Most actors think they can't improvise. They are scared. They think can only act if they have a script in their hand. This is a lie. I have taught improv for over 30 years and some of the best improvisers are actors. What an actor brings to improv is the ability to play something straight. […]
Actors are often skeptical of taking an improv class. I can’t tell you how many actors tell me “I am a serious actor. Why do I need to take an improv class?” Or they say, “I’m not funny,” “It scares me,” or “I wouldn’t be any good at it.” Actors avoid taking improv classes for lots […]
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Jason Winer is a director, an Emmy-award wining producer, and writer. He has directed and produced such hit sitcoms as Modern Family, Life in Pieces and The Crazy Ones. Jason studied at iO Chicago back in the late '90s and was part of the team The Tribe. Jimmy talked to him about learning to improvise […]
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Nia Vardalos is an actress, screenwriter and director; best known for her critically acclaimed films My Big Fat Greek Wedding I and II. Jimmy talks to Nia about how she went from working in the box office at The Second City to getting hired as an actor, using improv to write her screenplays, and the importance […]
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Pete Gardner plays Darryl Whitefeather on the hit CW sitcom My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Jimmy sat down and talked with him about why he moved to Chicago in the '90s to study improv, the importance of taking acting classes even when you are on hit sitcom, and his relationship with his father.
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Jon Favreau is a well-known writer, actor and director who has directed such films as Iron Man 1 and 2, Elf, Made, and Chef, just to name a few. He's also the director of Walt Disney's The Jungle Book, which comes out April 15. Jimmy sat down with Jon Favreau to discuss his comedy days […]
A friend of mine who is an actor called me the other day in a panic. He had a decision to make and wanted some help. He had been offered a part in an independent film that was shooting out of town. And while he was excited to have a part in a film, he would […]
There’s been something coming up lately in my improv classes, The Art of Slow Comedy, that I call the dark side. Students will be doing a scene with a so-called dark subject matter -- pedophilia, racism, abortion -- and the scene will end up being more dramatic than funny. Afterwards, the students will look shaken […]
10/19/12: My Wife ThinkS I'm NOT A Good Actor I recently had an audition for NBC's “Chicago Fire.” A security guard, a couple of lines. Pretty easy… or so I thought. But, whenever I have an audition, I put so much pressure on myself that it’s no longer about getting the job, it’s about my self-worth. […]