Hosts Lisa Zambetti and Dean Laffan reunite for a review of the opening episode of Fargo's fifth season now streaming on FX Hulu. They discuss the key characters, the various plot directions and themes, providing deep insights into the roles, potential narrative direction and analyzing the alignment with the original Fargo movie. They also talk about casting choices and performance dynamics. The two hosts scrutinize the plot's development from the opening sequence, the intertwining...

“Miranda’s Victim” is a new feature film thoughtfully directed by Michelle Danner with a heavy hitting cast starring Abigail Breslin, Mireille Enos, Emily VanCamp, Ryan Phillippe, Luke Wilson, Andy Garcia, Donald Sutherland and Kyle MacLachlan. If you’ve watched any crime show, chances are you’ve heard the Miranda warning which starts “You have the right to remain silent…” But do you know where it came from and who “Miranda” was?  If you thought Miranda was an innocent victim who was perhaps...

Today we get to interview the incredible actor Kurt Yaeger who has been in more tv shows and films than we can name including a recur in Sons Of Anarchy, all the NCIS franchises, Another Life, Shameless,…and who is also an actor with a disability. Kurt is a unique performer because sometimes the roles he takes feature his below the knee amputation and sometimes they don’t. Regardless he is able to kick ass doing his own stunts motorcycle riding, running, jumping, fighting, shooting, and...

Lisa sits down with an absolute icon in the casting world. Love The West Wing? E.R.? Shameless? Southland? Well then you have loved the work of the wonderful, inspiring John Frank Levey who put some of the most amazing actors into some of the most iconic tv shows in history. John’s new book “Right for the Role” dives deep into his career, sharing his journey navigating Hollywood as well as the origin stories of how the casts of his shows came to be. In their conversation, Lisa asks John about...

Joining Lisa today are two veteran television writer/producers Ted Sullivan (Riverdale, Star Trek Discovery, Supergirl, Revenge, Rizzoli & Isles, Law and Order Criminal Intent) and Elizabeth Benjamin (Dead to Me, The Flight Attendant, Bridgerton, 13 Reasons Why).  Lisa asks them about the current Writer’s Guild of America strike which is impacting all levels of production.   Ted and Liz talk about their careers and how working conditions have deteriorated for writers who love this work,...

And now for something completely different, love The Great British Baking Show but deplore The Kardashians? Hate/watch The Bachelor but ride or die with Dr. Pol? Project Runway, Top Chef, Selling Beverly Hills and Indian Matchmaking are shows that gave Lisa an insane amount of joy. Today, Lisa pivots to talking to her esteemed colleagues in the REALITY / UNSCRIPTED casting world. Join Lisa and her guests Reality Star turned Reality Casting Director Rachel Reilly (Big Brother, Traitors),...

Lisa's love-hate relationship with Oscar reaches another year. This time we focus on the Best Actress race. So yes we cover Michelle, Michelle, Cate, Andrea and Ana, but we range far and wide as Lisa and Dean are joined by Oscars uber-nerd Paul Sullivan who brings his unique encyclopaedic brain to the party. And of course we close out with our own predictions and Lisa hands out the 'Zammie' for Best Actress Enjoy !

Today Lisa is in the kitchen banging around making blueberry pancakes in the background while Paul tells her what he thinks about Baz Luhrman’s “Elvis” movie and how Austin Butler’s performance compares with the real thing. Do we think he will win the Oscar? Listen and find out. The conversation takes some wacky turns along the way. We talk Monty Python, German sex workers, Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks’ accents, Henry the Fifth, Lisa sings Lady Gaga, and so much more! Pass the syrup and enjoy!

Happy 2023 from Killer Casting! Today Lisa has a special drop for the podcast. It is a little gift or offering for you if you can use it, especially if you are an actor. January kicks off a New Year but it also kicks off something else for our industry called “pilot season”. This time of year can be extremely exciting but also extremely stressful. If you are an actor, you may be full of hopes and fears. Things may be about to kick into high gear and get super busy with auditions, self...

In light of the recent episode we recorded on the extraordinary Universal film “She Said” Lisa and Dean are honored to be joined by none other than Rowena Chiu who’s story about being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein is depicted in the movie. We are also joined by the two fantastic actresses Ashley Chiu and Angela Yeoh who both played Rowena (one as her 24 year old self during the time she worked for Miramax, the other as her older self years after she had signed an iron clad NDA to not...

When Lisa went to the special private screening that Universal held for the film “She Said”, there was not a dry eye in the house when the lights came up. The audience was moved by the story of how two determined female reporters for The New York Times (played flawlessly by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan) finally got victims to go on the record about how they had been assaulted and harassed by then mega powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. We were moved by the sensitive and nuanced...

Lisa and Dean sit down with phenomenal actors Marilee Talkington and James Immekus to talk about Access for Actors with Disabilities. Both have had incredible careers in television, film and theatre. But it has not been an easy road. Both Marilee and James are actors with low vision (also referred to as visually impaired) who each have remarkable stories to tell about their journey “to be seen”. What do Actors with disabilities go through in order to train, audition and work in an industry...

American Murderer, the new film written and directed by Matthew Gentile, stars Tom Pelphery, Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel, Paul Schneider, Kevin Corrigan, Shantel VanSantern and Jacki Weaver.   Matthew talks with Lisa and Dean about the shocking true story that it is based on, why Matthew cast Tom in the lead role of a real murderer / con man who is still at large, and how he got Jacki Weaver to come to Utah to play the role of the mother. Don’t miss our interview and definitely don’t...

Beautiful, breathy, kittenish, dizzy, bombshell, blonde. So many words can describe Marilyn Monroe and never really capture who she was…or who we think she was. Was she a spoiled, vain, ambitious starlet who played men as easily as she did the ukulele in “Some Like It Hot”? Or a sad, traumatized victim, ever needy, ever wanting for approval, never finding the respect she craved, the child she yearned for nor the man she really loved. The movie “Blonde” starring Ana de Armas directed by...

When news broke that actor James Franco had been cast as Fidel Castro in the indie film "Alina of Cuba", a lot of people had A LOT to say about it. Some people (like actor John Leguizamo) were appalled, and some (comedian Bill Maher) were appalled that people were appalled. So why is authentic representation in film and television so important to some and not to others. Lisa sits down with legendary casting director Carla Hool and multi-hyphenate powerhouse actor/producer/casting director...

“The Bear” is so authentic in its depiction of the dysfunctions of the restaurant industry, Lisa and Brian (both former servers) had PTSD watching it. But watch it they did!  We have a lot to say about the acting, story and soul of this wonderful FX/Hulu Original show.  #InTheWeeds #jeremyallenwhite #beyondshameless #thebear #huluoriginals #fx

We got a show ya can't refuse...all about THE OFFER series streaming on Paramount +, the behind the scenes take on the making of The Godfather movie. Some iconic characters come to life brilliantly in the show, despite some fast and loose re-telling of the facts. Our good friend Patrick Gallo is a delight as Mario Puzzo, Matthew Goode wears the Robert Evans role like a well-cut suit, and I can't even remember what Francis Ford Coppola really looks like because I can only imagine Dan Fogler. ...

Lisa, Dean, Matt and Mj resume their coverage of the brilliant Apple TV+ production Severance. Soak it up peeps ! Meanwhile, here are some links to help you binge on yet more goodies, now that the series finale has aired. In a marketing masterstroke, Apple Books have released a faux expose book by a fictional woman named Margaret “Peg” Kincaid. The book purports too be a tell-all by Peg spilling the beans on what’s really happening at Lumon. Get it from Apple Books....

What show has been mesmerizing Lisa and leading her to an existential crisis? Why the Apple TV series "Severance" developed by Ben Stiller and starring a full on flex of a cast making major pivots in what you have ever seen them do before. Lisa and Dean wrestle the mic from each other to extol the crap out of the microscopic details of this show. Joining them is screen riter Matt Shafeek, who read the original screenplay of Severance and shares with us the major differences in what made it...

Our episodes come to you courtesy of our friends at Plantiva. Learn more at http://www.plantiva.com/killercasting and use the promo code KC25 to get 25% off your next order ! ***************** This week Lisa is joined by eclectic actor Edward Hong, who has carved out quite a career in tv, film, stage, commercials and especially voice overs! Eddy’s voice can be heard in the English dubbing of the incredibly popular Netflix series “Squid Game” as well as in all kinds of anime, video games,...

Our episodes come to you courtesy of our friends at Plantiva. Learn more at http://www.plantiva.com/killercasting and use the promo code KC25 to get 25% off your next order ! ***************** Lisa Zambetti: Lisa is back gabbing with Edward Hong…talking about so called “cancel” culture and how complicated it is for us emotionally as fans when our heroes fall — but how vital it is for us to be the first to call their crimes out. Is it possible to compartmentalize behavior vs art…and if...

This episode comes to you today with thanks to our new friends at Plantiva. Learn more at http://www.plantiva.com/killercasting and use the promo code KC25 to get 25% off your next order ! ***************** The idiot savant team are back! Dean and Paul are flying solo (well that doesn’t actually make sense does it ?)  Let’s just say without Capt. Lisa as pilot-in-command. The boys cover off on their favourite Oscars moments, what worked .. what didn’t … Paul reviews his favourite part of...

Everyone is weighing on the confrontation at the 2022 Oscar ceremony between Will Smith and Chris Rock. While we wish we could focus on the winners (and we will), today seemed like a good time to get some perspective and context about the dramatic, confusing and shocking incident from other people who work in Hollywood. Joining Dean and Lisa to decompress and reflect on Will Smith, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith and what the slap seen around the world means.  Thank you to our guests,...

This episode comes to you today with thanks to our new friends at Plantiva. Learn more at http://www.plantiva.com/killercasting and use the promo code KC25 to get 25% off your next order ! ***************** Well folks, here is our third installment of our Oscar 2022 coverage. We've wrung our hands, pulled our hair, paced up and down...but we think we finally have decided who to hand the "ZAMMY" to for excellence in Casting!  (tho, if you follow the pod, this won't be a shocker).

This episode comes to you today with thanks to our new friends at Plantiva. Learn more at http://www.plantiva.com/killercasting and use the promo code KC25 to get 25% off your next order ! ***************** Lisa, Dean and Paul continue their casting review of all the Best Picture nominees, counting down to the winner of the "Zammy" (Excellence in Casting) Since the Film Academy doesn't give out that award! Lisa thinks it is almost impossible to compare "apples to orangatans" but there is...