🎙️ Ep 048 | Rob Cairns: From Oxford Stage to Audio Page - Why He Walked Away from Acting
Release Date: 03/11/2025
🎙️ Ep 056 | Kenneth Jay: From Backstage Patience to Onstage Presence
Offstage Acting
Today’s 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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🍿15 | 28 Years Later (2025) — Rage Reborn or Redundant Retread? • OFFstage ONscreen
Offstage Acting
The Rage virus saga storms back as Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reunite for 28 Years Later (2025), a post‑apocalyptic, coming‑of‑age horror set nearly three decades after the original outbreak. Todd Kramer and Robert Nelson dive into a secluded island community where young Spike (Alfie Williams) and his scavenger father (Aaron Taylor‑Johnson) face a mission into the infected mainland to save his ailing mother (Jodie Comer). Todd savors the surreal folk‑horror tones and iPhone‑shot visuals; Robert wonders if the emotional undercurrent and cult satire elevate the franchise—or...
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🍿14 | F1 (2025) — Full Throttle or Full Flop? • OFFstage ONscreen
Offstage Acting
Todd Kramer and Robert Nelson peel back the visor on F1, the high-octane Joseph Kosinski‑directed drama starring Brad Pitt as a legendary driver battling both the track and his demons. Alongside Pitt, we’ve got Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem and—get this—our friend Pepe Balderrama (yes, the one who came on the podcast!) playing race engineer Rico Fazio, pulling double duty with Todd in the offstage driver’s seat. We dive into manic Grand Prix sequences, Hans Zimmer’s pulse‑pounding score, and question if the nostalgia and spectacle add up to more than cinematic...
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🎙️Ep 055 | Kym Jackson: How To Hustle Into Hollywood and The Secret Actor Society
Offstage Acting
Today’s guest is Kym Jackson — Aussie actor, author, and co-founder of the Secret Actor Society. Kym’s journey spans continents and platforms: she launched her career onstage in Australia, made the leap to Hollywood, and hasn’t stopped working since. You’ve seen her on Criminal Minds, NCIS: LA, This Is Us, and SWAT — 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 — from managing self-tapes and raising a family to launching an...
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🍿13 | Final Destination: Bloodlines — Unlucky Sequel or Bloody Good Fun? • OFFstage ONscreen
Offstage Acting
Lucky number 13? Not quite. 😱 In this spine-snapping installment of OFFstage ONscreen, Todd Kramer and Robert Nelson take on Final Destination: Bloodlines—a new chapter in the franchise that made paranoia an art form. Does this reboot have fresh life... or is it just death warmed over? We break down the kills, the thrills, and whether fate should’ve just called it quits. 🩸 #finaldestination #bloodlines #horrorreview #scarymovies #moviepodcast #toddkramer #robertnelson #offstageacting #offstageonscreen #slasherfilm
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🎙️Ep 054 | BONUSODE: Motivation for When You’ve Got None
Offstage Acting
Today’s episode is a little different — it’s just Todd and Jay, mic’d up and mood-swinging their way through one of those actor chats that starts with “I’m not feeling it” and ends with “okay, I’ve got a little fire back.” In this candid bonus conversation, Todd and Jay explore the ebb and flow of motivation in an actor’s life — why it disappears, how to rediscover it, and the tools they’ve 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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🍿12 | MI: The Final Reckoning (2025) — Is This the Final Cruise? • OFFstage ONscreen
Offstage Acting
Will this actually be Ethan Hunt’s last mission? 🎬 Todd Kramer and Robert Nelson dive into the latest Mission: Impossible installment and ask the big questions: Is Tom closing out the franchise at its peak. Is this the best M:I yet... or is there still fuel left in the tank? One thing’s for sure: Tom Cruise still runs better than anyone in Hollywood! 🏃➡️
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🍿11 | Gene Hackman — A Career Like No Other • OFFstage ONscreen
Offstage Acting
From The French Connection to The Royal Tenenbaums, Gene Hackman did it all—then vanished from the spotlight. 🎭 Todd and Robert celebrate the life and legacy of one of cinema’s most quietly commanding actors. A heartfelt tribute to a true screen legend.
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🎙️Ep 053 | Brendan McNamara: From Child Roles to Casting Roles
Offstage Acting
Today’s guest is the brilliant Brendan McNamara — actor, former child star, and founder of Beach Casting, a casting agency making waves across the UK and Ireland. From appearing in films like Angela’s 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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🍿10 | Last Breath (2024) — Edge-of-Your-Seat Thriller or Deep Sea Snooze? • OFFstage ONscreen
Offstage Acting
A diver trapped at the bottom of the ocean—true story. 😱 Todd and Robert descend into Last Breath, a survival thriller based on real events. Does it deliver pulse-pounding tension… or just tread water?
info_outlineSometimes 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 process… 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: “Meh. You know what? I don't think this is for me. I don't love it.”
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 Rob—he’s landed on his feet.
Rob trained at UEA and the Oxford School of Drama, dove deep into the craft, and came out the other side with clarity: the acting life wasn’t his forever path. Instead, he pivoted into a life behind the mic—becoming an audiobook producer and founding Voice Reel London, where he now helps actors and voice artists craft high-quality showreels and narration work.
Jay and Todd recently collaborated with Rob on an audiobook project, and in this episode, they talk all things training, transitions, self-awareness, and sound waves. It’s a real look at how one actor stepped back from center stage—and found a new way to perform.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 – Opening
03:00 – When actors realize acting isn’t “it”
06:30 – Rob’s acting training and Oxford journey
10:00 – The “smart quitter” mindset
13:00 – What drama school really prepares you for
15:30 – Jay and Todd’s training comparison
18:30 – From actor to audio engineer
22:00 – Founding Voice Reel London
26:00 – Creating voice reels for today’s industry
30:00 – Todd’s audiobook adventures
33:00 – The joys and pains of audiobook narration
36:30 – Rob’s pivot during COVID
40:00 – The audition disillusion
43:00 – Are you cut out for the actor life?
46:00 – Measuring passion vs. practicality
49:00 – What Rob loves about sound production
52:00 – Todd & Jay riff on zodiacs & Aries vibes
56:00 – “Manifesting” your own creative pivot
59:00 – Final thoughts from Rob
💬 Join the Conversation
What resonated with you in Rob’s story? Drop your thoughts in the comments — or tag us on socials with your takeaways!
🔗 CONNECT & FOLLOW
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📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/OffstageActing
🌍 Rob Cairns: Voice Reel London
💫 TODD: https://linktr.ee/toddkramer
💫 JAY: https://linktr.ee/jayreum
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