๐๏ธ031 | Alex Marchi: From Pharmacy to Film in Three Languages
Release Date: 08/27/2024
Offstage Acting
Todayโs guests are Rob and Helen Bee โ voiceover professionals, podcast hosts, and community builders behind The VO Social, a UK-wide grassroots movement thatโs changing how voice artists connect and grow. Rob and Helen talk with Todd Kramer and Jay Reum about the loneliness of the VO life and how theyโve worked to combat it โ not just with their podcast, but with real-world meetups, business services, and grassroots support. They share their journey from working VO professionals to running a creative services company tailored specifically for voice artists, helping them with tech,...
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Todayโs guest is Kenneth Jay, a seasoned Canadian actor with decades of experience across theatre, film, and television. Known for his dedication to craft and his deep respect for storytelling, Kenneth has built a career that bridges continents and philosophies. In this inspiring and laughter-filled episode, hosts Todd Kramer and Jay Reum chat with Kenneth about the unique discipline of being an understudy, the art of preparation without certainty, and why truth is always at the center of performance. Kenneth shares his journey from Ottawa to Ryerson Theatre School, his surprising connection...
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Todayโs guest is Kym Jackson โ Aussie actor, author, and co-founder of the Secret Actor Society. Kymโs journey spans continents and platforms: she launched her career onstage in Australia, made the leap to Hollywood, and hasnโt stopped working since. Youโve seen her on Criminal Minds, NCIS: LA, This Is Us, and SWAT โ or in films like Snitch, Iron Sky, and We Bury the Dead. But acting is just one facet of her creative powerhouse. In this episode, Kym opens up about navigating the business with grace and grit โ from managing self-tapes and raising a family to launching an...
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Todayโs episode is a little different โ itโs just Todd and Jay, micโd up and mood-swinging their way through one of those actor chats that starts with โIโm not feeling itโ and ends with โokay, Iโve got a little fire back.โ In this candid bonus conversation, Todd and Jay explore the ebb and flow of motivation in an actorโs life โ why it disappears, how to rediscover it, and the tools theyโve each developed to stay (or get back) on track. From inner drive to outer community, yoga hacks to time-blocking, and even the occasional black hole of self-doubt, this is a...
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Todayโs guest is the brilliant Brendan McNamara โ actor, former child star, and founder of Beach Casting, a casting agency making waves across the UK and Ireland. From appearing in films like Angelaโs Ashes and War of the Buttons to launching one of the most actor-friendly casting studios in the game, Brendan shares his uniquely personal journey through both sides of the audition table. We talk candidly about the transition from actor to casting director, the kind of performers he loves to work with, the shifting landscape of self-tapes, and why kindness and professionalism still matter....
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Todayโs guest is not only a brilliant actor, but one of the loudest, clearest voices advocating for honesty and safety in the industry. Alexa Morden is best known as the co-creator and co-host of The 98% Podcast โ a refreshingly unfiltered look at life for the vast majority of actors who donโt earn their full living from acting. Sheโs also an award-winning performer in her own right, with credits in Skins, Fresh Meat, The Great Train Robbery, and the indie feature The Colour of Spring, which earned her over 25 Best Actress awards on the festival circuit. In this episode, Alexa opens up...
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This week on Offstage Acting, Todd Kramer welcomes the brilliant Kezia Burrows โ a Welsh actor whose career spans classical theatre, television drama, and the high-stakes world of motion capture and video game performance. Born in Neath and raised in the seaside village of New Quay, Kezia trained at RADA and now voices and embodies characters in some of the most acclaimed games out there. You might know her as Amanda Ripley in Alien: Isolation, Dr. Emma Fisher in Observation, or from Cyberpunk 2077, CrossfireX, Hellblade, and more. We dive into: ๐ญ Her classical training and transition...
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This week we are celebrating our 50th episode! Hurray. Jay and I talk about where we've been where we are and were going. We catch up with Jay after his month long yoga retreat to India. My experience doing amateur dramatics. And we dive into a few other fun topics all in celebration of the good times we've had so far and the good times yet to come. So here's to the first and the next 50 episodes of the offstage acting podcast! #acting #actingpodcast #actor #actors #act #actorslife
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Todayโs guest is Jason Baughan - a classically trained actor whose journey from the West End stage to directing cinematic storytelling in major video games is nothing short of epic. In this episode, Todd Kramer and Jay Reum welcome the multi-talented Jason Baughan (yes, thatโs โBaughan,โ not โBourneโ) for a spirited dive into his career evolution. Trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Jason started with a love of Shakespeare and a West End run in the Olivier-winning Sunny Afternoon, where he went from guitar player to live stage drummer in front of 900 people....
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Sometimes an actor goes through all of the training and all of the courses and pays all their dues and does very well and enjoys the education and the processโฆ and then steps out into the bright lights of the industry with all its mechanisms and professional trappings, takes a long look around and says: โMeh. You know what? I don't think this is for me. I don't love it.โ And today, Todd Kramer and Jay Reum talk to just such an actor. His name is Rob Cairns. But don't worry about good old Robโheโs landed on his feet. Rob trained at UEA and the Oxford School of Drama, dove deep into...
info_outlineThis week, Todd sits down with the multilingual and multi-talented Alexander Marchi, an Italian actor whose journey into the performing arts didnโt begin in a drama school โ but in a pharmacy.
Fluent in English, German, and Italian, Alex shares the fascinating story of how he pivoted from life as a licensed pharmacist in Italy to a growing acting career in London, after an unexpected leap of faith (and a bold move to Bristol). Along the way, heโs picked up stage work, commercials, screen credits, and yes โ a story involving Mark Wahlberg, Ridley Scott, and a Todd Kramer workshop.
Itโs the real-life arc of a working European actor making it happen across borders, languages, and life paths. ร una storia vera โ and itโs a good one.
โฑ๏ธ CHAPTERS
00:00 โ Buongiorno and bienvenue to the pod
01:30 โ Introducing Alex Marchi: actor, pharmacist, polyglot
03:00 โ How pharmacy gave way to performance
04:30 โ Landing in Bristol without a plan
06:00 โ That one fateful London workshop
07:30 โ Mark Wahlberg, Ridley Scott, and a strange day on set
09:00 โ Finding purpose in acting later in life
10:30 โ Why Alex left Italy for something bigger
12:00 โ Acting in three languages: advantages and surprises
13:30 โ Craft, classes, and cultural differences
15:00 โ Jay is away โ and Todd flies solo
16:30 โ Trusting the process (and building credits)
18:00 โ Theatre, commercials, and steady growth
19:30 โ What drives Alex today
21:00 โ Working actors in Europe: an honest portrait
22:30 โ Todd on what makes a grounded actor
24:00 โ Final thoughts and molto grazie
๐ CONNECT & FOLLOW
๐ง Full Podcast & More: https://offstageacting.com/podcast
๐ธ Instagram: https://instagram.com/offstageacting
โ X: https://x.com/OffstageActing
๐ Facebook: https://facebook.com/offstageacting
๐ฅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@offstageacting
๐ Toddโs Linktree: https://linktr.ee/toddkramer
๐ Jayโs Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jayreum
๐ญ Alexander Marchi: [Link if available โ placeholder]
๐ฃ HASHTAGS
#acting #actingpodcast #actor #actors #actorslife #ToddKramer #JayReum #OffstageActing
#AlexMarchi #italianactor #pharmacistturnedactor #workingactor #multilingualperformer #actorsabroad #bristoltolondon