Another Aussie In La

The easy, breezy banter of Phil Lloyd and Trent O'Donnell - creators of The Moodys and Review with Myles Barlow - is 20 years in the making. From short films at Uni to developing ideas with Doug Elin and everything in between, they share it all at a live Australians in Film Q & A. Trent outs Phil as lazy but only after Phil outs himself and they admit they were only really banking on one season of The Moody Christmas. Whoops! Patty Brammalll gets a mention and if you listen real carefully - around 7 minutes in - you can hear Wil Anderson laughing... 

Holy Aussiewood! To celebrate Another Aussie in LA becoming the official podcast of Australians in Film, this week's ep is a live Q & A chat with Fred Schepisi, acclaimed Australian director of The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Evil Angels, Six Degrees of Separation, Roxanne and The Eye of The Storm. We sit down with Fred after a screening of his new film WORDS AND PICTURES in Los Angeles. Toooooo much wisdom, wit and general amazingness in the form of film stories. 

Here's a quickie with Roxane Wilson - Stingers, Water Rates, The Alice - a chat grabbed before pre-show rehearsals of Australian Theatre Company's inaugral production of HOLDING THE MAN. But no fear, a lot of ground is covered! We chat about the shifting landscape for women in Hollywood, working with Larry Moss, being dedicated to the craft of acting and the interplay between hope and stupidity, intuition and stubborness in one's attraction to Los Angeles. With occasional gripes on the 2014 budget and interjections from ATC company manager, Jackie Diamond. 

Art and life mirror each other in this podcast with director Luke Eve.  His new web series LOW LIFE, starring Henry Nixon and Claire van der Boom, explores the comedy in depression with cinematic style and beautiful results. And in this chat he is super candid about his experiences with it. We also cover the value of making your own stuff esp. in this town, being good a begging, how exhausting Kickstarter campaigns can be and of course the Aussie Mafia in LA! He uses the word 'Hutzpah' which made me happy on the inside. The best place to be happy, I find. 

Jonny Pasvolsky - McLeod's Daughters, The Moody's, Mr. and Mrs. Murder - has had the best of times and the worst of times and then the best of times. He's just shot a film playing oppposite Johnny Depp, Olivia Munn, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Goldblum and Paul Bettany. CLANG! Hear those names drop! We talk about the work levelling everything, family keeping it real, 80s comedies and weeing next to Adrian Brody. And he has the best Jeff Goldblum story ever.  

One half of the Wau Wau Sisters and one whole fearless woman, Adrienne Truscott is a yank in Oz for this 'reverse' episode. Fresh from her Melbourne International Comedy Festival season of her solo show: Adrienne Truscott's Asking For It: A one lady rape about comedy starring her pussy and little else. We talk about letting your wrongest sense of humour out, staying true to your politics and be willing to take the piss out of yourself as the magic triumvirate for excellent show making. And it looks like I now have NO EXCUSES to make my next piece of work... Damn her. Damn her eyes...

It's Patty's Day on my podcast! Hurrah! Patrick (A Moody Christmas, Upper Middle Bogan and soon to be seen on Offspring) gives his pilot season round up whilst competing with the Russian next door... We discuss the cultural cringe, patriotism, the pros and cons of meeting your heroes and facebook threads getting outta hand. He reveals why he could NEVER be Thor. Or any role Russell does for that matter. But then again when you've got the loveable f*ckwit nailed, why do anything else. For now...

Lisa Gormley was (unofficially) the least likely person to end up in Summer Bay at drama school. But that's exactly what happened. Life, huh? A country girl who doesn't deal with bullshit, Los Angeles has been a little tough for our Lisa. We make gross generalisations about the differences between the US, UK and Oz industries and share our love for Benedict Cumberbatch. *swoon*. She is a magician! She is an eagle! She's a magic eagle! Trust me... It'll make sense, if you listen. 

Ben Lawson - Neighbours, No Strings Attached, Secrets and Lies - must smell of Hollywood. That special something that makes expat actors oh-so attractive to industry back home. It is a phenomenon he has noticed amongst peers and how he explains his crazy busy last year of back to back work in Oz after having been in LA for six years... Well, either that or he's good at what he does. We take at LENGTH about how long my podcasts are, being on hold for over a year (retainer = vodka money), getting the role of "handsome man" and my shitty research on him. Yeah, he spends most of the podcast giving me shit. Thankfully we were - I mean, ARE -friends.

Kieran Darcy-Smith is doing pretty bloody good for a self-confessed f*ck-up at school... His first feature, Wish You Were Here, debuted at Sundance in 2012 and since then he's been riding the Hollywood development wave with style. We talk about how Aussie TV show E-Street made acting look enticing and the early days of Blue Tongue Films. He confirms my sneaking suspicions that a good screenplay is the greatest currency and being a writer/director can be an Access All Areas pass in this town. Yup! I knew it... 

Kate Box (Rake, Offspring, Paper Giants) is maintaining her sense on humour while in LA for pilot season! We chat about playing the mortal enemy of Australia's sweetheart, Asher Keddie, driving lessons with Sam Neill ,rewrting scripts for US accent ease and the everyday reality of pilot season which (sometimes) includes losing out to Jada Pinkett-Smith... And when all else fails, there's always the #3 at Greenblatt's Deli! 

So many surprises in this podcast with Hugh Sheridan! Star of Packed to the Rafters, Never Tear Us Apart and patron (saint) of Urban Myth Theatre... Bet you didn't know that one! Hugh tells stories about opening for Liza, beating out Rhianna and where his FOMO comes from. Oooooo! So close... But don't think one set back's gonna stop this triple threat. Na-uh! Oh, and keep and ear out for the crooning. It's pretty sweet. 

Being in Hollywood has made Zoe Ventoura (Packed to the Rafters, Wild Boys) very zen-like. The getting close to life changing deals, auditioning against bonafide stars and having a career that straddles the Pacific - well, that'll do it! We talk about being ready to carry a film, working with John Cusack, the art of self testing and not being immune to celebrity spotting. If you saw Seth Rogen, you'd probably have a moment too... But just be sure to ASK for a photo. No creepiness please!

AWESOME GUEST ALERT! Tim Minchin joins Another Aussie in LA for a chat three weeks into making LA his new home. Digressions abound and names are dropped. Tim illuminates me on the economic machine that is Broadway, how Groundhog Day the musical came about and his existential crisis brought on by the Grammys. We talk about the importance of making stuff you'd like to see, going for the low hanging fruit first, the beauty of reimagining what you've made before and how EVERYTHING informs EVERYTHING. And there are some Old Fitzroy Theatre reminisces. A 'This Blasted Earth' reboot, anyone?

Fresh from NBC's Camp, Natasha Basset is just starting out in LA. But don't let that fool you into thinkng she is a novice. Oh no! This lady knows her stuff. With guest roles in RAKE, LAID and WILDBOYS, she chats with me about her experiences here thus far. We bond over the Atlantic Theatre Company and working with Melissa Bruder. She shares her stories about making her first short KITE, under the mentorship of Jane Campion! We get dsitracted by a puppy chomping on a bone. Just your normal podcast really!  

Watched some Australian comedy on the tele in the past few years? Then it's highly likely you're familiar with Trent O'Donnnell's work. Director of A Moody Christmas, Review with Myles Barlow, Laid and Sam Simmons' Problems. We talk about how easy it is to sell an idea in the US (pretty damn easy) compared to making something in Oz (hmmm, kinda tough...), the joy of making stuff with friend and collaborator of TWENTY years, Phil Lloyd and pranking peeps - I mean, working with - The Chaser team. He admits to less manhandling of actors on US sets. Probably for the best, considering...

This little Aussie is back in LA with a chat to rising star Beejan Land. In only ten months, Beejan has scored a lead in the feature, Damn Foreigners, a recurring role in NCIS:LA and supporting role in Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark. But don't think this is some overnight sensation. He's been training and working in Paris for the last four years and couldn't be more grounded as a result. We talk about his origins as a magician - Ta-Dah! - LA not being a theatre town, what's it's like going to producers on your third audition - awesome! Be careful. His grounded and positive approach to work might rub off on you. It did on me... 

Another Aussie is in NYC visiting my carnie family, La Soiree. Soooooo, this week's guest is Creative Producer and Ringmaster Brett Haylock! We catch up with him in between teching acts for the New Years Eve spectacular. We talk about the international phenomenom that La Soiree has beome - from little show born out of The Famous Speigeltent to it's Olivier award winning West End run. Skill and heart, danger and subversion. Trusting your instincts and being the best is what it is all about. Leave your troubles at the door, La Soiree is in town!! And, yes, it is impossible to resist. 

A Melbourne stand up does a set in LA... And gets a gig writing for Jay Leno. Not a gag, just the facts. That guy is Simon Taylor! We talk about how that crazy thing happenned, why he's happier in Melbourne, being a ghost and gag writer and being both Turtle and Johnny Drama to someone else's Vinnie Chase. My favourite dog, Dusty Biscuits makes a cameo or two.

Join Sam Clark and I for some tea drinking, thigh slapping and existential chat from our mutual hometown, lil' ol' Adelaide. But don't fret conversation is still very much focussed on LA things. We cover hiking (or what Aussies would call walking outside) street sweeping, parking fines and losing jobs to Emilie Hirsch. We bond over our love of acting homework. Sam illuminates how music and acting go hand in hand for him. Tangents are in abundant supply.