That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

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008: Jason Momoa — GAME OF THRONES to JUSTICE LEAGUE'S AQUAMAN Aug 29, 2017

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Jason Momoa was the FIRST one to audition for GAME OF THRONES and the LAST one cast a year later. His cousins impact on his life helped him make a strong choice that ultimately landed him the role. But it took him a few years and a couple of classes to trust his instinctive strong choices and learn how to "audition". BAYWATCH discovered him in his native home of Hawaii among a 1300 person cattle call. Jason responded to a radio call announcing the audition that would pay him more than the daily rate of folding T-shirts at the family owned surf shop. Jason's unique look has always made him a different choice but also made opportunities few and far between. So Jason, with many of his close friends, formed the production company Pride of Gypsies which has made Jason into an all around film maker, writing, producing, directing and acting.

Jason will always be remembered for his unforgettable role as Drogo in season one of GAME OF THRONES. Currently, Jason is Aquaman in the DC Comics JUSTICE LEAGUE and AQUAMAN in 2018. Check out Pride of Gypsies' BROWN BAG DIARIES, ROAD TO PALOMA and BRAVEN.

007: Tommy Dewey — Nothing CASUAL About THE MINDY PROJECT Stud Aug 22, 2017

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Tommy Dewey may seem casually cool and like he has it all figured out in this business, but it took "letting go" of perfection to land the jobs on CASUAL and THE MINDY PROJECT that made him feel like he could truly relax and embrace a fully realized character. A collegiate track runner at Princeton University, Tommy had big plans for Wall Street signing up for the LSAT twice. On hiatus from a stress fracture, Tommy accepted a challenge to audition for the two coveted spots in Princeton's improv troupe. No acting experience, but a innate sense of comedic timing and his sports driven ambitious nature landed him one of the two coveted roles out of 100 actors. Tommy not only secured the spot in the group, he eventually was the troupe's director and writer. Law School was still waiting for Tommy, but Tommy challenged himself with a summer intensive at RODA and now attributes his success to his fall back plan being writing. Yes, this guy can write! Tommy took a year off of acting to create and run the writer's room for his own show "Sons of Tucson." Listen in to hear how Tommy deals with nerves, how he runs a casting session for his shows, what really gets you the job, how to stay in the game and how his back up plan now is writing.

006: Merle Dandridge — GREENLEAF Made Oprah Find the Star Aug 15, 2017

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Merle was born in Okinawa, Japan to a mother of Korean and Japanese descent and an African-American father serving in the U.S Force. Growing up in Nebraska,but not into football, Merle didn't know where she fit. A friend encouraged Merle to choose drama as a study because she was told it was "easy". Little did Merle know that the drama department would be the community she had been longing for and that expression would give her the platform to explore social conditions and and the emotions that must be exposed to understand and accept each other. Merle graduated college and had a wild inclination that New York was where she needed to be to fulfill her purpose. With $107 in her pock, a packed Uhaul and an ailing kitten, she drove to New York and landed in the sea of many hopeful artist. Merle was still figuring out what was cool and learning everything on the fly. At the time a non-equity actor, she heard that everyone in town was going to audition for "Jesus Christ Superstar", so she decided to learn a song and stand in line at 4am to hopefully be given the opportunity to audition. At 1pm the casting director not only called her in to the room, but gave her the space and the light to shine. Even though most things came to Merle very easily, she was still doing what she considers "on the job" training and chasing after an idea or feeling of what it is to be an actress. After a job replaced her, a blessing in disguise, Merle accredits her acting coach Warner Loughlin for giving her the strength and confidence to approach every role with ease and unwavering sense of responsibility to the intention and message of the role. After working three jobs to support her theater career, Merle Dandridge landed herself in the company of Oprah and now holds the honor of portraying Grace on OWN's hit show, GREENLEAF. This woman's 25 year journey is nothing short of resilient, spiritual, and guided.

005: Julie Benz — DEXTER was NO ORDINARY FAMILY, but BUFFY became an ANGEL Aug 08, 2017

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NYU graduate Julie Benz has worked, developing a career that has ridden high waves as a series regular on several TV shows…but she still auditions and LOVES it. By the time Julie Benz was 16 years old she had retired from her professional career as a figure skater due to an injury and was dragged by her Mom to her first audition. Julie got cast in the play and loved it. But Julie didn't feel like she was a "natural" at acting and enrolled at the drama department at NYU, plus took additional acting classes in the city to get more experience. When NYU tried to kick her out for auditioning for a pilot, a tenured teacher put her reputation on the line and said she would quit teaching if Julie was kicked out of the program. Three years later, Julie graduated NYU and ran to Hollywood. Julie isn't a prude, but she insists there must be a financial transaction to see her in a bikini. This smart and savvy woman stands her ground and respects her craft, yet will bravely put her raw "makeup free" heart and soul into an audition. Listen in to hear how accepting Vampire Girl #1 for Buffy the Vampire Slayer impacted her career and set the foundation of being on a short list for studios. Here she shares her "most favorite things" about acting, auditioning and The Secret gratitude journal.

Julie Benz currently can be seen critically acclaimed show Dexter, Defiance, Hawaii Five-0 and constant reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

004: Katheryn Winnick — VIKINGS' Lagertha Jul 30, 2017

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Katheryn Winnick now stars in the History Channel critically acclaimed show Vikings in the iconic role of Lagertha, but it took 14 years to find the right role to really embrace and represent Katheryn's unique strength as a double black belt holder in Tae Kwon Do and Karate. Katheryn started her journey into acting by getting fired off of her first set by being too enthralled in the realism of the major action on set and instinctively starting to yell in the scene as a background artist. Her mother picked her up from set and Katheryn defiantly held her head high and told her Mom, "One day I'm going to be a lead actress and they won't be able to fire me." Katheryn is not only a lead actress, she is critically acclaimed and is on the short list for every major studio. Katheryn's business savvy skills as a young child made her the proud owner of three Tae Kwon Studios by the age of 21. When she started to pursue acting in New York in her early 20s she avoided having the torturous struggling artists syndrome because she had a thriving lucrative empire back in Toronto.

After being chosen to be on the first season of "The It Factor" Katheryn landed an influential theatrical agent and started making creatively bold choices in the audition room that garnered attention from casting directors on both coasts. The self-taught, introspective woman studied her own feelings and gave herself her own assessment of each audition by keeping an audition journal. This journal allowed her to see and identify her strengths and weaknesses in the audition room. This journal allowed her to be more free with herself and the feelings she had in the audition that ultimately illuminated a courageous, thoughtfully crafted career that many seek to have.

Katheryn Winnick can be seen in the 5th season of History's show Vikings, in The Dark Tower opposite Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba and in Call of Duty WWII video game.

003: Damon Dayoub — THE CATCH of STITCHERS Jul 25, 2017

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Damon Dayoub didn't dream of being an actor, he was working 90 hour weeks in El Paso, TX managing bars and decided he needed a hobby. That hobby landed him in Los Angeles at the mercy of some of the best casting directors looking out for him. Damon worked hard on his new found love of acting and started crafting a career by learning some tough lessons, taking chances and being humble. Many of Damon's job have been from a few casting elites who have an eye for greatness and trust his instincts. Damon landed his first TV guest star role on the show, The Whole Truth (2010) casted by Michael Testa. Damon has also appeared on shows such as, Brothers & Sisters, Single Ladies, Dallas, NCIS, and The Last Ship.

Damon currently plays Detective Quincy Fisher on the third season of Freeform's Stitchers (also cast by Michael Testa)and will be seen on the big screen later this year in Danger One.

002: Ravi Patel — TRANSFORMERS MEET THE PATELS Jul 20, 2017

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Ravi Patel has been in over 70 national commercials, films and TV shows, most notably Transformers, Scrubs, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Comedians, Master of None, and Grandfathered BUT Ravi never intended on acting. In fact, Ravi planned on a career in finance. After faking his transcripts to secure a more reputable job, Ravi discovered that the finance world was not his cup of tea. His journey into acting is filled with serendipitously spontaneous adventures paving the way for Ravi being a recognizable face in your living room. An impromptu emcee job led to casting calls. A Ryan Seacrest billboard led to a stick figure drawn headshot that put Ravi's natural improv skills on display in Michael Bay's film Transformers. The well-circulated press trailer for Transformers was mostly Ravi's small, but impactful, hilarious scene that grabbed the attention of a theatrical agent and several other opportunities in television.

For show notes and additional information, head over to www.alyshiaochse.com.

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001: An Introduction to 'That One Audition' with Alyshia Ochse Jul 20, 2017

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Host and fellow actress, Alyshia Ochse sits down for a solo-conversation all about what to expect on the following episodes of That One Audition.

For show notes and additional information, head over to www.alyshiaochse.com.

Never miss an episode! Subscribe to That One Audition here: www.alyshiaochse.com/subscribe