Jeff Ornstein 0:03

Today's guest is Michael Strickland, a Metis actor, voice artist, and acting coach whose career spans film, television, gaming, and education. From Hallmark movies and comedy series to voicing multiple characters in major video games, Michael has built a career around versatility, storytelling, and helping the next generation of actors find their voice. Michael, welcome to the podcast.

Michael Strickland 0:28

Thanks for having me, Jeff. Appreciate it.

Jeff Ornstein 0:30

It's my pleasure. So as you know, we're next act, and it's oftentimes people changing careers or people morphing their experiences into yet a new career. But you've got a pretty solid resume of having been an actor, engaged actor, studying and working for quite some time. I I would like to think so. Yeah, no, I'm impressed. So and what I love also, and we find this, we come across this occasionally, is that you've got a real commitment to mentoring as well. So I yeah, I think that's fantastic. Because you have you you've got so much to share, why not?

Michael Strickland 1:14

Yeah, well, when I was growing up and I was taking a lot of acting classes at a younger age, I found that many of the acting coaches that I was running into were always giving very similar feedback in the sense of like, oh, that was amazing, great job. And then I'm sitting there going, okay, great. If it's so awesome, why do I not have an Oscar? Why am I not booking work 24-7? Something's wrong. What do I need to fix? And I was never completely getting that answer. And it wasn't actually ironically until I met an acting coach out in Vancouver during my time there, whose name is Andrew McElroy, and I purposely showed up to his class, did not do my work, walked right on stage, and I was like, he's just gonna say the same thing that every single acting coach has said previously. So I got up there, I did my performance, I stopped and he sat there and he looked at me. He's like, You didn't do your work, did you? And I went, No, I didn't. And he's like, Okay, great. And everybody in the class immediately looks at him and don't I ever show up to my class without knowing your stuff ever again. Get off the stage. And I went, I love this guy. Oh my gosh. I know there's a lot of actors out there that are probably like, oh, that's a little too tough for me. But that was exactly the type of coach that I've always looked for, is someone that's gonna give you the brutal honesty as to where you're currently at and what you need to do to get better. And every class I took with him after that, it was on the ball of being like, okay, these are the areas that you did very well, but here's where you're falling short. This is what we want to focus on for the next two, three, four weeks, whatever it might be. So I told myself that if I ever become an acting coach, that's exactly the style of coaching that I want to do. I don't want to sugarcoat people and hold their hands through. It's like, no, this is at the end of the day, this is a business. And you guys that have to know how to be able to do this business well, not just from the creative side, but also from the business side. So that's kind of where that's gone to.

Jeff Ornstein 3:13

Well, I noticed you studied at Stella, so did I for about five years in New York. You don't want a cheering section. I could perform in my living room and my husband could cheer for me. You want critical analysis. And that's what this guy he called you out, who he knew you hadn't studied. And look what it did. It made an impression. And I'm sorry, but for the actors that think it's too harsh, this ain't an easy industry. You can't be thin skinned. I had a guest recently who said you have to say to yourself, is there something else I will get as much joy from? And do I have another passion that I could do and really enjoy and maybe make a consistent living without worry? And if there is, do it. Because there's a lot of rejection, there's a lot of ups and downs, and you can't be the faint of heart. So it doesn't seem like you had too many downs. I'd love to touch base on this. I mean, aside from your academic, which is goes on and on, Meisner, Adler, so it's stannel.

Michael Strickland 4:16

Stanislavski, yeah. It's a tricky one.

Jeff Ornstein 4:18

All right, a third podcast today, and all the improvisational lessons, plus the University of Manitoba. I mean, that's fantastic. And you're studying in Vancouver. So you founded at one point in time the Winnipeg Actors Academy. Well, you founded in COVID.

Michael Strickland 4:36

Yeah, yeah, actually. Ironically, the day I opened the studio was the day Winnipeg shut down. So I went, oh, and I had to make a very quick pivot. Thankfully, I had not signed my lease agreement and whatnot, because I was like, oh, I would have been in the hole and the business would have been alive for 12 minutes and then bankrupt right away. So thankfully I switched over to online and I was teaching some classes online. But as someone who's taken online classes before, I absolutely hate it. It's I find that it's challenging in the sense that sitting down and having a physical connection with someone is always going to be so much more useful for you as an actor to be able to really play off of each other's energy. And while you and I are able to play off of each other's energy right now, it would be nowhere near the same as if you and I were sitting in the same room.

Jeff Ornstein 5:28

Absolutely. I completely agree. I mean, physically being in the space. And it plays also to the difference between acting from the stage, you're acting for film. Absolutely. Oh, yes. You don't have that the synergy of the buildup of the emotion and the emotional roller coaster in a film like you do. I mean, the viewer sees it in the final cut, but when you're a performer, it's a little bit different with all the takes. So I'm right there with you. And I love all kinds of performance, but I have a very special attachment to stage performance for that reason, that physical connection.

Michael Strickland 6:01

Well, and to touch on what you were saying before, too, and you're like, oh, a lot of people don't know too much about the downs, right? And you had mentioned before rejection. And I have had a speech prepared for the day that I win an Oscar one day. Big ambitions. You gotta share it. You gotta share it. Shoot for the moon. But the way that I have always told myself that if I ever get an Oscar, the first thing I say when I step up to the microphone is, and I just want to make sure I have the proper number, 1281. That's how many auditions I've done in my career and have been rejected. I don't know of those, how many are rejections, but well over 90% of those are rejections. So this is an industry where you have to have thick skin. You've got to learn to take every little rejection as something to use as a building block on how can I make my career better? How can I continue to improve? If you got rejected, I relate it back to high school. When you go and you try to ask the girl out and she says, No, do you just immediately give up on ever having relationships ever again for the rest of your life? No, sure, you're gonna take your licks and you go heal and then get back out there. Right.

Jeff Ornstein 7:12

So you know that's something that our listeners comment on a lot because a lot of the guests who that are performers and actors talk about rejection and the importance it is to psychologically understand that's just part of being an actor. And you have to be able to say, I went in, I did a great job, the director wanted somebody else. And I think now that the listeners are hearing it from more than one performer, I think it's loosening people up. I mean, I know it is because I can read the comments and they're saying, I gotta get over this. Every performer is saying the same thing. You gotta get over it. Just always do your best work and then walk out and don't think about it again unless the phone rings. Also, that you've done extensive comedy and drama. I want to talk to you about that because obviously, I mean, performing is performing and centering in on your character and you owning that character is important no matter what you're performing, but they are very different. So, what's your take and what do you have a preference? And what do you find out about yourself when you're performing like that?

Michael Strickland 8:17

So, man, don't get me wrong, I love dramas. I thoroughly enjoyed doing dramas. I've done much more intense dramas. Like a couple years ago, I did a film called The Hillsdale Adoption Scam with Lifetime, where I start opposite Keisha Night Polium, and it was very it was a very dark it's a story about obviously someone who has a son and a daughter, but their son is adopted. And then right before they're about to file the paperwork to finally actually keep the boy, the court decides no, we're gonna give him back to his original mom, even though we've had him for the last two years. So now we're going through this crazy depression. And then this girl comes along who's like, I'm pregnant and I'm about to have the kid, I don't want it, and it kind of looks like an amazing opportunity for us. It's like everything starts going downhill, but turns out to be a scam, spoiler alert. Oh, but I enjoy doing those types of films, and I mean, I've done a lot of hallmarks in great American families and whatnot, which are always such a blessing. And anytime I'm on set, it's truly a blessing. But I, my god, I love doing comedies. I did a film just back in November, December of just this last year with Sophia Bush and Lauren Hawley called Broad Trip. And I got to step onto that set. And when I was performing, I was playing it very grounded. I was like, I'm gonna, this is a regular guy doing his TSA job, working at the airport, etc. etc. And then Lauren leans over to me and she's like, Mike, your character has been sticking his finger up people's butts all day because that's his job. And now he gets to pull a prank. He should be so excited about this. And I'm like, Oh, okay. And the director's like, Yeah, go big. Let's see what happens. And I'm like, This has only ever happened twice in my career where someone's like, just go as big as you want, and we'll pull it back if we need to. And I said the same thing every time, which is I just want to confirm you're letting me take the leash off and you're gonna let me run. And they're like, Yeah, go crazy, let's see what happens. And you don't actually see it. I have footage of it, I'll show it to you another time. But there's like one scene where I start like opening my shirt and stripping. There's one scene where the character's name is Genie. I look at her and I'm like, let's let the genie out of the bottle. And then I start like twerking on her, like it was hilarious. But and everyone was laughing in between each one of the takes. So I'm like, okay, cool. So I'm allowed to go this crazy. So that's where like the origin of my love for the craft started was comedy and making people laugh. So being able to tie back into that is just like it's a blessing.

Jeff Ornstein 11:06

It's clear you love it, it's coming through loud and clear. So you mentioned Hallmark now a couple times, and I noticed in your bio you've got this the lifelong love of you were Rory. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Oh, yeah. Is that a hype right?

Michael Strickland 11:19

Yeah, so that was uh that was actually the first movie I got to deal with. A very good friend of mine, his name's Nicholas Humphreys, he's a direct director out of Vancouver. He's actually ironically, he's here right now in Winnipeg shooting not one but three Great American Family movies. So yeah, he's phenomenal. If anybody wants to look him up, you should. He's directed number ones for both Hallmark and Great American Family. Anyways, when we did that film, I had originally read Rory as this character who is kind of villainous, which is ironic because Hallmark, like everything is always saved by the magic of Christmas. No matter what. You can't, you cannot play Hallmark, it's got a very specific tone. Even when things are bad, it's like you've kind of got a smile on your face, being like, Oh, you told that girl that I liked her. I I'm not really happy about that. But so, and that's very much the tone, which is still beautiful. But when I read Rory, I was like, this guy kind of seems like like one of those like executive guys that's like, oh, really? Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna have to give you very much more time. I gotta go. Thanks. And so that's what I did with the character. And when we got on set, again, Nick was saying to me, he's like, you know what? Just like if you want to improvise some stuff at the very end, be my guest. And I will always, any film set I'm ever on, I will improvise once all the lines are done until they say cut. I'll make a whole new movie if they just keep the camera rolling.

Jeff Ornstein 12:47

I'd like to lock you in a room with Melissa McCartney. Phenomenal improv. Absolutely, I'll do that. Right, right, right. I think you'd give her a run for her money.

Michael Strickland 12:56

Oh, it'd be a blast. And sometimes some of those things make it into the final take, like in that movie. There was a point in time where I answered the phone at the very end, and I was like, Oh, hey, Shelly, how you doing? Oh, I haven't seen you since those flood pants. How you doing? I don't know, just making stuff up. Or there was one take where I was like, it's Dolly Parton, I gotta take this. Sorry. Just having fun with it. But yeah, it's I've if I can throw comedy in there, I'll do it.

Jeff Ornstein 13:25

Okay, you know, you work across film, television, voiceover, and teaching. Which version of yourself feels the most at home creatively? And I think we might have already answered our question because I think you like to be in the comedic realm.

Michael Strickland 13:38

Oh, I do love being in the comedy realm, but I've to be honest, each one of those sections that you mentioned are truly a piece of me. I will always love being in the classroom. I will always love watching other actors because for me, it's when that light bulb goes off and they're like, okay, now I finally get it. And you watch their performance just completely change. And whether they go out and book stuff after, like I've had tons of students that go out and book work right afterwards, and I've had so many that that don't do any acting afterwards, and that's okay. At the end of the day, it's watching them get that realization of how to play with that creativity and really just the joy that they get spills over for me, at least for the teaching aspect. And then again, being in the voiceover booth, Jeff, I'll tell you, being in the voiceover booth is the greatest thing ever because it's one of the few places where usually you gotta be well groomed, all that other jazz. I will show up into the booth sometimes in sweatpants and a hoodie, and then I'll just have my bottle of water and I'll be like, all right, let's do this. Uh when I did there's a video game I did called Warhammer 40,000 where I played a character named Morterian, and I walk in there, I tell the director, I'm like, hey, can we drop the microphone down to like my kneecaps? And he's looking at me like I'm crazy. He's like, Why why? I'm like, please just trust me. So he's like, All right, so he drops it down, and then I get onto the ground. He's like, You ready? I'm like, Oh yeah, go ahead. And then I like shape my body into this thing, and I'm like, I will destroy each and every one of you. But it was but you don't get to do that, obviously, on camera as as much.

Jeff Ornstein 15:20

So it gives the listeners so much to work with. You I mean, I just created a visual for your character, Wartlog, I'm sorry, whatever his name was.

Michael Strickland 15:30

Mortarian, yeah, yeah.

Jeff Ornstein 15:31

Mortarian, excuse me. That was terrific. That was terrific. We talked about the owning the rejection sort of as a badge of honor. Like I did it and I didn't give up. But is there a specific lesson you learned about the difficulty of going on an audition and rejection that still helps you today?

Michael Strickland 15:50

I find that every single time I go for an audition, one of the things that I've personally started doing, and it makes me sound crazy. And I've explained this to my students too, and I'm like, I understand I sound crazy when I do this, but I keep a full Excel spreadsheet of every single audition I do, the day that I get the audition, the size of the role, the name of the care, like I have as much data as humanly possible for my career. More specifically, so that when I do finish an audition, I can take all of that and usually look and say, okay, it's on average, I'm usually finding out when I do book it within about a week to two weeks, usually at like the the high end point is two weeks after my audition's done. So if I can do an audition and I see three weeks have gone by, I'm like, okay, I probably didn't get it. But to be completely frank, the most important thing in the world that I do at the very end of every single one of my auditions, and this has completely changed the game for me, is I have a very specific ritual. I go and I do an audition, and the second my audition is done, I go straight to one of my local coffee shops called Cafe Postal, and I get the biggest London fog I can get with a chocolate croissant, and I crank Jonas Brothers celebrate the whole way home. And I just take 30 minutes to an hour just to myself. Because now what that's done is it's made the audition the celebration. If I book it even better, great. But now I'm like excited to finish my audition because I'm like, I get my London fog and I get to listen to my fun music.

Jeff Ornstein 17:30

I love that idea. I mean, that's your ritual, but do you recommend that to your students to keep a spreadsheet? I think that's a fantastic idea. And you know what I also like about it? I don't think you mentioned it, but if you put in the time, the place, the character, whatever, all this information, and maybe like some of what you thought you did well, or what responses well, what were what you th where you fell short. And then you could track that with your acceptances and rejections. And you could say, hey, when I'm playing in this manner, things go well for me, or whatever. I think it's a fantastic idea. And I have to say, on this podcast, I've never heard another actor did it. Or the chocolato or whatever.

Michael Strickland 18:16

Yeah. Well, it's and I tell everyone, I'm like, come up with your own ritual, whatever that might be. Maybe you could get a massage, maybe you go get a haircut. Maybe you're just like, I'm gonna go watch a movie, or just unplug, but just turn the bloody phone off for like one hour and just be happy that you got the opportunity to work.

Jeff Ornstein 18:35

Right, right. Like I think you alluded to the audition is part of being an actor. So you got the audition. Well, you went, you did it, you brought your best, and then the rest of it's up. Just don't go home and kick the dog, right? That's what we want to work for.

Michael Strickland 18:49

Well, there's thousands of people that submit for these auditions. So when only a hundred, two hundred of people get chosen and you're one of them, that's already a huge blessing. That means that they love what you're doing and they want to see more of it. Whether it's for this role or not, it doesn't matter.

Jeff Ornstein 19:05

Right. I have a friend who teaches classes and webinars and seminars and on how to book the job. So she's not a casting agent, but she teaches people once you're in the room how to book it. She's very successful and she's loved by her students. And she was telling me they'll bring in a hundred actors for an audition, 90 of them will suck. Okay, Jeff? So you're one of the 10. All the 10 are just as good as each other. It's like who which is the one that reminds a director of his cousin Eddie about who the role was written about? So the reason you might not get it has nothing necessarily to do with your performance. Because you were already in the top 10, and the other 90 were already weeded out. And that's the kind of thing that I think we've heard elements of that will get people over the I can't stand the rejection component.

Michael Strickland 19:56

I know a film where both of these lovely ladies I knew because I've worked with them previously, and this one who was a blonde booked the role opposite me. She was going to play my fiance. And then I found out at the last second they decided to change it and give it to this person to play my fiance, who was a redhead. And the reason why was because they're like, Well, our lead is a blonde. We don't have too many blondes, so let's bring this one in instead. Totally out of her control. And they're both phenomenal actresses, but sometimes it can be something as simple as like, and it happens with Tom Cruise sometimes too, where it's like Tom Cruise is a little bit of a shorter guy. So sometimes they want to make sure that the female lead is not too much taller than him.

Jeff Ornstein 20:44

Right. To that effect, the fellow who played Nate in Euphoria, he's very handsome. He played Sidney Sweeney's husband, boyfriend. They say he's six five to six seven. Like they never say how tall he actually is. And I believe because he doesn't want that known. Because if you're six seven and they're thinking about an actress who's five four, that's gonna be a challenge to film. So evidently it doesn't exist anywhere in paper exactly how tall he is. And it's because six seven could be a hindrance. To that point, also, thinking of Sydney Sweeney, she came out with a movie once, it was a horror movie with her and a babysitter. I don't remember. And the other actress looked a lot like her. I forgot what movie housing. And I'll tell you, I mean, I don't know, maybe it's senility setting in, but I got confused a lot. Like, who's who? They look too much, too many blondes in the co in this kitchen. So of course we've gone grossly over here, but I can't let you go because you you've done this for so long, you've done the hard work, the study, you've been in so many kinds of comedy and drama and voiceovers and podcasts and video games. I mean, you really you've tapped into so many parts of our industry, and you're giving it back, which I absolutely love. And I think the listeners really like to hear that someone who's so versatile still has time to give back to people who are trying to figure it out. So, years from now, when the public looks back on your career, what do you hope they say you contributed to the industry? What do you want your legacy to be?

Michael Strickland 22:24

Well, to be brutally honest, the the number one legacy that I want is that my daughter always looks at me with the same eyes that she has right now. She's currently five. So I hope that I always remain like that in her eyes and the same in my wife's. As for the industry-wise, I hope that egos and things like that never ever get in the way, and that people are always like, you know what? Here's a guy who really truly loved this craft and actually genuinely wanted to help people. That is the way that I was raised. That's the way that I want to raise my daughter. I I want to I want to help people because I've gotten the opportunity to experience what it's like to be on set, and I know the joy that it brings me. I think anybody that wants to be an actor truly wants to be an actor too. And I want to make sure I emphasize not somebody that's like, oh, well, I want to be an actor, but they don't do anything to try and push their career forward. I'm sorry, that's not acting. But if you're genuinely dedicated and you're like, I want to figure out like I did, I want to figure out what I need to do to get better. I would love to be your cheerleader and figure out how I can help you push that that rock down the hill so you can just run.

Jeff Ornstein 23:40

Right. That's fantastic. Michael, I gotta wrap this up. It was a pleasure having you on the show. I'm so thankful you accepted our invitation. And I want to welcome you back. If you're releasing a project or something and you want to talk about it and you're pumped and you want to get a little pre release publicity out there, please don't hesitate. Give us a buzz. We'd love to have you back. I mean, I think we could probably talk for hours.

Michael Strickland 24:04

I have no doubt. Probably. That's fair. Thank you. You take care. Thanks so much, Jeff.