In today's episode, we dive into the extraordinary career of Mustafa Shakir, the self-described "accidental actor" who originally pursued international banking and law at Cornell before discovering acting after reading a poem in a workshop. He breaks down the nitty-gritty of auditioning, including the high-stakes journey to landing the Marvel villain "Bushmaster" on Luke Cage. We also talk about why he loves the "little movie" process of self-taping, and how trusting intuition and learning to let go after preparation has helped him uncover new dimensions in his work. Mustafa generously shares his philosophy on how the inner world shapes outer reality, along with a peek behind the curtain at his process and work ethic.

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Mustafa Shakir right here.

• Song Sung Blue
• Marvel's Luke Cage
• Cowboy Bebop
• The Deuce
• Emancipation
• Love Hurts
• Ghosted
• The Night Of
• American Gods
• Shameless
• House
• Timeless
• Quarry

• IMDB: Mustafa Shakir, Actor, Writer, Director

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• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR
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• PATREON: @thatoneaudition
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
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• WRITER: Erin McCluskey
• WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
• SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri

A casting director's Instagram post stopped me mid-scroll: "We don't pick the most talented—we pick the ones who survived without losing their soul." In this episode, we're talking about why artists don't burn out from rejection but from performing versions of themselves that never existed, and how building a sustainable practice is the only way to stay authentic in an industry that demands everything. Plus, details on how to join the Practice Track community when we open enrollment at the end of January.

For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• PATREON: @thatoneaudition
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• ITUNES: Subscribe to That One Audition on iTunes
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
• STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher

• WRITER: Erin McCluskey
• WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
• SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri

Get ready for a masterclass in hustle, heart, and hilarious setbacks as we dive into Milan Carter's unbelievable journey to landing "Barry" on Netflix's hit action-comedy FUBAR. Milan reveals how he delivered a self-tape so strong it could have been "dropped right into the episode"—complete with an improvised Slurpee cup and inventive tricks to handle the dense dialogue. He walks us through the intense, months-long battle to even audition for the role while under contract at Nickelodeon. The conversation also explores Carter's philosophical approach to acting, being your own biggest fan, and focusing on supporting fellow actors, even during chemistry reads with major stars like Schwarzenegger.

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Milan Carter right here.

• FUBAR
• Dolemite Is My Name
• Warped!
• The Neighborhood
• It's Florida, Man
• Runaways

• IMDB: Milan Carter, Actor

For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• PATREON: @thatoneaudition
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• ITUNES: Subscribe to That One Audition on iTunes
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
• STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher

• WRITER: Erin McCluskey
• WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
• SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri

Our guest this week, Jacob Scipio, began his acting journey practically straight out of the womb, signed by his aunt's boutique agency at birth and appearing on BBC television throughout his childhood. His path to becoming a working adult actor was far from easy, though; after auditioning for ten drama schools and getting into none, he found himself a broke student working odd jobs like landscape gardening. Tune in to hear the unbelievable sequence of events that followed, starting with a surprise call from the director of the American war film The Outpost and the white lie Jacob told to secure the job. He also shares the risky move he made by walking back into producer Jerry Bruckheimer's office and the hilarious, impromptu chemistry read with Will Smith that ultimately earned him the life-changing role of Smith's son in the Bad Boys franchise.

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Jacob Scipio right here.

• Bad Boys: Ride or Die
• Bad Boys for Life
• Expendables 4
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
• Maintenance Required
• Passenger
• Pieces of Her
• Damned
• The Outpost

• IMDB: Jacob Scipio, Actor, Writer

For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• PATREON: @thatoneaudition
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• ITUNES: Subscribe to That One Audition on iTunes
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
• STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher

• WRITER: Erin McCluskey
• WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
• SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri

Get ready for an electrifying deep dive with Michelle Hurd, an actress, activist, and industry powerhouse whose career has spanned Shakespeare, sitcoms, sci-fi universes, and everything in between. Born into a legendary artistic lineage and raised to treat acting as both a sacred craft and a true business, Michelle opens up about the relentless training and unwavering discipline that have fueled her ability to work only as an actor since college. She reveals the strategy that won her the fiercely complex role of Raffi on Star Trek: Picard in just two takes. Michelle also pulls back the curtain on her crucial work within SAG-AFTRA, sharing why boundaries matter, why actors should never be asked to tape themselves unclothed, and how she's fighting to make sets safer for everyone. With recent projects alongside Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein and several new films on the way, Michelle Hurd is as unstoppable as ever.

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Michelle Hurd right here.

• Star Trek: Picard
• Ash vs Evil Dead
• Anyone But You
• You
• Blindspot
• Law & Order: SVU
• Office Romance
• The Glades
• Hawaii: Five-0
• Younger
• Daredevil
• Jessica Jones
• How to Get Away with Murder
• 90210
• Where The Wind Blows

• IMDB: Michelle Hurd, Actress, Producer

Connect with That One Audition:

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• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR
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• PATREON: @thatoneaudition
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• ITUNES: Subscribe to That One Audition on iTunes
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Subscribe today and be part of a community that celebrates resilience and passion in the world of acting! 🎙️ #ActorsResilience #RecoveryMindset #ThatOneAudition #PodcastJourney

CREDITS:

• Host/Producer: Alyshia Ochse
• WRITER: Alyshia Ochse
• WE BSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

In this episode, Alyshia breaks down a new acronym for REST and explores why true rest is essential for the creative mind. Learn how stepping back fuels intuition, clarity, and artistry, and why rest isn't slowing down… it is setting yourself up to create again.

Subscribe now for insightful discussions, empowering interviews, and practical advice to enhance your career longevity and satisfaction.

Connect with That One Audition:

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Black Friday 50% Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
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Subscribe today and be part of a community that celebrates resilience and passion in the world of acting! 🎙️ #ActorsResilience #RecoveryMindset #ThatOneAudition #PodcastJourney

CREDITS:

• Host/Producer: Alyshia Ochse
• WRITER: Alyshia Ochse
• WE BSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

Step into an extraordinary journey with Colin Egglesfield, a multi-hyphenate creator who has built a global career by refusing to follow a straight path. After taking the MCAT, he made a radical pivot into modeling before breaking into Hollywood with a contract role on All My Children. Along the way he survived multiple life-altering setbacks, including multiple bouts of cancer and living through the World Trade Center tragedy, which reshaped his entire outlook on purpose and possibility. Colin opens up about the intense pressures of Hollywood including being unexpectedly killed off a show, being told he looked "too much like Tom Cruise" in an audition, and how he overcame debilitating stage fright through unconventional acting exercises. You don't want to miss how he booked Something Borrowed after five rounds of auditions, including how he wrote his Oscar acceptance speech before the final audition.

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Colin Egglesfield right here.

• Something Borrowed
• All My Children
• The Client List
• Rizzoli & Isles
• Melrose Place
• Autumn Dreams
• Chicago Fire
• Lucifer
• UnReal
• Bad Moms
• Bad Teacher
• Charmed
• Gilmore Girls

• IMDB: Colin Egglesfield, Actor, Producer

Connect with That One Audition:

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Black Friday 50% Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
• STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher

Subscribe today and be part of a community that celebrates resilience and passion in the world of acting! 🎙️ #ActorsResilience #RecoveryMindset #ThatOneAudition #PodcastJourney

CREDITS:

• Host/Producer: Alyshia Ochse
• WRITER: Alyshia Ochse
• WE BSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

Discipline isn't just a buzzword — it's the secret weapon of working actors. In this episode of That One Audition, Alyshia Ochse dives into the power of studying story, mastering framing, and learning from brilliant actors to elevate your craft and your self-tapes.

From observing working actors like Frank Grillo, Michelle Monaghan, and Skye P. Marshall to analyzing your own auditions with a critical eye, Alyshia breaks down how to turn inspiration into actionable skills. Plus, she shares how The Bridge for Actors puts years of industry experience and a supportive community right in your hands, helping you go from student of acting to a working, bookable actor.

If you're ready to stop guessing in the room, build real skills, and learn from the pros, this episode is your blueprint.

Subscribe now for insightful discussions, empowering interviews, and practical advice to enhance your career longevity and satisfaction.

Connect with That One Audition:

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Black Friday Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
• STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher

Subscribe today and be part of a community that celebrates resilience and passion in the world of acting! 🎙️ #ActorsResilience #RecoveryMindset #ThatOneAudition #PodcastJourney

CREDITS:

• Host/Producer: Alyshia Ochse
• WRITER: Alyshia Ochse
• WE BSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

Join us for an electrifying conversation with actor Frank Grillo, one of Hollywood's most grounded and dynamic leading men. From Warrior, The Grey, and Zero Dark Thirty to Captain America: Civil War and The Purge franchise, Frank has built a career defined by grit, authenticity, and longevity. Now starring opposite John Cena in Peacemaker and returning to Taylor Sheridan's Tulsa King (Paramount+), he opens up about maintaining a blue-collar work ethic at the highest levels of Hollywood. Frank shares why he rejects traditional "method shit" in favor of pure imagination, revealing the power of reading a script up to 80 times to fully inhabit a role. From his late start and three-year "bootcamp" on a soap opera to becoming a globally recognized force, Frank offers rare insight on what truly makes a stand-out audition and unforgettable performances.

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Frank Grillo right here.

• Tulsa King
• Peacemaker
• Superman
• Justice League: Warworld
• Captain America: Civil War
• Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend
• Zero Dark Thirty
• Billions
• Kingdom
• Avengers: Endgame
• The Grey
• Warrior
• Prison Break
• Poltergeist: The Legacy

• IMDB: Frank Grillo, Actor, Producer

Subscribe now for insightful discussions, empowering interviews, and practical advice to enhance your career longevity and satisfaction.

Connect with That One Audition:

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Black Friday SALE Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
• STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher

Subscribe today and be part of a community that celebrates resilience and passion in the world of acting! 🎙️ #ActorsResilience #RecoveryMindset #ThatOneAudition #PodcastJourney

CREDITS:

• Host/Producer: Alyshia Ochse
• WRITER: Alyshia Ochse
• WE BSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

We're done waiting for permission. We are building careers. This episode dives into how learning to make a strong, cinematic self-tape is actually the first step in becoming a filmmaker and creating your own work — yes, just like Pierson Fodé filming on the farm. Plus, I share how The Bridge for Actors trains you in craft, tech, and business so you can go from "student" to "working actor" to "story creator." Lean in, babe — we're building something real. And hit that link below for a special 50% OFF this whole month on THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS.

For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition

• THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR
• THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly
• PATREON: @thatoneaudition
• CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse
• COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role
• INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse
• INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition
• WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com
• ITUNES: Subscribe to That One Audition on iTunes
• SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify
• STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher

• WRITER: Erin McCluskey
• WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
• SOCIAL OUTREACH: Alara Ceri