If there was one guest I've wanted to have on this show since the beginning, it's Gregory Berger. Founder of Berg Studios in L.A., Berg, as he's affectionately known, is not only a highly acclaimed acting coach to several Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winning actors, but he was also my acting coach when I lived in L.A. A graduate and a former faculty member of the Yale School of Drama, Berg studied under two legendary teachers, Paul Mann and Earl Gister. Being in Berg's class was a revelation. I'd never encountered a teacher quite like him or an approach like his. His work provoked in me a much deeper understanding of what was possible for an actor, especially in terms of specificity and nuance. His clients have appeared in some of the most celebrated film and television projects of the past decade. The ones we can mention include Riz Ahmed from ‘The Sound of Metal’ and ‘Rogue One’, Michaela Cole from ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and ‘I May Destroy You’, Winston Duke from ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Us’, Yaha Abdul Mateen II from ‘Watchmen’ and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’, and Simone Ashley from ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Sex Education’. In this episode, Berg takes us deep into his philosophy of acting, not just as performance but as a practice of truth, imagination and behavior. He talks about what it means to be private in public, why your body often knows more than your brain and why trying to get it right is the death of spontaneity. So whether you're just starting out or you're already working, this episode is packed with the kind of insight that will stay with you.
