Meet Rich Cassone | Acting Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rich Cassone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rich, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Initially, I was interested in coaching because I had been lucky enough to study with two coaches that I admired greatly. I noticed from talking to many of my colleagues that the things I was learning were really very different from what the average acting class offered. I wanted to share those philosophies and methods with a wider group of actors. Because the thing is this, acting is a really really important thing to do. And I think that a lot of actors in LA, especially in LA, don’t look at it like that, and because of that they tend to bring maybe 50% of what they could to their work. The people I learned from looked at it differently. They saw acting as a way to bring your vision to people. And you know it doesn’t matter if you’re on a three camera sitcom or in a serious drama, when you bring a role to life, which really just means going through a process of finding out who you are, and what your strength, beliefs, and challenges are, you can actually change people’s lives. Because we’re all out here looking for ourselves, and when you show us that you can do that, that you found the strength and fought through the fear to the love, well, that gives us a certain amount of power to say, “Hey, I can do that too. I can be brave and stand up for my beliefs, and you know, live my life on my terms without shame.”

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For most of my life, I considered myself a writer and that was where I put my energy. I had a little bit of success, but never really felt engaged in it. It felt more like a role I was playing than an actual passion. When I moved to Los Angeles, I took a scene study class with the thought that it might help me improve my writing, learning how the actor works. As it turned out, I was a much more effective actor than I ever was as a writer. My work had an immediate impact on the audience, and I felt alive and free in a way I never had writing. Then something even stranger happened. As I continued studying acting, I found that I wasn’t wasn’t watching the actors work so much as I was watching their transformations and people. I saw how my coaches were able to help these incredible humans grow, and I knew I wanted to do that. It became much more interesting to me to take a step back from the performance itself and work on helping others learn how to find out what their lives mean. There’s nothing as incredible as watching someone start from a place of fear and through focus and courage, create actual magic. And I mean magic. Where do those moments of majesty and beauty come from that we all see on stage and screen? Those people who helped us through life, right? Whether that’s Matthew Perry on Friends or some kid in a high school play who simply by participating in theatre set herself on a different exciting path in life? It’s magic, there’s no other way to describe it.

That’s what I focus on. I promise my students focus and truth. I promise that I’ll stick with them. Their promise to me is to do the work and to trust. Seriously, you put that all into a pot and stir and one day you take a sip and there’s a beautiful elixir there. And anyone can do it, at any age.

In particular, I love working with actors who come to the art a little bit later in life, or who have been acting but only began to take it seriously later in life. There’s something about someone with a little maturity and life experience in them that’s really fascinating to work with. Beginners of course have their own magic and bring a whole set of other nuances to work, but folks who has been kicked around a little bit before they come to the art are people I particularly enjoy coaching.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Little Tokyo is probably my favorite spot to bring people in the city. It’s a great mix of modern life and history with a hint of the international thrown in for good measure. Beyond that, I love me a good Los Angeles park. We’re in one of the best urban environments in America and there’s all this free outdoor space. I like to show people that part of Los Angeles.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Every single student of mine who took a chance. When I started out all I had was my word that what I was going to show them was important and could help them find something new in themselves. I also had incredible support from actor and producer Glen Steele who mentored me through starting my own business and was an incredible support during it’s formation. And of course, my acting mentors, who taught me how to act. Cameron Thor and Alice Carter for teaching me that my vision mattered, and Robert D’Avanzo for showing me that loving and respecting the human being is in fact the primary work we do.

Website: www.actuntamed.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS-47eZYHIsoq6vKfniXUfA