Six Great Podcasts about Acting

Friday, June 4th, 2021 at 3:22 pm | News & Events

Listen up!

According to the Reuters Digital News Report for 2020 Ireland has the second highest podcast listenership in the world. Not hugely surprising, considering how much we love to chat – listening to other people chat is the next best thing! 

 

 

 

 

No matter what your preferred theme of podcast – business, comedy, news or politics, if you are an actor or interested in acting, listening to podcasts about the craft can be hugely beneficial in understanding your own approach to your work. 

While the following podcasts may not be specifically “about acting”, the guests on these episodes give a fantastic insight into their approach to the business, filming, producing and getting into character.

So here are six great podcasts for actors!

Andrew Scott on the Road Less Travelled

Irish actor Andrew Scott speaks beautifully about the theatre and film industry, the playfulness of acting and the importance of having an “authored voice” for your character.

“It’s really important to be playful and experiment on set.”

Kate Winslet on Marc Maron WTF

Marc Maron, one of the original podcasters, has been in the game for a long time and thus has interviewed heaps of well-known actors. An actor himself, Marc likes to delve into the beginnings of an actor’s career and their process and thus many of these episodes will be of interest to anyone starting out in their career. 

This episode with Kate Winslet is a great place to start digging into the WTF back catalogue. 

Lupita Nyong’o on Oprah Winfrey’s Soul Stories

The Oscar winning actor Lupita Nyong’o talks with the one and only Oprah about her stratospheric rise to success, and how she wasn’t adequately prepared for it, and how she has woven activism into her craft and career, after her mother told her early on: “Your job isn’t to act, your job is to change the narrative.”

This is one of many deep discussions Oprah has had with actors, so there’s lots to choose from!

Maya Rudolph on Smartless

Started in the midst of the pandemic by actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, the podcast feels like an overheard conversation between close friends. A plus of the high profile presenters is that they can get their hands on lofty guests including George Clooney, Tina Fey and Gwyneth Paltrow. A lot of the topic of conversation is around the film and tv industry, so is enlightening on the subject of production in addition to the creative side. 

This episode with Maya Rudolph is particularly of interest to those actors wishing to delve into comedy as Maya discusses writing and performing for Saturday Night Live. She’s also just hilarious and there’s some delightful off the cuff musical improv thrown in. 

Chris O’Dowd on Louis Theroux Grounded

Irish actor Chris O’Dowd talks to Louis Theroux on his lockdown podcast Grounded. Chris chats to Louis about some unusual audition techniques – maybe not recommended for actors to take on board, but certainly amusing!  

This is one of many engaging conversations Louis has had with actors on his podcast since the world first went into lockdown, so lots to feast upon.

Phoebe Waller Bridge on How to Fail

Elizabeth Day’s podcast How to Fail is the ideal listen for anyone who is feeling a little disheartened, as it delves into the importance of failure for personal growth – it is also a concept that is drawn upon a lot in actor training. 

In this episode actor and writer Phoebe Waller Bridge discusses her own experience of drama school and how she decided to craft her own future and success by writing roles that she wanted to play. Hence the birth of Fleabag! Phoebe chats about creativity stemming out of failure and heartbreak and is great inspiration for anyone currently making their own work – something we always encourage and champion at GSA, as part of the Manifesto programme. 

We hope that you enjoy these podcasts, and don’t forget to follow the Gaiety School of Acting on Spotify also, where you can currently find a selection of radio plays and poetry playlists – perfect for if you need a break from the conversational chatter above!