Spotlight on Awarding Winning, Australian Actor Susie Porter

In today’s episode I’m speaking with Awarding Winning, Australian Actor Susie Porter.

She’s sharing with us incredible journey as a working actor, her process to creating transformational characters and we chat about her most recent film production, Gold starring Zack Effron.

By the time you finish listening, you’ll know:

• The inner strength that helped her build a sustainable career
• How she creates memorable and transformational characters

• How she’s found the courage to take risks and why it’s worth taking risks in your craft

If this episode inspires you then I’d love to hear from you! Take a screenshot of you listening on your device, post it to your Instagram stories and tag me @katherine_beck_

Then follow me on Instagram to go ‘behind the scenes’ with me and my own journey as an American accent coach and Voiceover Actor.

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SHOW TRANSCRIPT

Katherine Beck
You're listening to the All American actors Podcast, episode 78. In today's episode, I am speaking with award winning Australian actor Susie Porter that's coming up next. Ready to go behind the scenes and learn what it really takes to build a sustainable career as a working actor in the US film and TV industry. Join me Katherine Beck, your all American accent coach, as I give you the insight and inspiration to take action on your career, learn my best tips and tricks to performing with an American accent and hear from working actors and other industry professionals. To give you a comprehensive overview of this biz we call showbiz. This is the All American actors podcast. Before we dive into today's episode, I want to remind you that tomorrow I am hosting a live training is going to be Wednesday night and this is going to be all about mastering the US accent so you can book those us roles. So if you would like to join me and attend this training, you're going to have the opportunity to work one on one with me. So all you need to do is just head over to Katherine beck.com. Forward slash masterclass and I'll see you there. That's tomorrow night. All right. Let's get to today's episode with the wonderfully talented actor Susie Porter, Susie and I met five years ago in the audience auditing a Larry Moss masterclass. Now, if you don't know who Larry Moss is, he is one of the top acting coaches around he has coached Leonardo DiCaprio in award winning performances and we instantly became friends and have kept in contact all this time. Now Susie's credits include feature films such as Paradise Road, starring Glenn Close Francis McDormand and Cate Blanchett. She can be seen in the feature film two hands, which starred the late great Heath Ledger and the award winning film Little Fish and her most recent film credit is gold starring Zac Efron in Australia, Suzy has graced the small screen many times over and shows like Wentworth, East West 101 love my way, The Secret Life of Us underbelly, puberty, blues and so much more. She has been nominated and won multiple awards for her work over the years. And above all, she is a really genuine and wonderful person. So without further ado, here is my interview with Suzy Porter. Welcome to the podcast. Suze, it's so great to have you here. Thanks for joining us.

Susie Porter
Oh, thank you for having me, Catherine. It's my absolute pleasure on this rainy Thursday. I was about to say Tuesday, but it's a Thursday. Yeah, very happy to be here, darling.

Katherine Beck
Thanks so much. So for some of the listeners who may not know who you are, do you want to just start with letting everyone know a little bit about your acting background? And? And what you

Susie Porter
do? Yeah, okay. So I have been in the industry working probably say, for 25 years, I'd say now, I kind of came into the business, maybe not in a completely traditional way in the fact that the school I went to really didn't like to do a lot of drama, it was more of either academicals or sport. So look, I did a few plays when I was at school. And then I I went when I left school, I joined the local rep company. And then, you know, I used to say to people, I want to be an actor, but deep down I think, Oh, God, I didn't even know whether I can do it. I'm telling people that I want to be an actor, but I really didn't know whether I could or not. And so I joined the local rep group started doing lots of plays. And then when I was at university, I did a B A. and I basically did so many plays like over four years that you did that 20 plays and I really got the confidence then to audition for NIDA, which is the National Institute of Dramatic Art. And I'd audition for that I'd sent my step away first, and, you know, years before never, never showed up. I didn't have the confidence. But once I'd finished this degree, I was really competent. And you know, it was back in the day when you put $20 in an envelope and, you know, put it in snail mail, and really feel like I'm showing my age now and then turn up for the audition and that was like, you know, a full day process that that audition at NIDA and then I had to go away for a month and prepare another couple of monologues. Dogs, and then come back for another day. So it's a really intense process of basically, you know, and they're coming, you know, it's probably like 2000 people that audition or over 2000. And they take 28. So, look, I was really thrilled to get into Neider. And that kind of began my journey of how to be of studying to be an actor, really. And that was very intensive nine till 6pm. And I learned a lot like about the body, the voice, playwrights that I didn't know the history of theater. And so look, it was it was an incredible experience. But I also say to people who are interested in becoming an actor, I also don't think it's the only avenue. But I know, Neider is like, you know, got the kind of bells and whistles and everything. And it is an amazing school. But, you know, I think that if you want to be an actor and break into the industry, there are many different ways to do it. Now. I actually think it's so much easier now to break in, really, without having to do traditional three years at university or a drum school. Yeah, you're

Katherine Beck
right there these days, it is exciting for young actors to have possibilities. I think back back in our day, it was go to drama school, that was the way in, you know, over here, as well as over there, where I'm from, you needed to go to drama school to learn. But now, there's so many other possibilities. So you're right on that. One of them, which is where we met, I think it was Did we say five years ago, was in a Larry Moss masterclass. And we just by chance, sat next to each other and started chit chatting. And that's an example of a great place to learn the craft of acting, and he was incredible, with any

Susie Porter
Oh, look, he's such a master at his craft of teaching, I was so blown away by him. And, you know, we didn't actually get up and do them, we were doing the auditing. So you can either sit in the audience and do the auditing and watch, which I find fascinating. Or you do actually, you know, pay the money, and go and work on a scene with another person. And then you do it on the day. And he basically workshops that, and what I loved about him yeah, he's what I love about him is, is he kind of gets into the psychology, you know, the real psychology of acting, I love the fact that he's very pro therapy, you know, and very much like, Look, if you want to be a good actor, learn how to harness what you have, and, and to clear the channel of some of that stuff that will get in your way of being a good actor. So, you know, I really, I really love that about him. And he's just got in got incredible sort of humanity. And knowledge, oh, my God, His knowledge was amazing of all, you know, the pieces of literature, and he also picked really good pieces of, you know, famous kind of pieces out of plays that that work really well. But, yeah, he makes you really think about so many more things about where you've come from, where you're going, as your character, you know, rather than right, learn the line, step on stage, you know, all the kind of nuanced work, which I think is really important, and he works with really, you know, big actors, I think, you know, when Leonardo DiCaprio did the aviator, he worked one on one with him, you know, and said, right, get in the plane, show me how you fly it. And Leonardo's like, oh, I don't know about that. He's like, no, no, no, you with that bullshit. Just show me you know, so he, he really makes people kind of let go all that pride and all that baggage that we have. Getting rid of some of that to becoming the best actor you can.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, it was so inspiring. Do you ever find that? Do you ever come across a project that you're working on? Where you come across another actor that inspires you to look at things or try things in a different way that maybe you haven't thought about before?

Susie Porter
Yeah, I think everyone that you meet, you know, different actors and little bits of bits of Bobs of all kind of actors, because everyone has their own technique, and everyone's such an individual and brings their own thing to work and each person has as their own way of working, I'm always impressed when someone really does the work. I'm really impressed when they really like, it's not just like, oh, well, you know, what always inspires me of people who have done hours of work before they've got on set. Like if they've written the character bio oak, and they know where they're coming from, where they're going to, they have a very clear vision of what the character wears having makeup. So I'm always really inspired by that. But then I've worked with another actor who is less prepared. And I will say his name because he's the Vince Colosimo. He I don't know whether you know of him, he, he is not what you would say, prepared in the traditional sense of actor. But when, when the camera when they say action, there's something that happens within him. I don't know whether you can ever replicate that. He's just got a lot of charisma. And he's really in the moment. And I think that so yeah, there are two that that, you know, I learned from lots of people, whether it's people who don't do a lot of work, and then people who do do a lot of work like I'm inspired by kind of both things I also worked with. Last year I did this movie, I was actually the only the voice. I was thinking I was I was talking to you about it. Last week, I played you know all the voices just for the actor on that day. And then I went in and recorded some stuff. So basically, it's one guy in a car, and it's a thriller. And his mobile phone there few people appear on screen, but it's basically all audio through the mobile phone. So myself and another actor, we played all the characters just to help the actor on the day. And I remember that actor Luke Bracey, his name was like, he is doing really well in America now. And really lovely fella. And he just fell into acting he was into into football and didn't really know how to do acting. But anyway, got a job on home the way and the acting teacher on HomeAway had said to him, Look, if you believe it, the audience will. And I just thought it was just like, such a simple but brilliant way in for someone who is maybe not trained. And sometimes to be honest, I think untrained actors can be more in the moment and more spontaneous. But yeah, just that if you believe it, the others well, I just think it's a it's a great key and a great opening for people who are just starting is just a really good sentence to take into their auditions with them.

Katherine Beck
Ya know that I love that. That's so good. And it's so true. And, you know, it makes me wonder when you were back in drama school were there any sort of moments that were really profound for you any teachers that you worked with or moments that really shifted things for you and that you've held on to as part of your process that you always remember and those moments where maybe you know, as actors we have the self doubt that every now creeps in? Is there? Is there one thing that you remember that somebody told you years ago that stuck with you and it's helped you through thick and thin?

Susie Porter
Yeah, look, I think Kevin Jackson, who was a incredible drama teacher at NIDA, I don't think he works there anymore. Look, he was very hard. He was very hard on people but one thing he you know, used to say if I perform something he would just say, you know, you can do better than that. So it was never just like, being mediocre was never that just being okay is enough. He was just always like you strive for the best. And you also read all the best literature you can like, go to all the artists and be informed by them, like read the great playwrights read the great novelists. And so that was that was his way that I always remember that about him is that you know, you are what you read and And also that you never stop learning. That's another thing that, that he really taught me as well, but he never let me rest on my laurels, he always pushed me. And you know, to be honest, drama school was difficult for me. You know, in second year, I had, I got some depression, and I, you know, I really struggled there to be honest, I was always in the infirmary, that's the little bed downstairs, like the sickbay. And, you know, I'm not quite sure where it was coming from. But I was, I felt at the time that I was failing. And I think that actually, when I wasn't when I wasn't doing my best work, and really struggling as an actor, a found it really, really difficult to accept, and it almost turned in on itself and turned to depression. And I remember the teachers saying to me, you have to be a lot stronger than this to cope with the industry, you have to really, you know, I think it's kind of different now, because I think we talk about mental health issues a lot more openly, and there's a lot more support, and we're also open to go, it's okay to suffer from anxiety and depression. And, you know, we have a lot of people to thank, for that who have come out probably, you know, actors, sports, people, all types of, you know, walks of life who are open, and I think that's where it starts, you know, to be open about those things and open as an actor to say, there are days that I think, or I get really nervous turning up on set, and I think, I hope I do, okay, or, you know, I have a zoom read through next week, with a new job. And I'm often thinking on know, the director, or thank God, we cast her, like, why did we, you know, like, so I can, I feel I get insecure, you know, and I've been around for 25 years. And, you know, and I've done lots of work, but I think, you know, to be honest with one another and be vulnerable, you know, and to be open about that stuff that I still go, Oh, I hope I do. Okay. You know, I think it's important to say that, because a lot of people coming into it be like, Oh, well, I've got to be this got to be adequate and confident. And I think all of us, even the Oscar winners, I'm sure would be going oh, I hope I do. Okay, and I think it's, it's within that humility. And to that you at least seek to be better. I think

Katherine Beck
it's so true. And I have heard that from some of the top actors that have been Academy Award winning actors that, that never goes away. It's a human reaction to wonder, and hope that, you know, we're going to fit in that we're going to be okay, and we're doing our very best work and and wondering what others are thinking of what we're doing. And I think it's so good that you're mentioning this, because I think a lot of actors think that once you get to this certain status, that all that goes away, but it doesn't. And that's okay, that it doesn't go away. That's real life.

Susie Porter
Yeah. And I think it's how how you deal with it to accept that that can happen and, and to then put things in place. Like, there's nothing better to help with anxiety than do the preparation, right? To do the work. Like that is a really great antidote, I think for anxiety.

Katherine Beck
So do you find that so if you let's say, for example, you're Susie Porter, and you're working on a really big project. And that thought comes in your head of you know, I hope I do, okay. How do you prepare so that the anxiety doesn't creep in the negative thoughts don't creep in?

Susie Porter
Hmm. Well, for instance, like, I would know my lines back to front. They're like part of my DNA that's just like the very basic and I also think it's great to do a character, breakdown and character like a backstory. And I think that even though you never say those lines, or maybe people maybe people in the audience don't know the difference. So you know, but it's to know your to make a full, fully fledged character. And right, from two to five to 1015 pages of your upbringing, your likes, your depth dislikes, your family. What drives you. And I think having that very solid kind of foundation of that, along with when we go doing voice warm ups in the shower. Meditation, I think is a really like, even if it's 10 minutes of meditation to settle yourself, knowing your lines being on time. And a lot of the time, you know, if I'm struggling with this scene, I honestly pray to the little acting fairies. And I'm like, I don't know what's out there. But I'm really struggling. And for some reason, when I do that, and put it out there, I know that sounds quite esoteric. But yes, sometimes if I can't work it out, I will pray to the credit of the acting fairies to help me.

Susie Porter
I didn't know that they were acting fairies while there are they're very special. Yeah, for the acting,

Katherine Beck
it's gonna help them out in a million different circumstances. Now I'm going to channel my acting fairies,

Susie Porter
because you don't what it is, is your mind can be you can be your own worst enemy. Yeah, in those moments. So it's like, you have to remove yourself from your brain. Yeah. So you know, when you can't find a park and you're like, come on parking fairies. And if you get when you go cool, if you don't, you're like, Okay, maybe someone else needed their park or whatever it is, like, to me, just these little mental kind of tricks helped me get out of my own way. Because, you know, a very negative thought can start. And it's like a thread. It's like the corroding thread that that completely covers you. And it's, it's, and therefore there is no intuitive thought, or action can come out of that, because you just run on fear. And self doubt. Yeah. You know, so it's trying to relate. Acting fairies helped me out here. And I swear it. It works. It really does. Try next time,

Katherine Beck
I'm gonna try next time. Okay, that, for some reason sparked a question that I wanted to ask you. I think in when you get to those moments that are challenging, what about when you're cast in a role, which is pretty different to who you are? How do you connect to that person? So for example, I recently watched you in gold, and you were unrecognizable. I, it almost didn't even sound like your voice either. Like it was a full transformation, which is when I texted you. And I was like Susie, this is incredible. I'm just I love this performance. How do you get yourself to that point when you're playing someone who's very different to you?

Susie Porter
Well, that was I did a lot of work on that. And I have to say, a lot of that work was driven by some fear. And you're saying, Yeah, you know, look, I think that that role had been offered to another like to an American actor, and through COVID They couldn't do it. And you know, so I kind of knew that I pulled in with the director who was who I knew and respected very much I knew as a friend. And he really took his chance on me but with that there was the pressure of Well, I hope I don't disappoint, or I don't underwhelm them for for the actual story. So I worked I look I just worked so hard. I had, he wanted me to do an Irish accent. So the film didn't look like it was just it was set in Australia. So it could be kind of anywhere like a kind of global one world type thing. And so I set about basically going to a voice coach and working with her. She was an English woman and I I worked with her like a couple of times a week I contacted Irish friends of mine recorded it. So I listened to Irish television, I listened to anything Irish. I practice those lines and that accent like day in day out. I was also like inspired by some other some other movies and other characters that I had seen. Jennifer Jason Leigh and a Tarantino film was quite inspired by her and now can't remember that movie off the top of my head but I basically just opened myself up to go right that you know, this is what the character looks like. We talked about the makeup and the scars. We knew that the voice was to kind of be bought down And it was difficult this character because the character just appears in the desert out of nowhere. You don't have any backstory, you don't really like any of the characters you don't really know. So I suppose it was just, it was a whole group of people coming together to work on that as well. So I'd have to think the makeup people for help creating that character that wardrobe people helped create it. And then I came with knowing, you know, having the Irish accent and, you know, we, we did a lot of work on the script. And so I think it was a real ensemble, sort of getting together about a lot of things. Plus, I just worked really hard. And there were times where I remember saying to my husband, or I think I'm gonna pull out of this, because I just think I'm gonna have to get really bad reviews, I suddenly got this fear. And I knew that there was a film that had come out with a couple of Irish people, P actors doing Irish accents, and they were panned. And the woman I was, I was doing the voice coaching with she's like, just don't read them. Just don't read them. You know, so it was this sort of thing of going, Oh, I'm going to be shown up, this will be the great fear, you know, that I'm going to be shown up. And I think that that is the deep fear that we all have. Are we going to be shown up as a fraud? Are we going to be criticized, you know, it's all the child, you know, family of origin stuff, it's your childhood stuff, like all of this stuff leads to this incredible fear. But out of that fear leads with the fear with this one drove me to work hard. But out of that fear, I don't think comes great kind of creative fluidity, so to speak, because you know, yeah. If that makes sense. I know that was very long winded answer. But

Katherine Beck
yeah, it's hard to it is it's hard to think clearly, when you're basing it off of fear, because you're in that heightened emotional state. And you can't always rationalize when you're in that state.

Susie Porter
Yeah. And I also knew that I couldn't say no to a job just out of fear. You can't say that, you know, we have, as Larry Moss says, you know, you've got one life, like, getting that coffin on the ground, and you're going to die. You know, like that idea that there's one life we really have. You know, it sounds quite obvious, but, you know, I think we don't live our lives at the with, we're dying each day, do we? We kind of just live our lives like it's just kind of normal, but I think, yeah, so fear is never enough like to not do something out of fear. You have to be brave and step up to it, even when you have the fear. Because when I turned up on set with Zac Efron, and you know that everyone is big movie star, I'm like, you know, I was I was really, I was nervous. There's no doubt about it. It was 45 degree heat that windstorms. It's like, it was full on but I just, I don't know, I just, I just went with it. And I think it turned out well, and I've mean that that's a great compliment from you, but still, I was terrified watching it. I didn't let my husband watch it first. I had to quickly like fast forward and go yeah, that's, that's okay. Okay. I said, Yeah, we can watch it tonight. We can watch it. It's alright. And, you know, so yeah, I can still get it be my worst enemy. But worked, but put, try to put things in place not to be?

Katherine Beck
Well, it's incredible what you did on that project. And when you were able to put those insecurities and fears to the side and do the work and focus on that you crafted a beautiful performance and incredible character. And it just goes to show that yeah, we you only live once and take the moments as they come and go for it. Commit to it. And that's the great thing about film is now it's here for a lifetime so many generations to come can watch your performance.

Susie Porter
Yeah, that is it. That is it. And I think the thing is, is, you know, when you're on a film's that time, time is always of the essence, you know, time is money on those things. And, you know, that can be you know, you feel like you can't risk things, but risking stuffs always worth it. Even if the risk you take in a performance may be way off or not appropriate. I don't think it is ever wrong. You know, having the courage to risk different choices that might be you know, unusual. You know, and I know sometimes I've been on set and I think we probably don't have time for that. But if I had my time again, you'd be like, Oh, doesn't matter. Let's just go and play and see what happens, you know? Yeah.

Katherine Beck
So do you find, you know, when you think about when you first started in the business, just fresh out of NIDA, to the actress that you are now do you find that the, you know, the, the fresh out of drama school actress would not have taken the risks or as many risks and, and you today? Like, how do you notice a difference in how you, you know, approach being on set?

Susie Porter
Yeah, I would say I'll probably, over time, take more risks than I was when I was straight out of drum school. And, you know, when you're straight out of drum school, and new to the film and TV industry, or whatever, you know, it's, you know, I'm not the kind of personality to kind of burst on there, kind of slowly step, you know, but over the years, I have gained a little bit more confidence that I can go on, no, that's okay. Especially doing something like Wentworth, that prison drama, where, you know, everything's kind of, you know, the other sets of built and the environments. Quite the environments, like, closed and, you know, in the sense that you don't have to worry about rain and wind and things like that, so you can risk things. So I found that show out of all the jobs that I've done like Wentworth, there were no, no rules, also, because there's like women in prison, like, they're always extreme things or have, you know, you could be killed at any moment, everything was such high stakes. So I found that performing in Wentworth really put, you know, I think it did for all of us actresses, like, really pulled us and made, you know, and also, because it was a successful show you kind of like, Oh, I gotta get on there, and do you know, the best, you know, so you're also pushed into uncomfortable areas, because of the very nature of it. So that was a really great experience doing Wentworth for those, those times. And I think that the characters the way they were written, and there was just such rich material for the female characters to do, you know, and, and, you know, it's getting better and better as well, I think, with female characters as it is with you know, diversity inclusivity all of that, like, it's, but I think it's a very good time for women. And, and women of a certain age as well, you know, like, there's maybe once a time when people say, Oh, will you know, if you're 40, then forget it. And I don't see that, you know, I was watching the last daughter on Netflix, I don't know whether you've seen that at some Maggie Gillan Hall. Director, it was her first, you know, foray into directing, and she did the most amazing job and Olivia Coleman is there and, you know, attractive woman, but not your typical kind of like Hollywood attractive. And she's just amazing. You know, she's the lead in this film, and the girl playing her daughter was the same as well, and you just kind of go, yeah, it's just an x. I think it's just an I think it's a really exciting time for women and women of all colors and shapes, sizes and ages. So it's good.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, it is. It's fantastic. It is in a very exciting time. And I'm curious, where do you see yourself then? In the future? Are there any types of roles that you haven't yet played that you would love to play? Or, you know, we only have one life, what what else would you like to explore in your acting career?

Susie Porter
Um, I would love to play a sort of overly religious zealot, like a nun of some sort. I love extremes. And I'd also love to kind of, I suppose we're all actors love the kind of like, you know, either descent into madness, I think is a woman to show a story of addiction, addiction, and that wouldn't normally be seen. I'm very interested in that, of how a normal person can end up on the street for example, and small little pieces that go towards that for you know, how people can end up like that. So any kind of extremes. I really like to play so yeah and non aura A homeless woman. I don't know. I know that sounds like quite extreme but

Katherine Beck
sounds like an actor to me.

Susie Porter
Was that you? Catherine? What would your like roles? What are like some of the characters that you would love to play? Oh gosh, well,

Katherine Beck
I am always drawn to really quirky out there characters. I have been told I'm a little bit funny, like I got a funny bone. So I would love to play like, a really broad comedy, like a really, really broad comedy. I think that would be fun.

Susie Porter
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I could imagine you is that actually,

Katherine Beck
I keep telling my family that I'm funny, and they just don't believe me.

Susie Porter
Maybe they know the best audiences? I bet you.

Katherine Beck
My kids are just embarrassed. But you know, that's life. Okay. Now, you have touched on so many great points in this podcast. And I think I want to finish up on there's a lot of actors that are listening, that maybe haven't broken into the industry, maybe they've auditioned several times, and they still haven't cracked it? Do you have any advice, like, when you think back to when you're first starting out, and I know it's different, you know, today is back in the day, you know, when you and I were first starting out, but any sort of words of wisdom or advice for those actors that are still going at it, chipping at it, but haven't yet quite gotten to that next stage?

Susie Porter
Look, I think that just don't give up I think, because there's always like, incredible things that can happen in your life. And things can change within a phone call, or a day. So I think if you truly want to be an actor, and it's all that you want to do, I think is give it your all and just don't give up. Because if you give up, then you know, it's not going to happen. You know, to get employed. And also, maybe, you know, get together with a group of friends and start creating your own or go on YouTube and do your own clips or, like podcasts, like there are so many creative avenues as well, like a lot of people are writing their own stuff now. A lot of people, you know, doing their own performances and chucking it up on YouTube, I just think that. Look, I don't want to sound too esoteric because a lot of people go Yeah, yeah, but they're short. You know, it's just having the belief that it's absolutely possible. For every person who wants to be an actor, to become one, I think, just to really have that belief and not give up. And in the meantime, just keep studying and learning because I don't think you ever stop learning either. You know, and I think Larry Moss has a really good point about therapy, you know, and I know, you can get a lot of good therapy with Medicare, you know, I know this in Australia, but with, you know, with COVID, and stuff like that you can get I think therapy is like, acting school just just with you and one other teacher, you know, so I am also a big advocate for that, as well get, you know, to really get to know yourself as well. You know, and then, you know, if you don't if it's too painful, I don't know, it's a really tough one as an actor, isn't it? Because some of the stuff is based on luck, too. Like, you know, at times, I've got gigs, because I was just at the right time, the right place. When I came at a drum school, it was very much like, you know, the Ozzie looking girl, who with a quite broad accent, that was kind of what was liked. I just happen to be in that as I came out, you know, so you sort of had luck, but there's also been times where I've been unemployed to and really haven't been able to get work. So it's, you know, I suppose just don't give up and that every actor goes through those difficult times. You know,

Katherine Beck
beautiful advice. One last question. And then we'll wrap it up. Is when you are working in another accent because we were talking about the Irish accent for this movie. Any advice about how you To maintain the accent when you're on set, for example, like how did you find that? Did you? Are there any specific things that you do in your process to keep that accent throughout production?

Susie Porter
I think there are a few key words and phrases that can help you get into it. If you lose it, like with an Irish, you know, there is there'll be certain phrases that I would kind of say in my head that would kind of keep me in it. And I also think just going to bed listening to the accent, because they often say like, before you sleep, is something happens with the brain, like with what kind of goes in before you sleep. So you know, to listen to the accent. Or if you want, like stay in that accent the whole day, like on goal that was too hot, to go and hang out with everyone, like everyone was like in a trailer. So I kind of spent a lot of time on my own. And I just listened to that dialogue, basically, over and over and over and over and over and over again. And also think like another thing, which I always forget to do. But I think because there's a lot of, you know, Aziz King can work in America and do really well in America, but to start practicing your American accent, and whenever I do an audition, I always think why didn't I with all that time off, I've had work on my American accent. So it feels like I'm not having to worry about where my tongue placement or my mouth and as it comes out, I'm like, Oh, my God, they're gonna guess I'm not American, you know? Yeah,

Katherine Beck
I know. Seeing all the time,

Susie Porter
all the time. But I really every time I do I do an audition with American accent. Why didn't I you know, those four hours I had off in the morning. You know, why did I not like each day? If I spent an hour each day on an American accent, then I could probably be a lot better.

Katherine Beck
Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Yeah. I know. We don't consider it until it's when we get the audition. But you're right. And that's what I you know, tell my students all the time is. The bulk of the auditions that you're going to find these days are coming from the US there's there's so much work to be had there. So much possibility. And if you want to be, you know, considered for the role, the work is in between the auditions, it's not when you get the audition.

Susie Porter
Totally, totally, actually inspires me to think you know, I should do that. In the interim. Yeah. Why not? You know, and or call you in the country? You call me? Can I call you, Catherine? Yeah, I can call you and say, Hey, I need help. But I've always got you in my back pocket there.

Katherine Beck
That's right. I'm in your Rolodex.

Susie Porter
Absolutely. Also, because I love what you said about not just how you pronounce certain things, the consonants and the R's and whatnot, like how to think like an American. Oh, yeah, the different intonation how to, you know, they, that's all part of it

Katherine Beck
isn't massive. It's a massive part of it. And surely, you would have felt that working so deeply in the Irish accent, you know, it shifts your being, when you're speaking a different way that, you know, the state of mind is such a massive part of how we communicate. It's what triggers our voice, our communication. It starts with how we think. So when we shift how we think we can shift how we speak, we can move into another accent, we can fully embody where that character is, from their environment, how they grew up, why they have the voice that they have today. And what makes their voice unique, instead of following along to, this is how you pronounce it or in the American accent, where that voice isn't specific to that character itself.

Susie Porter
Yeah, yeah. It's very important. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I felt inspired when you told me that the other day. Oh, yeah. It's something uh, yeah, it's definitely something that I want to work on.

Katherine Beck
Yeah. And I think that's a great place to end things. You know, for the listeners is that there's always something to work on, like you were saying earlier in the podcast as well is that we never stop learning. And I think that is the most beautiful thing about being actors and about being human beings is that we're constantly learning and creating and opening our eyes and ourselves up to new things, which is such a great thing.

Susie Porter
Yeah, and also learning about the world in lots of ways. Like I'm about to play a detective. And I was given a book over Christmas actually about written by a detective, his life story. And I'm like, Ah, this is perfect. Because I'm kind of like getting into the mindset of what it's like to be a detective. And not only that, like, it's a different world that I can experience. And that's what I also love acting you experience all different types of worlds.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, it's so great. So Susie, where can people watch gold? Because that's on at the moment, isn't it?

Susie Porter
It? Is that streaming on Stan. And that will be on Stan for quite a while I think. So that says Stan, original. It was in the cinemas had like a two week release and then went to stem. And I think it's been released in the states in the on the 11th of March.

Katherine Beck
Okay, amazing. Okay. Yeah. Wonderful. Yeah. And if anyone wants to learn more about what you're doing, are you are you on the Instagrams or anything like that

Susie Porter
I am on the Instagram. I'm on like, my little handle is underscore, Susie Porter, all lowercase Su Si, E P, O, R T, E. R, underscore, that is my Instagram. And I kind of keep a low profile, actually no profile on Facebook. No, no profile there. But I do. I do like Instagram. Oh, and also another thing that I think is a great tool for actors is I watch a lot of actors that I love and inspire before I'm about to do a job. And on YouTube, you can find everything and everyone, whatever scene you want to watch whatever actor you want to watch, you can find it. So we're also in such a great time where you can find that stuff on YouTube.

Katherine Beck
That's such a great point. So if you're working on a specific role, like let's say you're working on a detective, you might do some research on other actors who have played a

Susie Porter
detective. Yeah, like I might say, Google, what are the great female detectives that have been on film and television? Yeah. And then you may kind of look and sort of see what they're about. And know the kind of ideas of, you know, police dramas like, yeah, just think that that kind of song reading that book, I'll probably watch a little bit of Helen Mirren in prime suspect. I mean, you know, the character is not as fully formed as something like that, but still as a way of, but that's more my backstory, you know, and that's, that's the other thing that I think with characters is finding what their wound is, like finding what drives them, unconsciously, unconsciously. You know, like, yeah, because that can that can be I've got in my backstory that my younger sister was killed by a drunk driver. So, you know, I've wanted to become a police woman to right the wrongs like as a kind of internal driver of something. So I think finding someone's wound, and where they act out of, as I said, consciously or unconsciously, is a good key into a character as well.

Katherine Beck
I love it. That's so good. That's such great advice. There's a thank you so much. It's been such a joy to speak with you and get to know your process and get to know you better. So thank you so much.

Susie Porter
Um, my pleasure. And thank you, Katherine, for having me on and for doing a podcast like this because I think you can. I don't know. I love podcasts. And I think there's so much to, you know, learn from podcasts and have an experience listening to them. So I think it's fantastic.

Katherine Beck
No, thanks. Thank you so much, Susie, for joining me on the podcast. And remember, if you love this episode, go ahead and let me know take a screenshot of the show. Share it with me on Instagram stories and tag me in it at Catherine underscore Beck underscore, you can find me there. If you've got any questions or topics you'd like to hear on the podcast. Just send me a DM and let me know and coming up next week on the show. I will reveal my secret three part strategy to standing out through your voice. Get ready to use your most powerful tool you have in your arsenal to stand out from your competition. That's coming up next week. Now make sure to share this show with all your actor friends, let them know what's coming up next week and invite them to tune in with you and learn how to become an All American actor. So you can be the Working Actor you dream to be until then go practice your American accent. And I'll see you back here next time.