Jenelle Riley: Last News

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Kelly Moscinski became the owner and head of casting at the Voicecaster, she had plans to become a psychiatrist. But while enrolled as a pre-med student at college, she discovered the theater department and, in her own words, “I knew my passions and my career path were shifting.” She swiftly changed her major to theater with a focus on directing, where she first began experiencing the world of voice acting through various productions and helping actor friends. She moved to Los Angeles in 2009, open to several different career paths (she sent out over 350 letters and resumes) and was eventually hired at the Voicecaster as a casting assistant.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large That’s a wrap on Oscar season 2024 — but first, the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast‘s Roundtable dives in one last time to take a final look at the highs, lows and head scratchers from Sunday night’s ceremony. “Oppenheimer” did huge, but it didn’t quite sweep.

William Earl Variety will present Tom Hiddleston with the Variety Virtuoso Award at the Miami Film Festival on Tuesday, April 9. The award will be for his career achievements across film, theater and television. “From screens large and small to the Broadway stage, Tom Hiddleston is one of our most versatile and engaging actors,” said Jenelle Riley, Variety Focus Awards and Features Editor.

Variety Awards Circuit Podcast for some final analysis. Awards guru Clayton Davis, along with Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and Michael Schneider recorded a Mega Roundtable edition this week to share their final thoughts on this year’s races.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page.I’m no stranger to celebrity. I’ve sat down with Leonardo DiCaprio, I’ve interviewed Angelina Jolie — and I have never been more starstruck than last week, when I hosted a press conference with the breakout star of the year. That would be Messi, the lovable pooch who plays service dog Snoop in “Anatomy of a Fall” He’s the scene stealer of an Oscar-nominated movie and the one everyone wanted to meet at the recent Academy luncheon.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. For all her work on stage and screen, Kristen Bell might best be known as the woman who cried over a sloth. Back in 2012, the actor went viral with a video shot by her husband, Dax Shepard isn’t even seen interacting with the sloth – in the video it’s just the anticipation of knowing it’s there causes her to practically hyperventilate with euphoria. It was a moment Wallis Annenberg PetSpace’s Catie Voglio could relate to all too well.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. At its best, art is transporting but also useful. The non-profit organization A Light in Dark Places gathers talented artists to put on an entertaining show that, in producer-artistic director Kelly O’Malley’s words, seeks to “break down stigma surrounding the topic of suicide by using the performing arts to encourage healthy discussion, create community and offer hope to those affected.” Starting this weekend, Los Angeles audiences can check out ALIDP’s 8th Annual Plays for Hope.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Charlene Lee and Claire Koonce want actors to succeed. At CLCK casting, which they founded in 2019 after working together on various projects, they share similar work ethics and values.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Live theater is already a rush but there’s something extra exhilarating when something goes wrong. Nobody knows this better than The Mischief Theatre Company, which began in 2008 as an improvisational group before launching a global franchise of plays, specials and series focusing on performances that go horribly awry.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. With dual strikes currently underway, it’s an uncertain time for actors – and this is a profession that is used to uncertainty. Many aren’t just wondering about when their next job will be, but how they can afford rent, utilities and health care.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Sophie Holland originally wanted to be an actor, but says it didn’t work out for many reasons. “Not least of all, I was probably terrible,” she says with a laugh. “But I love the industry so much and somebody said to me, ‘If you want money, you should be an agent. And if you want power, you should be a casting director.’”  Though Holland now says she might have been “misled” about the power – she feels like “any other self-employed creator begging for work” – she fell in love with the process of casting. And as someone who understands acting (and is married to an actor), she brings a deep respect for the craft to her job and a special empathy into the process. “As a casting director, I think you need to give safe environments so that people can be their most creative selves,” she notes. “If you put the pressure on or they’ve had a shit time or you’re unkind to them, it’s not going to help anybody. So it’s your job really to create an atmosphere, an environment where they can do their best work.” 

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Cathy Kalmenson knows the voice over world from all sides, having worked as an agent, director and casting director in her lengthy career. In 1993, she founded Kalmenson & Kalmenson with her husband, animation and voice director, Harvey Kalmenson. This renowned team not only casts voice acting roles but offers a highly respected suite of voice acting classes for all levels of students. Bringing over 60 years of combined experience to the business, the Kalmensons have a slew of workshops based on what is called The Kalmenson Method for Voice Acting which teaches not only the skills one needs to succeed in VO, but strategies for navigating the business.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. There’s a long history of great actors who have never won an Emmy Award. Hugh Laurie has a total of 10 Emmy nominations with zero wins for his work but the most glaring oversight is that after six nominations for his iconic role on “House” he never took home the prize. But that’s nothing compared to Angela Lansbury, who went home empty-handed a whopping 18 times. But they’re in good company – including the likes of Jackie Gleason, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Phylicia Rashad.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. In “A Soldier’s Play,” Captain Richard Davenport isn’t meant to sing. But when you cast legendary baritone Norm Lewis in the role, you take advantage of his talents. Lewis can be seen in the national touring production, currently playing at L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre — and it’s thanks to director Kenny Leon that audiences get to hear Davenport sing at certain points it the show.  Written by Charles Fuller, “A Soldier’s Play” is set on an Army base in 1944, when the military is still segregated. Captain Davenport, a rare Black officer, is sent to investigate the shooting of Sergeant Vernon Waters. Though Black himself, Waters despises and persecutes Black men who he feels perpetuate old-fashioned stereotypes. 

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. When someone talks about improvisation, odds are your mind goes to what is known as short-form; theater games or quick scenes, the sort of performances popularized by “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and seen in small theaters. Most people have seen – or been in – groups like this. Long-form improv, as the name implies, offers a different challenge. Rather than taking suggestions throughout a show for different scenes, performers only take a few suggestions at the top of a show and proceed to perform the rest of the show based on those. While there may be several scenes within a show, the idea is that they are all related to those initial prompts.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Yellow Dot Studios wants to save the Earth — and entertain you along the way. Oscar winner Adam McKay has launched the non-profit studio with the intent of creating videos and other materials that will raise awareness of climate change and other issues, often told with comedy. It’s a high-wire act McKay has become adept at, having previously tackled material like the 2007-08 financial crisis (“The Big Short”), politics (“Vice”) and climate change (“Don’t Look Up”).

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Jason Henkel came to Los Angeles in 1993 to pursue an acting career, before he pivoted to working in animation production. But his experiences as a performer helped show him the kind of casting director he didn’t want to be. “I didn’t want to go into a field where I secretly felt, ‘I could do this better,’” he says. “And from the moment I became involved with voiceover, watching these amazing actors who were so great at manipulating their voices, I knew I could never do what they do.”

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Considering Ray Romano has worn so many hats in his career – comedian, actor, writer, producer – it’s hard to believe that the multi-hyphenate had never directed before. When I mention I assumed he had at least directed one of the 210 episodes of his acclaimed series “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Romano jokes: “Me too. I thought I must have directed one of them, right? But no, I had never done it.” So it comes as a surprise not only to audiences but to Romano himself that he’s making his directorial debut with the feature film “Somewhere in Queens,” a poignant comedy about a working-class Italian family that hits theaters this weekend. The film is so resonant in so many ways and handled in such an assured way, it’s shocking to realize this is a director’s first movie – let alone one who had to be talked into doing it.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Sometimes, you find startling accuracy in the most unlikely places. Codependency and toxic relationships have long been fodder for film and television, but lately there’s been a batch of quality entertainment that does an excellent job of depicting the reality of an unhealthy relationship — and the struggle to break free from one. Surprisingly, it’s comedic entertainment that seems to be doing it best as of late. Take the first season of the Apple TV+ comedy “Shrinking,” which depicts a therapist (Jason Segel) trying to help a client (Heidi Gardner) break up with her verbally and emotionally abusive husband. It’s a character arc that rings only too true, expertly captured by “Saturday Night Live” breakout Gardner. Over on HBO Max, the animated series “Harley Quinn” has spent three seasons showing how its titular character starts a new life out from under the shadow of the ultimate toxic boyfriend, the Joker. While it’s a fantastical story that uses heroes and villains with superpowers, the metaphor is apt — Harley Quinn has no identity outside of her famous paramour and has to rebuild her life, and self-worth, on her own.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Pictured: Casting directors Katja Zarolinski and Geoff Josselson of JZ Casting. This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Casting director Geoff Josselson just checked off a major bucket list item. When he was asked what show he dreamed of casting, he would say “Into the Woods.” And just last year, working with Telsey Casting, Josselson was part of the team that assembled the heralded Broadway revival starring Sara Bareilles, Brian D’Arcy James and Joshua Henry. Josselson is on a bit of a Stephen Sondheim spree — with Telsey he also helped cast the new production of “Sweeney Todd,” starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. And he and his partner at JZ Casting, Katja Zarolinski, just collaborated for the first time with the Pasadena Playhouse to cast “A Little Night Music,” playing at the theater April 25-May 1. 

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large On Sunday, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” appeared to be everything, everywhere, all at once. The film, of course, dominated the 95th Oscars with seven wins — including best picture. Virtually all the stars (except Stephanie Hsu — hey Daniels, can you spare one of your SIX Oscars and share one with her??) received wins, on what was truly a historic night. And an emotional one. As the opening clips of this week’s Variety Awards Circuit Podcast illustrates, family was on the minds of this year’s winners. Listen to our Mega Roundtable edition, in which Clayton Davis, Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and myself (that’s me, Michael Schneider) recount the show and dissect the winners — from Jimmy Kimmel’s excellent monologue to how every single category panned out: