Michael Judson Berry, Acting TikTok
Michael Judson Berry (@mjudsonberry) joins 2Old4TikTok this week!
Dena and Melissa start the show talking about this video they saw where a girl participates in Baylor University’s Dunk for Tuition Challenge (#BaylorDunkForTuition) and the comments were just ruthless.
Michael Judson Berry Interview
Michael tells us how he got into TikTok even though he definitely feels too old for it. He’s made friends with so many other creators and comedians through the app. We hear how he created his Moira Rose impression and has since tried other impressions including all the other Roses from Schitt’s Creek, Mrs. Doubtfire, Tanya Harding, Britney Spears, Cher, Jonathan Van Ness, Patrick Stewart, Henry Cavill, and more.
Acting TikTok
We explore Actor TikTok, discussing creators like:
Eliana Ghen (@Elianaghen)
Eliana is known for her acting challenges on TikTok. She acts as a scene partner and other creators can duet her videos.
Chris Barnett (@Thechrisbarnett)
Chris Barnett is an actor on TikTok posting videos of himself doing scene work and characters. One of his biggest videos was a viral film noir performance which many other TikTokers duetted.
Jason van Tonder (@Jason_on_comms)
Jason van Tonder is an actor on TIkTok who has a resemblance to Johnny Depp both in looks and character.
Jackson Passaglia (@Jacksonpassaglia)
Jackson uses audio to lipsync scenes and act for the TikTok screen.
Then, Michael tells us his favorite creators:
Aaron Goldenberg (@aarongoldyboy)
Aaron Goldenberg is a comedian who has become famous on TikTok for his duets.
Tim Beeckman (@gleefullytim)
Tim Beekman is an actor in New York posting funny videos and sketches on TikTok.
Dylan Ratell (@dylanratell)
Dylan Ratell is a Broadway alum posting TikToks in the realm of comedy, gay pride, and self-care.
Big Fab Productions (@bigfabproductions)
Big Fab Productions consists of Michael Judson Berry, Aaron Goldenberg, Tim Beekman, and Dylan Ratell. They created the group after being approached by a travel agent to come together to promote LGBTQ travel.
Chris Trimarchi (@christrimarchi1)
Chris Trimarchi is an Australian creator who does a lot of fun lipsyncs on TikTok.
Zarna Garg (@zarnagarg)
Zarna Garg is an Indian comedian who went viral after performing stand up in Central Park in New York.
Lightning Round: Moira Rose Edition
Michael answers a speed round of questions as Moira Rose and we find out her favorite TikTok trends and songs, what she thinks of famous TikTokers like Charlie D’Amelio and Addison Rae, who she’d have in her Hype House, and her advice for TikTok creators.
Read a transcript from the episode below:
Dena Greenbaum
Michael Judson Berry is an actor and comedian he is most known on tik tok for his Moira Rose and other Schitt’s Creek impressions. And he has over 300,000 followers on TikTok so welcome to 2 Old 4 TikTok Michael!
Michael Judson Berry
Thank you very much. I feel so at home here.
Dena Greenbaum
So happy to have you. We usually we ask do you feel too old for TikTok? And also how did you get started on Tik Tok?
Michael Judson Berry
I am for sure too old for TikTok. I can barely turn my phone on, let alone use it. So the fact that I’m on TikTok is just a hilarious accident.
I joined like many of us during the pandemic, I had started doing these little videos on Instagram, which was like the only social media app I had. And as more rows from Schitt’s Creek doing these little tee times with Moira and enough people are like, well, you should go on tiktok. That’s where the cool people are. Not to say Instagram isn’t cool. They’re there as well. I was like, sure, looked it up and I have a friend walk me through how TikTok works.
And then started posting on there and and now I’m totally hooked. I love it. I am that person now who stays up until three o’clock in the morning scrolling through my for you page because it’s brilliant. They only show me videos. I want to see that. I didn’t even know I needed a lot of ghost stories and fluffy cats.
But yeah, but that’s how and now. Yeah. So it that’s kind of how it started was for me to post videos. But now it’s like, I’m totally hooked. It’s great.
Dena Greenbaum
Yeah, I feel like your story is very similar to people our age sorry, where they started during the pandemic. I know, Melissa did, I was a little earlier. So I had to do some convincing. But that’s uh, we’re very happy you joined because we do love your content. And what happened after your videos went viral?
Michael Judson Berry
Um, it’s, it’s been interesting, because again, like, I’m so not tech savvy, but it’s a real shock to me. And anyone who knows me that I’ve gone viral, and had multiple videos go viral. Um, it’s, it’s interesting, because you think things would change, but my life feels the same. It’s I’m still just in wigs sitting in my kitchen making videos on my phone, I don’t really know how to do cool special effects, or fun sound effects. It’s just me monologuing into my phone. I think because it’s the pandemic and we’re all locked down. My life hasn’t changed. And it’s not like I’m going to go out and get recognized on the street, because I’m not out very much. And also I don’t look like my character. So it’s just the the biggest thing, the best thing that’s come out of it for me is now people reach out to me from all over the world, which that’s been really cool. I feel like now I have and I respond to everybody cuz I get so excited. So now I feel like I have new friends that live like in Scotland and in Melbourne and in New Zealand and even in like Turkey and Lebanon. And they’ll reach out and tell me all about their lives. And I think a lot of my videos are all about self love and feeling positive and treating yourself and being kind. A lot of them tell me how they’re being kind to themselves during the pandemic. And so that’s been what’s really neat is that since I’ve been viewed all over the world now I’ve gotten to meet all these cool people that hopefully when we can fly again, I can go meet in person.
Dena Greenbaum
Yeah. I love that TikTok is bringing people together. And actually in that vein, I read an article that you are part of a group called The Big Fab, which is a collection of TikTok creators. So can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Michael Judson Berry
Yeah. Oh, I was so ready to talk about that later, when you were like, what, what TikTok, did you recommend because we had talked about that, and I was like, I know exactly. But these guys, they’re great. It’s this wonderful woman named Beth followed all of us. And she’s a travel agent. And she came up with this idea to bring us together. Initially when we thought maybe we’d be opening back up. And we could do some sort of trip to promote LGBTQ travel and we could do some sort of fun little TikTok get together and some resort somewhere. And obviously, that did not happen since flying, or traveling internationally is not the best idea. So now we do these monthly Zoom parties. Basically they’re like game nights with Aaron Goldyboy, Dylan Ratell, and Gleefully Tim. And it’s great. We’re all very different. But we did this Christmas show together, where we basically had a Zoom hangout where we did sketches and we played games, and we did improv games and just had an absolute blast, we end up going for like three hours.
And then we just did a New Year’s one in January, and we have a Valentine’s Day one coming up. And it’s on our Big Fab Instagram, but it’s just really fun. And that’s another one where it’s like we’ve never actually met in person, but we message almost on a daily basis.
Aaron Goldyboy walked me through how to use Twitter. And he’s solely responsible for I did this Santa Baby video that blew up and Chasten Buttigieg liked it and all these people and he was the one who had to teach me how to post it.
Cuz I didn’t know how Twitter worked. So like thank God for TikTok friends. And they’re so inspired. It’s wonderful having friends who know much more about that world who are very supportive. So it’s really neat. Yeah. Now we have this little group where this basically little comedy troupe that all found each other, you know, through TikTok.
Melissa Rosen
Oh my gosh, that’s so awesome. Yeah, we’re constantly in awe of like, especially during the pandemic, how people are connecting through tik tok with all of us people have been real, genuine friends and they’re creating content together. It’s so cool to see it.
Michael Judson Berry
It’s great. Even when I first started and I wasn’t sure how tik tok work, I started following this guy, Chris Trimarchi. I don’t know if you know him. He’s based in Melbourne. And he did lipsyncs, and he’s genius. He became famous mostly for doing the Golden Girls lipsyncs. And we became like close friends. I think I commented on one of his videos when we we both sort of got started at the same time. And he’s way more savvy than me. So he kind of helped walk me through tic toc as well. But we got to a point where we would FaceTime like every day, and he just became my my quarantine best friend.
Now that they’re reopened, and he’s back at work, he has a life. It’s not every day anymore, which is a little sad. But since he you know, has a job and a life. But he’s still like, I consider him still really close friend. And that was how we we connected.
Melissa Rosen
That’s awesome. So how, where did the idea for the Quaranteatime come about? And were you were you sort of thinking of it like with Instagram in mind or with TikTok in mind?
Michael Judson Berry
I wasn’t thinking. It’s what does she say on the show? She’s like, “it’s like an avalanche rolling downhill picking up bodies as it goes,” like whatever that quote is. It’s basically that: “Jocelyn, is that a good thing? Oh, yes.”
My roommate is a big Schitt’s Creek fan. So he got me into it. And right before shut down. I was doing improv at this place in New York called The Pit. And I was at a jam night where anybody can get up and I got up and did this get this improv scene where it was Moira Rose as the manager of a Sephora. And I had done all the voices like with friends, you know, hanging out at dinner with my roommate joking around pretending to be the characters, but never like really done it. And it popped in my head. So it was one of those, like, come to Sephora. Yes, I’m the manager life has gotten that though, for me, like, and it went really well. And then we you know, and then we went into shutdown. And I was like, well, this could be a fun little thing, I guess. And my roommate, and I did this little Instagram challenge as Moira and David, he does a great David. And like the pushup, you know, and we all are doing those challenges. And all our friends thought it was hilarious. And so I tried to get him I was like, “What if we do a YouTube show with Moira and David, and we’ll have tea. And we’ll call it quaran-tea-time and she drinks tea on the show all the time. And it’ll be just being way around David hanging out at home and lockdown. And he had no desire to do this.
But I think I had a beer for breakfast and he had some wigs in the bottom of his closet. And I was like, well, I’ll just do it myself. So toss on a black sweater and this kind of, you know, beat up a wig that he had from a Halloween costume and set it up in my kitchen and did the first one and the first couple inexplicably did really well. For me, like I didn’t have a huge following and the second one got a few 1000 views. And so I thought well, maybe this will be a thing and so a friend of mine who does drag messaged me and he was like, what you’re gonna do this brush your hair, does your wigs a mess? Like Okay, and then my mom called me and my mom’s a psychologist. And she was like, Michael, if you’re gonna do this, make sure you keep them positive because that’s what we need. So it started out as these sort of like semi like a couple times a week, Moira would sit down with a cup of tea and give you sort of like an inspirational pep talk to get through quarantine. Like Don’t forget, like this is check it but like we can do this, like bit in her own little, you know, sarcastic way. Yeah. Yeah. And then it’s just sort of blossomed, and now I do the whole family and I do original characters and other celebrity impressions, which I never thought I’d do. I think I was probably the only gay guy in New York who hadn’t done a Britney Spears or Cher impression and so yeah, it’s been a fun each time each video now it’s like, how can I challenge myself a little bit?
Melissa Rosen
That’s awesome. It’s so funny. I was gonna ask about the other impressions you’ve expanded into. You kept it positive. One of the first thoughts I had after watching a bunch of your videos, I was like, this sort of reminds me of that Mrs. Doubtfire like bit at the end where she’s you know, hello poppets. Lo and behold, then you do a Mrs. Doubtfire. Yeah. And I was like, like, you’ve got so many more impressions up your sleeve. So like yeah, how did how did all these other characters come out?
Michael Judson Berry
Well, Doubtfire came about because I genuinely in real life I was gardening a bunch in my backyard and I had a wall basically of poison ivy. And when I grew up, we didn’t have it. I didn’t know poison ivy looked like and so I went to just trim this pretty Ivy bush back covered in poison ivy. And then so I decided, well, this is kind of fun. We’ll give Moira poison ivy. So she had it. So she was too itchy to go on for a week. So she needed somebody to step in, and it was Father’s Day. And so I thought I’ll do Mrs. Doubtfire again. I had never done that impression before. I had never even thought about that voice, which is very hard. But it was perfect and also because a lot of people were comparing me they were like, I had people commenting who were like, I don’t know what character you’re doing like people who hadn’t seen Schitt’s Creek and I don’t know who this is. But this is giving me some serious Mrs. Doubtfire vibes. Funny. Yeah. And I think you know, they’re kind of similar characters in a lot of way. They’re very sweet. They’re very comforting. You know, even why write her own special way? I think we all find very comforting and lovely. She also brought in Doubtfire, people liked it. So then I was like, Well, I mean, who else can I do? And my sister actually suggested Britney Spears, because she was doing all those great videos. And so my sister actually helped me she’s been home in quarantine. So she coached me on Britney Spears, because she follows her more closely than I did. So that one went well. So it’s just set it off. Yeah. And I’ve done Patrick Stewart because Myra talks about how much she loved Shakespeare or when she did Shakespeare on the high seas. So either do 12th night with Patrick Stewart and yeah, so he and it’s fun, because they’re all people I’d never done never thought I would do. So it’s like, and I don’t plan that far ahead. It’s like that day. I’m like, maybe I’ll do Henry Cavill. today. That sounds fun. How does he talk? You know?
Melissa Rosen
Wow. So is it like that quick for you that you can just sort of pick someone up in a day?
Michael Judson Berry
Kind of. Yeah, I’ve always had sort of an ear for voices and accents and things. I grew up as a huge nerd when I was a kid. And I watched a lot of old movies and old sketch shows. So I grew up with Mel Brooks and Carol Burnett and Monty Python, and then all the Robin Williams stand up. And so I would imitate them as a kid, you know, I’d come down for dinner be like, “elllo parents,” and they’re like what did we raise? But now it’s sort of like, I think because it’s a practice. So now yeah, I’ve gotten pretty good. If I can hear a voice usually can turn it around. Yeah. And often I’ll wake up and be like, I think I should do a video. I’ll do a video today. What should I do? You know, it’s just whatever thought pops into my head. And then I sit down and write it. And then if there’s an impression, I’ll take a little bit and listen to them and then do it. So like I just did Jonathan Van Ness. And I was like this is I spent that morning just watching YouTube’s of him. Talk about a great way to start your day.
I highly recommend if you’re having a bad day, just binge Jonathan Van Ness, and your whole day will be better.
Melissa Rosen
Oh my god. Yes. Yeah, I just saw your video of that too. And you like you can’t not smile.
Michael Judson Berry
Just thinking about him makes you happy. It was actually distracting when I went to film it because I just wanted to keep watching him.
Dena Greenbaum
Like, I can’t wait till he reaches out one day. Hopefully he does that.
Michael Judson Berry
I would love that. And it seems it does. Again, my sister. This is where my sister is an engineer. But she’s so much better at social media. That means she’s like, you know, Jonathan Van Ness dances every morning when he has coffee. It’s perfect since you do tea. He does coffee. And I was like, You’re so right. That’s so smart. And I never would have thought of that. So thank goodness for brilliant siblings.
Melissa Rosen
You’ve a good team around you.
Dena Greenbaum
I think I read that Catherine O’Hara had seen your impression. Can you tell us more about that?
Michael Judson Berry
Yes. Talk about an amazing moment. Yeah, she was doing an interview leading up to the Emmys. And the the men interviewing her asked her about her accent and he’s like, how does it feel to create a you know, such an iconic accent so much that people imitate it? Like this person Michael Judson Berry and he just used me as an example. And she was like, oh, I’ve seen him. He’s great. She was like oh, he’s really good. And she’s like, basically went into how difficult the accent is because there’s no consistency to it. She just sort of made it up as she went and if you follow the series like bebe which is so iconic now didn’t come in until what like season four? Yeah, so she just very good she’s like that’s why she’s like I’m shocked he does it really well because no one can do it.
I don’t know how I do it I think as I make it up as I go, but yeah, but to hear her and I’ve been a fan of hers since well before Schitt’s Creek since you know, Home Alone Beetlejuice, all the Christopher Guest films. And again, I’ve done many a YouTube rabbit hole of her SCTV sketches. Yeah, with her in Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin and that whole group who I’ve loved forever so to have her of all people, you know, say she’s seen them that they’re really good. She said, my writing was good, which my brain was like, you know, she’s her comedy taste is flawless. So then she said they’re funny. I was like, cool. I can just quit now. Done. You know, throw an Oscar at me. I’m like, this is still second best. Yeah.
Dena Greenbaum
It is so funny. You mentioned that the accent is hard because it is ridiculous how hard but it’s so distinct. I know that my friends and I who watch we don’t say baby anymore, we just say a bebe like ours. We even spell it bebe because now anytime I think of baby, I just can only pronounce it as Moira would. So even though Schitt’s Creek is over you, you know, there’s longevity to what you’re doing.
Michael Judson Berry
Hopefully, I’m just having fun with it. But yeah, it’s interesting. And like people have asked me before each other, could you teach me how to do the accent. It’s like, I actually never sat down and practiced it. It just sort of like was from hanging out with friends and hearing the show. It just sort of did it. And I think the first time ever, I guess you could say practice was people asked me to do the fruit wine commercial.
Yeah, and just to memorize it. I just watched it over and over again, to get the words and so I think just from watching it so many times that choreography up that cadence sort of like wedged itself into my brain. It’s a fun accent to play with.
Dena Greenbaum
Oh, yeah. And in terms of TikTok, do you have an ultimate goal? Do you know where you want to take it?
Michael Judson Berry
I’m not sure. TikTok is so interesting, because it’s like when I first got started, I had a few friends who work in marketing and PR who were like you’re doing TikTok wrong. Like this isn’t gonna go anywhere for you, Michael, because you’re doing it all wrong. You’re just monologuing as a character, or doing sketches, you should be doing this song challenges and the dense challenges and all that stuff. That is, you know, so popular and tik tok. And I was like, I don’t know how to do those. That’s not who I am. I’m just gonna monologue. But I would like to learn more about that. Like, I see all these I’d be doing these really cool things. And so that’s my next step, I think is to get more involved with how TikTok works in that TikTok community. Because it all just looks like so much fun. And people are creating really neat things, you know, like, well, maybe it’s about time I learned how TikTok works, and it can be like Moira’s take on TikTok, you know, that would be how would she do this dance challenge? How would she do this swipe challenge, you know? Yeah. So I think that’s my next. My next goal with TikTok is to actually become a better TikToker.
Dena Greenbaum
But I do love how your videos are not just monologuing anymore. That might one of my favorite recent ones was the snow when you’re with David and you guys are shoveling snow. So they are they’re very much like scenes of the TV show just made this kind of world. So yeah, keep it up.
Michael Judson Berry
Yes, shuffle, shuffle. Again. That was my sister’s idea. I just read the best one. Because I did because I did fold in the cheese. And then the election i said i did count the ballots. It’s like how do we count this many ballots, you just count them. Meanwhile, in Nevada, these two were counting the ballots. And they hit a snowstorm I was home My sister was like, Oh my god, David should shovel the driveway. I was like, ah, how do you shuffle this much snow, you just shuffle that? You take that thing? So we’ll see what other like things he has to try and figure out as we go. Yeah, cuz that’s such a great scene that can apply to so many things.
Dena Greenbaum
And it keeps it relevant today to today. So yeah, yeah. Have any brands reached out for sponsorship? Or do you plan to monetize in any way if you can?
Michael Judson Berry
Well, I made merch. This is where I’m a terrible businessman too, because friends were like you should monetize now like, but I’m just having fun. But my oldest friend who I’ve known since I was three actually is a designer and a brilliant designer. So she made a logo for me, and she created these really cool designs. So they’re all on Teespring under corrente time on Teespring. And I have a link on my Instagram. So I have T shirts and mugs and all kinds of cool stuff there that she designed for me. And based off of cool things that I’ve worn, which I thought was neat. And yeah, and I have had brands reach out I did one for crunch bars. I did a commercial for them as a whole host of characters not Schitt’s Creek, all original characters, talking about how much they love crunching on crunch bars which was very easy for me because I genuinely love crunch bars. Yeah.
So and yeah, and I’ve had different tea brands which have been lovely who have reached out who have sent me all kinds of liftin and all different kinds of tazo teas have sent me they’ll reach out and they’re like we’re gonna send you a box of tea for you to use so I now have so much tea from these these really nice like it’s really sweet since genuinely people who follow me from the company they’re like we just want to send you a box of tea because our your videos make us happy. Which has been lovely. Yeah. And then randomly people will just send me jewelry now, which is great. Like everyone said, they’re like I was Marie Kondo, and I came across all this chunky jewelry that I’m never wearing. So I’ll just send it to you. So it feels like I’ve Christmas all year round now.
Melissa Rosen
Oh my gosh, that is so beautiful. Community just showering you with gifts.
Michael Judson Berry
But for real, a guy who’s a costume designer who has been out of work because there’s no theater sent me a box of gorgeous clothes that he had just in storage. He works with Alice Ripley alive. You know her though she’s big Broadway star, and he sent me a bob Mackie dress and he’s amazing clothes. And he was like, just, you know, when things reopen again, you can give him back. But I just like your stuff. And I thought you needed to up your wardrobe a little bit. Yeah. TikTok. Yeah, cuz it’s like, there’s so many nice people in the world that are like, you know, you make me smile. So I want to give you something, and it’s really nice.
Melissa Rosen
That’s amazing. So what is your for you page look like?
Michael Judson Berry
Oh, I could open it real quick. It’s my new page. I, it’s again, it’s a lot of funny cat videos, cuz I never thought I would love them as much as I do. It’s a lot of British comedians. I love British humor. And I think because I don’t know if I went down a big rabbit hole of people who were doing lip syncs, to hyacinth bouquet from keeping up appearances. And so now it’s a lot of British comedians. A lot of musical theater people. So because I started following people who Jessie Mueller did a whole series of singing. And I’m a huge musical theater nerd. So it’s also a lot of like, musical theater people at home just belting their faces off. Yeah, those are sort of I think the the big ones that I get the most, right now. It’s a lot of people singing songs from Wicked, which I’m very okay with. It’s like, everybody’s mashup of their favorite Elphaba. I’m like, Yes, great.
I went through the phase of Wicked tik tok for sure where and it lasted for like three months, I’m finally off it. There was nothing wrong with being on it. But every video on my page had to do with Wicked. I think the algorithm just knows. Like, there’s Wicked TikTok.
Yeah, it’s like you need to defy gravity now, I think you need this. It made me revisit the album and I just saying it my car and it felt really good. So thank you, TikTok. Oh, and this other one. What’s her name? I have to look it up for you real quick. This comedian that she’s sorry, I should have written her name down because it’s early. I was like, Oh, so and I want to get it right. Zarna Garg. I just discovered her and I spent, so I took up basically like a chunk of time and watched every single one of her videos. Yes. She’s a New York comedian. She’s Indian, and she is so funny. And not PC at all. And I love irreverent humor. And she’s so smart and funny. So she was she’s my most recent sort of tik tok binge was Zarna Garg. And, um, she followed me on Instagram, and I got very starstruck. I get I was very excited.
Dena Greenbaum
I feel like we have very similar for you pages because she’s my most recent follow as well. Like she came up there was a viral video of her doing comedy in Central Park that blew up. And from that I went to her page. And then like you said, I watched every single one of her videos and she is just such a good comedian. So funny. So authentic. And what a great What a great find. Yeah.
Michael Judson Berry
Oh, yes. Yeah our TikToks are basically the same. Wicked and Zarna. We have great taste.
Melissa Rosen
All right. So each week, we discussed like a side of tiktok. So we wanted to talk to you about Actor TikTok, you know, in light of the very actorly Moira Rose of course.
Michael Judson Berry
The acclaimed thesbian who is no longer simply a nominated but now an award winning actor.
Melissa Rosen
But we also so you we, you know, did a little of our own research on you, but you have a background in like casting too. Is that right?
Michael Judson Berry
Yeah. So I went to Boston University where I got my BFA in acting, and they had a deal with CBS it because the head of CBS that time was an actress who ended up running CBS because acting didn’t work out for her but she did okay, she’s running a major network. So she would bring any aspiring actor, director, writer, whoever recent graduate out to LA to intern and to learn about the business because obviously in drama school, it’s a lot of rolling around in sweatpants and crying and feeling feels but they don’t teach you very much about the realities of the business. So she would bring actors out and have us intern with casting directors to really learn how it worked. So I worked on CSI Miami, and ended up really liking it. And the assistant when I was the intern, her name was Melissa delizia. And now she’s a huge casting director out in LA, she does drunk history and like, pen15. And so she and I stayed really close friends. And so she ended up hiring me later as her first assistant when she created her own business. And, and I worked with Jim Carnahan, in New York on a couple Broadway shows, and Susie Faris, out in LA and TV. So I’ve done I’ve consistently gone back and forth between acting and casting, which I feel really lucky. It’s fun, it’s it gives you a great perspective, no matter which side of the table you’re on, you know, as an actor coming in, it’s like, I’ve used auditions very differently than I did before. And, you know, it definitely takes a lot of pressure off when you are behind the scenes. And you see why people do and don’t get roles sometimes. And, and just how badly casting directors want you to succeed. You’re like, Oh, no, I shouldn’t be afraid of the casting director in an audition because they are rooting for me as much as I am.
Because the best problem they can have is everyone is brilliant. Right? They will feel the worst is when you finish a session and you’re like, ah, like three people got this right, you know, which, you know, is rare, that’s only you know, usually have a good amount. But yeah, it’s like, oh, no, they’re, they’re my best ally. And that’s very comforting. Now, going into an audition. It’s like, okay, you’re not scary. You’re not intimidating. You want me to be good. So, thank you. And your day is very long. You’re about to see like 150 people do this same scene.
Melissa Rosen
So, yeah, that so a million reasons why I wanted to talk to you about actor TikTok, because you got all the all the perspectives on it. So, actor TikTok the accounts we’re gonna highlight. I will caveat with they are very like, TikToky. I’m not like it’s not. It’s not like our musical theater side that we’re all on. Not a bunch of like, 30 somethings in New York. Yeah, it’s very TikTok. It’s very young. So there’s been this wave of just like people acting on TikTok, and they’re a lot like, I’m assuming these people are either, like very early 20s. Maybe still, some of them are even in their teens, but like, so that So this first one we’ll talk about Eliana Ghen. So, yeah, she’s like, famous on tik tok for doing these acting challenges.
So she like talks directly to the camera. And so that’s sort of the whole thing is, and that’s why like the casting interests me because it’s almost like the people are doing a reading as if they’re at a casting call, but like to TikTok so they’re looking directly into the camera. And it’s like they’re faking like a scene that like they have a scene partner and then they’re responding. So Eliana, she does like this whole bit where she’ll sort of, like, provoke people to do a scene with her in the same way. You might at a casting call, like read a scene?
Michael Judson Berry
Yeah, yeah. She’s like your reader when you come into the room. She’s your acting partner, who’s there all day. I think it’s so smart. Well, she, I almost feel like, like, she feels like she would be an acting coach. To me. I don’t know much about her history. I did a duet with her because she does the dress where you know, she puts your lines up. Yeah, we did. Mean Girls and I did Moira as Regina George. And does that to me was just very funny where she was like, we were pink on you know, whatever.
I just thought those lines sounded so funny coming out of her. But she’s so good. And she’s I think she’s so smart because she picks scenes that you would get when you do sort of a workshop with a casting director because a lot of them do those workshops where you you pay, you know, actors will pay to come in and basically get like a two day acting class with a big casting director, where it’s sort of a mixture of like, yeah, you get to show off for the casting director and hope they bring you in. But also a lot of them are genuinely very good acting coaches. But they use the sort of, kind of be not generic, but they use very specific scenes that will sort of challenge you but are short, that are really good audition scenes. And I feel like she it says if she has a book of like, every TV shows, auditions, she’s like Grey’s Anatomy, and, you know, hit like CW shows, and then like sitcom stuff, and then Mean Girls, like her scene choices are brilliant. And she completely is, like, done up. So like, if I was a casting director watching her also, it’s like for her What a great showcase to be like, Here I am doing a period piece. Here I am doing a sitcom. Here I am doing a network show. I think it’s so smart. And her like camera quality is really good. It just feels like it feels like an acting class. You know, which I think it’s just brilliant. I think she’s so smart. She’s so good at all of them, too. But she’s a great scene partner.
Dena Greenbaum
Yeah, it’s so interesting. Like you said, I wonder if she is using it as a calling card? And did you ever think you know, to show someone your whole basically your TikTok channel as a calling card in that way?
Michael Judson Berry
Oh, yeah. Yeah, um, it’s, you know, for an actor and for writer. You know, I hadn’t written that much before. Now. I think I’ve done 103 episodes, and they’re all sketch. And so now I have friends who are writers reaching out, and they’re like, oh, you’re actually quite a good writer, and your jokes are funny. We should like I’m writing a pilot right now with a guy in London. And that we’re collaborating on which never would have happened. Otherwise, you know, I knew him before. But now he’s like, Oh, you can also write cool. And then now I have like casting directors who follow me and producers who follow me and one friend who’s a casting associate, she’s like, you know, you should look at SNL. And think about what SNL does when they’re looking for actors and see if you can tick those boxes just in your TikTok. Like, what impressions could you do? What things could you create that if somebody from SNL saw your page, it basically is a giant audition? Right? So along with that, you know, I like doing these and they’re fun, and they make people happy, and they make me happy. But also Yeah, it’s an actor’s showcase. It’s great. And I think that’s what she’s doing. And I think it’s, it’s really smart. Or if she ever added this, if she’s like, I’m gonna create my own acting studio, and coach actors as a side business while I’m auditioning. I’d sign up for her class. Clearly, she knows what she’s doing. Yeah, and her lighting is perfect. And her looks are perfect.
Dena Greenbaum
Yeah, her production value is is amazing.
Michael Judson Berry
Yeah. Yeah, I wish I was half as polished as she is.
Melissa Rosen
I wish I knew, like, how to get a camera to look like that. Like Dena is always telling me like, for some reason, I’m constantly grainy, and I don’t know what to do about this, but like, whatever she’s doing.
Dena Greenbaum
It’s like, I’m currently sitting in the dark right now. Yeah, my lighting is terrible.
Michael Judson Berry
I just have like a $25 ring light I got on Amazon. Yeah, hers looks like it’s professionally produced. And she’s probably shooting it on an iPhone and with a ring light like the rest of us and just as is I don’t know, magic.
But yeah, I think she’s so smart. And she makes it so look so professional the way she does like your lines versus her loans and the way she highlights them and puts it’s so specific. And the colors are so vibrant. I don’t know I think she’s she’s a genius. She and it’s it makes sense like that. She just popped off on tik tok like, yeah, cuz you’re right, like Meg pointing all of this out. Like, it’s sort of everything that how to like be successful on tik tok. She’s done like her videos that look great. It’s a very specific format, you know exactly what you’re gonna get every time she posts something new. You’re right, the captions always look the same. Like there’s consistency to it. It’s Yeah, she’s really just hit all the check marks as far as like, how to be successful on tik tok. And she’s a good enough actor to do so many different styles of scripts. So that you know, anybody who duets with her is going to feel like it you know, if it’s if someone just loves Grey’s Anatomy, then go through and find you know, their favorite Grey’s Anatomy scene like she’s posted and they can do it.
Melissa Rosen
I think I’ve seen such a wide variety of people duet her stuff, you know, like, because it is it’s people who might just be like, super into Grey’s Anatomy, she pops up on there for you page, people who are into comedy she pops up on their page, like there’s she really has an endless well of like content and people to reach with it with this premise.
Michael Judson Berry
And I wonder how many actors do add her just because so much because we’re all out of work basically, there’s so little opportunities to act right now. And I wonder how many actors are do wedding her just to stay to keep practicing. You know, just because it’s, you know, it’s a muscle you have to keep doing it and, and her scenes are such wonderful. They feel like audition scenes and they’re so well laid out. I just wonder how many stage actors in TV film actors who aren’t getting auditions? Or just do adding her just to keep up their chops. Even if you didn’t post it, you know, she’d be a fun one to do scenes with just to do, you know, just to be like, Okay, how do I do this? How do I, how do I deliver a line?
Dena Greenbaum
On the other end of the spectrum, I guess, on acting TikTok. There’s like these young boys, usually very attractive, who talks to the camera. And it’s kind of like it’s in a similar way, but also, it feels a little thirst trappy to me. I guess the first one is Chris Barnett,
Michael Judson Berry
Chris. Yeah. Oh, sorry. Yeah, I Chris has a special place in my heart. Because Chris was the first duet I ever did. I love old movies. And I never thought more would be a good like, duetty type characters. Like I’m probably not going to do duets or stuff. I see them. I probably won’t. But he was doing vintage acting challenges. And I grew up watching old movies like Cary Grant was my favorite actor, Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey, like I grew up watching those old 30s screwballs. And he does that style. So well. Like he nails sort of a parody of that style. And I just had to I was like, well, this is great. It’s so over the top. I’m just gonna put feathers on my head. And I was gonna do a scene with him and that was the first video I had get over a million views. And I think cuz duets happen to be trending at the time and his and then the one I did the Mean Girls one that I did. Those two were the top two videos on that trend for a while. So but he was the one that got me on it. And I was like, You are the reason that I ever was trendy. I was trendy for the first time in my life.
And that was the number one do it video. And so I and he messaged me after and he was like, you’re great. Like, I’m so glad you did this. And so he messaged a little bit. He’s the sweetest guy, so and so I did a few more with him. Whenever he did the vintage ones. I would just Moira doing vintage acting and I had a blast with him. I think he’s so creative and crazy and fun.
Dena Greenbaum
Okay, I take back what I say about thirst trappy.
Michael Judson Berry
Oh no. Cuz he’s, he’s gorgeous. And I’m sure he’s fully aware that he’s gorgeous. I mean, he’s nice. But also I mean Sky’s blue screen. He’s beautiful. Things that are facts. He clearly owns a mirror and has seen his face. He’s extremely handsome, and I’m sure he’s well aware of it. And he uses it very effectively. Exactly. It’s a tool in his arsenal. You know, I do wacky voices. He’s got a jawline that you could grate cheese.
And I think he’s fully aware of that. He’s got this great sort of Christian Bale level of like, he makes himself feel a wee unhinged, which I think is kind of exciting. Because where she? Oh, I know I’m having such a brain fart was her name again. Oh, yeah. Eliana where she’s so consistent. I think he does have a consistency in that he usually has that yellow background. His videos are always lit the same way. So they look the same, but you never know what he’s gonna do. He’s very like all the people that are like you give me Christian Bale in American Psycho vibes. I think he does very effectively where it’s like, what’s it going to be? Is it going to be a vintage thing? Is it just going to be him like, sobbing to like an 80s love ballad? Is it going to be him being super creepy in America being like, please never show up in my room. Like you never know what he’s even though it looks the same. It’s like what’s it gonna be? And it’s creepy a lot. But in a very interesting because I think he’s so charismatic and He is so handsome that even when he’s creepy. You still want to watch it. Yeah. I think he’s great. Yeah, yeah. And talk about another cool showcase. Like I had two casting friends reached out to me after that duet. And they both were like I just signed up at him and looked him up. I want to know who this actor is. So that when Yeah, and they were like, I’ve never seen him and this is before he like blew up, blew up. And I did my duet with him. And then like the next week, he was like, I don’t think it’s because of me. I think it was the time he I take full credit.
But they both were like I got I you know, I want him on my list of actors to watch right? Because he’s so exciting, you know, he’s more than just like a pretty boy he’s a pretty boy with with an interesting fight. You know, one of them likened him to Heath Ledger where she was like, He’s beautiful, but unexpected and clearly very talented. Sorry now I’m just rambling.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai