sound-Shoot. This panel featured a group of relatively unknown independent filmmakers talking about how to make low budget projects, and it was great. The panelists went into great detail about how to light a set, shoot in the dark, what ca...