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This week in The Actor’s Waiting Room, I’m joined by actor and host of the The 98% Podcast, Alexa Morden.

Alexa has been speaking openly about the realities of the acting industry for years, creating space for honest conversations about the parts of this career that don’t always get talked about.

In this episode, we chat about her work with The 98% Podcast, why these conversations matter for actors, and the importance of honesty, community, and perspective in an industry that can often feel isolating. We also talk about her new book Beyond the Spotlight, which explores the realities of the industry and encourages actors to think about their careers and identities beyond just the pursuit of the next role.

This conversation ended up being such a good and wide-ranging discussion that we’ve split it into two parts; welcome back to Part Two.

Find out more about Alexa’s coaching, and where to buy her book ‘Beyond The Spotlight’ HERE!

Listen to The 98% podcast wherever you get podcasts and check out the-98-percent.com for help, guidance, advice, and free resources for actors.

Follow online @alexa_morden @the98percentpod and @acting.with.alexa

Send us Fan Mail

This week in The Actor’s Waiting Room, I’m joined by actor and host of the The 98% Podcast, Alexa Morden.

Alexa has been speaking openly about the realities of the acting industry for years, creating space for honest conversations about the parts of this career that don’t always get talked about.

In this episode, we chat about her work with The 98% Podcast, why these conversations matter for actors, and the importance of honesty, community, and perspective in an industry that can often feel isolating. We also talk about her new book Beyond the Spotlight, which explores the realities of the industry and encourages actors to think about their careers and identities beyond just the pursuit of the next role.

This conversation ended up being such a good and wide-ranging discussion that we’ve split it into two parts, so this is Part One.

Find out more about Alexa’s coaching, and where to buy her book ‘Beyond The Spotlight’ HERE!

Listen to The 98% podcast wherever you get podcasts and check out the-98-percent.com for help, guidance, advice, and free resources for actors.

Follow online @alexa_morden @the98percentpod and @acting.with.alexa

Send us Fan Mail

This week in The Actor’s Waiting Room, I’m joined by actor and filmmaker Malcolm Modele.

Before moving into acting and filmmaking, Malcolm served in the military, and in this conversation we talk about the journey that took him from that world into the creative industries.

We also talk about his work both in front of and behind the camera, the realities of creating your own opportunities as an artist, and what it takes to carve out space for yourself in the industry.

It’s an honest conversation about career shifts, creative independence, and finding your place in a challenging industry.

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It’s time for another Movie of the Month, and this time I’m looking at Fury, directed by David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, and Shia LaBeouf.

In this episode I break down the performances at the centre of the film and look at how the actors create such a believable sense of tension, hierarchy, and shared history within the tank crew. We talk about ensemble acting, authority on screen, and how restraint can sometimes be more powerful than big emotional moments.

I also explore how the characters shift throughout the film, particularly the journey from outsider to soldier, and what actors can learn from performances that rely on subtle choices, listening, and physical presence.

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What does it actually feel like to be an actor in your late 20s?

In this episode, I sit down with Jay and we talk honestly about the strange space that is your late 20s as an actor. The pressure starts to feel more real, the timelines get louder, and suddenly you’re very aware that other people seem to have “figured it out.”

We chat about comparison, identity, money, stability, and how your relationship to acting shifts as you get older. Is it scarier? Is it clearer? Are you more confident or just more aware of the risks?

This isn’t advice and it’s not a panic spiral. It’s just a real conversation about what it feels like when acting stops feeling like a dream and starts feeling like your life.

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Let’s talk about the thing most actors have… but don’t always love admitting. Day jobs.

Whether it’s hospitality, retail, freelancing, or something completely outside the industry, day jobs are often the reason we’re able to keep going while we wait for the work we really want. But they can also bring up a lot of feelings. Guilt, comparison, frustration, relief. Sometimes all at once.

In this episode, I talk honestly about my own experiences, the pressure to prove your an actor, and how easy it is to question yourself when your career doesn’t look the way you thought it would.

This isn’t about quitting your job or pushing yourself harder. It’s about sustainability, perspective, and staying in this career long enough for things to happen.

If you’re balancing acting with work, feeling conflicted about it, or just need the reminder that having a day job does not make you any less of an actor, you're in the right place.

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This week in The Actor’s Waiting Room, I’m joined by actor John Altman.

John is best known for playing Nick Cotton in EastEnders, a role that made him one of the show’s most recognisable and talked-about characters. In this conversation, we go far beyond one part.

We talk about John’s acting career as a whole, including the early days, the realities of long-running TV, being associated with an iconic role, and what it’s actually like to sustain a life in acting over many years. We chat honestly about the highs, the challenges, and how your relationship with the industry changes over time.

This episode is a real look at longevity, identity, and what it means to keep showing up as an actor in an industry that’s always moving.

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This week I’m trying something new with the podcast and introducing Movie of the Month, where I watch a film and talk about it purely from an actor’s point of view.

For the first one, I’ve chosen Babylon, starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Diego Calva. It’s a film that’s loud, chaotic, uncomfortable, and completely obsessed with the industry and the people trying to survive inside it.

In this episode, I chat about the acting, the direction, and the casting, and how all of those choices affect performance. I look at very different acting styles living side by side, the risks the actors take, and what happens when realism is thrown out in favour of something much bigger and messier.

I also talk about what makes Babylon such an exciting piece of filmmaking, why I think it’s a great film, and what we as actors can actually learn from it. Not just in terms of craft, but in how it can spark creativity, especially during quieter or waiting periods.