Latest / The Demia Avery Show / From Tyler Perry Studios to RAD Media: Rhavynn Drummer Gets REAL About Casting Actors

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From Tyler Perry Studios to RAD Media: Rhavynn Drummer Gets REAL About Casting Actors · The Demia Avery Show

• 0:00
  If you got a dream, come closer. [music]
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  If you want to shine, come over. We're
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  breaking all the rules tonight.
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  Yeah, we stepping [music]
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  in the spotlight. This the industry
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  [music]
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  where everybody trying to be
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  [music] lights.
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  living out the movie. [music]
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  >> Hello everyone. This is Deia Avery with
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  the Deia Avery Show, the industry. Thank
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  you so much for joining me today. We
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  have such a special guest in the house
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  today. I was just telling her I haven't
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  seen her in ages. Well, maybe I
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  shouldn't say ages because that makes us
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  sound old, right? [laughter]
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  >> It's been a long time though.
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  >> [laughter]
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  >> But I want to make sure I I'm a a big
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  advocate of intros, so I want to make
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  sure you get your flowers. From casting
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  some of television's biggest shows to
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  helping actors understand what really
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  happens on the other side of the
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  audition room. Today's guest has built
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  an incredible career in the
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  entertainment industry. She spent nearly
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  two decades at Tyler Perry Studios where
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  she cast more than 40 television series
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  and feature films along with seven
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  touring stage plays. Her impressive
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  credits include The Have Not, Sister, If
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  You uh If Loving You Is Wrong, House of
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  Pain and Meet the Brown, and so so so
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  much more. She's also worked with major
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  networks and brands including BET,
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  Nickelodeon, Stars, Nike, and today she
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  continues to develop talent as a coach,
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  director, producer, and the founder of
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  Rad Media. Today we're getting the real
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  deal about casting, auditions, the
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  industry, and what it takes to build a
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  career that lasts. Please welcome the
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  phenomenal Raven Drummer. Welcome.
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  >> Oh, that was good. Thank you. That was a
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  good intro. I appreciate that. Oh,
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  >> you're so welcome. You're so welcome.
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  Now, let's go back. Let's go back. Let's
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  start at the beginning because I always
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  want to know how somebody actually got
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  here. You graduated from UVA and somehow
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  ended up in Tyler Perry Studios
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  >> somehow. Yeah.
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  >> What was happening in your life when
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  that opportunity came along?
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  >> Um well, first I went to the University
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  of Virginia to become a doctor and I
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  took chemistry and I failed it twice and
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  I was like this is not for me. Um so you
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  know I shifted gears. So, I went from
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  being a doctor, now being in the drama
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  department, and now I'm a you know, I'm
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  a theater major. And honestly, I it was
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  like spring semester of senior year. It
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  was my last semester in college, and I
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  just had no idea what I was going to do.
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  Everybody else had grad schools and
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  jobs, and I'm like, I I got nothing. I
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  was like, I'm going to be back home and
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  just trying to figure out like how to
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  get a job. And I had a friend of mine
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  who um a friend of the family and she
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  was working at Tyler Paris Studios and I
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  was like please is there's any if
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  there's anything and I was like you know
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  what let me do she said come to Atlanta
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  and you can do like our summer
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  internship and so I was like I'll I'll
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  be in Atlanta just for the summer and
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  I'll just intern at Tala Perry Studios
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  and I'll figure it out right
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  >> and lo and behold a summer became a year
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  and a year became came 19 years. So like
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  I'm still in Atlanta [laughter]
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  and this was back in 2007. So like you
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  know like like things at Tyler Perry
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  Studios are just kind of starting. This
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  is when they were filming I started they
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  were filming the very first 100 episodes
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  of House of Pain. So like there weren't
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  one hour things. It was just like got a
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  sitcom and a couple movies, you know. So
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  um so it was so exciting. But that's
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  kind of how it all started for me. So,
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  what made you stay? Because 19 years,
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  honey, that's that's longer than most
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  marriages at these days, [laughter]
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  what made you stay? And you know, when
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  you look back at it now, what did those
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  years teach you about the business that
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  you couldn't have learned anywhere?
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> What made me stay was Jesus, the Lord.
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  [laughter] It was I I I
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  had this quote in my mind. It was like,
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  "Bloom where you're planted." And I feel
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  like God divinely divinely
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  placed me there to bloom.
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  >> Um, and just to give it a little bit of
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  context, too, like as a freshman in
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  college, I wrote in my diary like I'm
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  going to work at Tyler Perry Studios
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  after I seen Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> I forgot that I wrote that. And
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  literally like as I'm working at Tyler
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  Perry Studios, I'm like, I forgot that I
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  had written this. I had manifested this
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  like years before.
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  Um, but I think what what kept me
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  staying is that
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  the people, the crew, the team was such
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  a phenomenal experience to work with.
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  And it was a blessing to be like on the
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  the front end of a company literally
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  making history of a company like
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  completely defying the odds project
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  after project year after year. And I
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  think like what I learned if I've
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  learned anything is that the opinions of
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  others is the only thing that will hold
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  you back. And what I mean by that is,
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  you know, I I I always say like I think
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  that, you know, Tyler Perry's genius, I
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  think, is it's not just in terms of the
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  projects. It's just that the fact that
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  he he does what is inwardly where he is
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  inwardly led and and despite all the
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  noise like he keeps on like pushing
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  forward and I think I think so many
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  artists stop.
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  >> Um and I think so many artists rely on
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  like rules and what we should do and
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  what we shouldn't do and what's okay to
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  do. And I worked at a studio that like
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  completely landlasted all the shoods,
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  land blasted all the like what you can
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  do, how you can make a movie, how you
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  can cast people, what you can talk
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  about, and found success and found an
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  audience. So if I learned anything, like
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  there are no rules. There's no rules.
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  There's no, you know, we're only putting
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  ourselves into the boxes that we make,
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  you know. Um, and as artists, like our
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  job is to to find those limitations,
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  tear them down, and keep going.
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  >> Yeah.
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  And you know, something I always wanted
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  to ask, now it's rumored because I've
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  never actually been on the set
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  >> that um you know, the Tyler Perry way is
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  to um do things really fast.
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  >> Do things really fast.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> Now, with that being said,
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  >> did that have an effect on how you deal
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  with uh casting and and things like
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  that? And how were you able to to keep
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  up with that type of pace?
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  >> Cool girl, we was working.
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  No. Um,
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  so one, I I had a phenomenal team and
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  and it was three of us. Like three of us
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  doing everything. When I say everything,
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  like every single project you we saw
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  like we were the ones casting and
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  putting people in those roles for every
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  single project. Yeah.
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  >> Um, so I've had an incredible team to
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  work with. I think that I did have to
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  um adjust how I approach things in order
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  to survive the pacing. Yes.
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  >> Um I am someone like I like to take my
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  time. I like to dig in. Like I like to
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  kind of like really settle in. Um and I
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  found that I had to really start
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  trusting others in order to to to do the
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  timing. I had to trust the agents who
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  were sending me t tapes. I had to trust
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  the casting assistants and associates. I
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  had we had to figure out a system where
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  like, you know, it just got to the point
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  like I just cannot even watch all these
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  auditions having to train and teach
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  people, hey, this is what I'm looking
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  for. So, you know, like we we developed
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  a system where like um so I would have
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  my casting associate or casting
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  assistant watch auditions and they would
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  just grade people. I said just give them
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  a A, B or C and then I would only watch
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  the A's and the B's, you know, so
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  everyone and it was based off of me
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  instructing them on like what I'm
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  looking for. Um, so we had we we had to
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  develop a system um to be able to handle
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  the load. But thankfully and also we had
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  to like
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  work on like I so I when I first started
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  I work with a producer his name was
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  Ruben Cannon and he he would also say
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  cast above the role
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  >> and he what he meant by that it's like
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  cast somebody who is capable of doing
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  more than what the role is asking.
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  >> And so I found that not just to cast
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  above the role but in order to survive
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  the pacing that these actors are going
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  to have to do like I always had to cast
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  above the role. I was always trying to
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  cast somebody who was capable of doing
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  more than what I was asking them cuz I
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  knew if you're only going to get one to
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  one or two takes and have to move
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  quickly, like I knew I had to find an
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  actor who's going to be ready. So that
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  was another thing. It's like I feel like
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  I was becoming very um intentional about
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  about only sending people that I felt
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  like could handle the weight of what I
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  knew that they would be asked to do.
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  >> Yeah. Yeah. And I would imagine if you
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  know if you ever had decided to go
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  anywhere else having that experience
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  [laughter]
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  >> I think there is something I tell people
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  who've worked with Tyler Perry something
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  there is something where it's like I
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  know I can do anything that's not that I
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  feel I know like I know
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  >> I can do anything
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  >> because I have survived the the pacing
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  the demands all those things and there
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  is something about it like I I do feel
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  like I'm capable of anything within this
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  industry or outside of it because of the
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  work that we were doing.
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  >> Yeah. Now, I I got I have a such a fun
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  kind of a funny question. So,
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  >> yes.
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  >> Okay. So, you're in the casting process.
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  Uh you've been around so many actors
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  over the years, and I'm sure you've seen
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  the good, the bad, the ugly, the
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  nervous.
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  >> Oh, yeah.
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  >> Overly confident. I have no idea what
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  I'm doing. Y everything in between. But
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  if you're say that you see an actor that
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  you see has so much potential,
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  >> what is something actors do that makes
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  you want to reach through the screen and
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  be like, "BABY, STOP DOING THAT cuz I I
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  really like you." But [laughter]
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  >> there's so many things. Let me see. Um
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  I think something that actors do is um
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  sometimes actors are so obedient.
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  I know people going to be like, I got I
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  know people wouldn't expect me to say
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  that, but I mean it was like sometimes
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  people would approach our work and it
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  was like they had to be so like follow
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  the rules, but you told me to come in
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  this way and I this, you know, I'm
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  supposed to be looking and there's four
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  people over here and the word was, you
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  know, this is versus, you know, this
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  isn't what I don't know, whatever it is.
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  And I'm like, I felt like they were so
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  obedient that they lost their freedom.
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  they lost their own freedom to be
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  creative and to make a choice that just
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  felt instinctually like them versus
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  trying to be obedient to whatever the
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  given circumstances of the sides or
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  whatnot. So I like if anything like that
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  was my pet peeve for like good actors
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  who just felt like they kind of like
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  tied their hands around their back was
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  like I can act but I can only act within
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  these like stipulations. So that was
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  kind of my pet peeve.
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  >> And you want to say snap out of snap
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  out? [laughter]
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  >> Yes. like like let loose, have fun,
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  relax, you know. So, yeah.
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  >> Now, you know what? Nobody talks about
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  this as part of like the the acting
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  audition. So, you audition, then you
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  wait.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> Get a call back, then you wait.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> Get pinned, then you wait.
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  [clears throat]
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  >> Awful.
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  >> What should actors actually be doing
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  during that time in your opinion instead
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  of driving themselves crazy wondering if
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  they got their part?
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  um meditating, exercising, having fun,
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  spending time with their family, cooking
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  a good meal, like whatever it is that
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  makes them feel alive and just
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  energetically feel safe, alive, fun,
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  connected, focus on all of those things
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  because at the end of the day, like I've
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  always felt your role will not miss you.
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  It will not miss you. And so I think you
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  spending two, three weeks, four weeks
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  stressing about if I got it and kind of
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  going over in your head, like it's
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  something that if it's yours, it's
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  yours. So I think use that time with all
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  of the things that bring you joy. And if
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  you get it, congratulations. And if not,
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  it's not time lost. It's just time that
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  you spent
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  >> indulging and and investing in yourself.
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  >> Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I love that.
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  Now, here's something actors always
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  wonder about. Um, agents, managers,
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  coaches, publicists, all these people.
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  In your opinion, what does an actor
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  actually when do they actually need all
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  these people? And, you know, when are
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  they jumping into having a whole team
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  before they actually need need one?
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  >> I think that you should invest in an
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  agent. Like I think that well I think
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  that once you have I was going to say
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  once you know what you're doing like
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  once you've actually invested in the
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  craft once you've worked with a with
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  either a team or work with um um like an
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  acting coach or a class I do think that
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  you should be very vigilant about
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  getting agency representation. I think
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  this just like you know you have to be
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  on the court and a lot of times like you
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  can't you're not even on the court if
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  you don't have somebody like an agent
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  who's representing you because a lot of
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  times you know you don't even know about
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  the project. So I do encourage actors to
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  do their research reach out to other
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  their know their tribe their actor
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  friends and I do think that you get an
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  agent a good reputable agent um that can
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  really help you start to build your
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  credit. I don't think that you should
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  get a manager until
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  um well or I take that back. I'll say
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  agent or a manager, but I do I I do feel
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  like
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  understanding what a manager does is I
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  think something that people don't really
• 14:35
  understand. Like a manager is meant to
• 14:37
  manage your career, your life, your
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  schedule. They usually take a larger
• 14:42
  percent than maybe what an agent would
• 14:44
  take. a manager can help you find an
• 14:46
  agent. But I think a lot of times people
• 14:48
  feel like I have an agent and I need to
• 14:50
  rush and get a manager too when um
• 14:52
  sometimes they may having some overlap
• 14:54
  or if you don't really have anything to
• 14:56
  manage yet. You know people with
• 14:57
  managers have photooots and have
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  magazine interviews and things like that
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  and that's the you know those are the
• 15:04
  people who do that manager schedule. So
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  for me, I feel like either use your
• 15:09
  manager to get an agent or if you have
• 15:12
  your manager then um or or or you have
• 15:15
  an agent, stick with your agent and then
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  when you get to that point in your
• 15:18
  career where you actually have a lot of
• 15:20
  things that need to be managed outside
• 15:22
  of just the auditions, then you get a
• 15:24
  manager. I do when it comes to
• 15:26
  publicist, I may be a little different
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  on this because I feel like people are
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  like, you know what, I'm going to get a
• 15:31
  publicist like when I've made it. Um, I
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  actually like people
• 15:38
  like let's say if you have a big
• 15:40
  project, if you if you're about to be in
• 15:42
  the Odyssey, Star Wars, I don't know,
• 15:45
  Marvel, I actually think you should
• 15:47
  invest one of your checks and get a
• 15:49
  publicist then. Like I don't I wouldn't
• 15:52
  wait till you were famous to get a
• 15:54
  publicist. I think that using the
• 15:56
  momentum of something that you booked,
• 15:58
  get the publicist instead of giving
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  them, you know, six months, maybe you
• 16:02
  give them one or two months and let them
• 16:04
  pitch you and push you as much as you
• 16:06
  can in that time. That's what I would I
• 16:09
  do. I I had a friend of mine who did
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  that um for uh Straw and it was great. I
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  I think he had a lot of opportunities
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  that came because um I think a publicist
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  puts you in position. So, I think that
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  if it were me and I booked something and
• 16:25
  I knew when it was going to be released,
• 16:26
  I would absolutely invest into getting a
• 16:29
  publicist quickly.
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  >> Yeah. And and I get that. And I often
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  wonder like people that say if they have
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  um
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  a independent publicist, one that they
• 16:42
  hired, I think sometimes they depend on
• 16:45
  like whatever project that they're in.
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  Usually that network or something like
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  that actually has their own, you know,
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  has their own uh PR and things like
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  that. Do you think they should have that
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  in addition to or
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  >> Oh, wait. Say say that one more time.
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  I'm sorry. There was some vacuuming
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  happening. I wanted to make sure it's
• 17:04
  not. I'm sorry. Say that one more time.
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  >> Okay. [laughter]
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  Okay. Say like like you said, somebody
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  had uh had a part in Marvel or something
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  like and they decided, okay, I do need
• 17:14
  some public uh publicity here.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> Um should they hire an independent
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  publicist? because sometimes they kind
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  of rely on the network's
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  >> PR as opposed to, you know,
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  >> having their own.
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  >> Get your own. If you're not numbers like
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  one through, depending on the project,
• 17:37
  one through five, one through seven, one
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  through 10, get your own because the
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  publicist is really going to be focusing
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  on, you know, number one through
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  whatever on the call sheet. Not to say
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  that, you know, they won't be looking
• 17:49
  out out for opportunities for you, but I
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  would go ahead and invest in getting my
• 17:54
  own individual one depending on where I
• 17:56
  land on that particular call sheet. But
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  yeah, I think that I I think that I
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  think that investing making that an
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  investment um doing it yourself, maybe
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  having that publicist work with whoever
• 18:09
  whatever publicist is on the project or
• 18:11
  whatever publicist work with works with
• 18:13
  the studio is is going to be a plus for
• 18:16
  you as an actor. And I wish more actors
• 18:19
  thought
• 18:20
  >> positioning more, you know, like
• 18:23
  auditioning is great. This is someone
• 18:25
  who like I love auditions and I love
• 18:26
  craft, but
• 18:28
  I am seeing that
• 18:31
  the visibility of positioning matters
• 18:34
  just as much as you having a strong
• 18:36
  audition.
• 18:36
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Now, you were talking about,
• 18:39
  you know, how some um actors early on in
• 18:41
  their careers and maybe they don't need
• 18:43
  a a publicist right now or but they have
• 18:47
  an agent and they have a manager. Do you
• 18:50
  ever get the the agent manager conflict
• 18:54
  uh situation?
• 18:54
  >> You know, thankfully it doesn't happen
• 18:56
  often. Thankfully, it doesn't happen
• 18:58
  often, but there have been one or two
• 18:59
  times where either that manager was the
• 19:01
  one who was getting in the way of the
• 19:03
  deal, you know. Um, so thankfully, it
• 19:06
  doesn't happen often, and most of the
• 19:08
  times those agent manager relationships
• 19:10
  are are are done well, but there have
• 19:13
  been one or two times where I felt like
• 19:15
  there was some conflict, there was some
• 19:17
  disagreement, one wanted this rate, one
• 19:19
  was okay with this one, and it
• 19:21
  definitely created some discord for
• 19:24
  sure. So, I think be aware of that if
• 19:26
  you do have, you know, you know, there's
• 19:28
  some agents and managers that often work
• 19:30
  together, you know, like great, but I
• 19:33
  think being on one accord is is going to
• 19:35
  be huge because you don't want anything
• 19:37
  to delay your booking,
• 19:39
  >> right? Absolutely. Now, let's talk a
• 19:41
  little bit about social media. How
• 19:43
  important
• 19:44
  >> is social media? And does um their
• 19:47
  presence as far as as you're concerned
• 19:51
  as a casting director, do you go on
• 19:53
  people's social media and look at look
• 19:55
  at what's going on with them?
• 19:57
  >> Never.
• 19:59
  [laughter]
• 20:00
  >> Well, that's good to know.
• 20:01
  >> You know what, but
• 20:03
  >> but um like if I said like maybe.1%
• 20:08
  of the time, but not really. I will say
• 20:10
  I do keep like if I see somebody who's
• 20:12
  really special, I do keep a little
• 20:14
  folder called talent in my social media
• 20:17
  and I occasionally like just put
• 20:18
  somebody in there, but I it's like if it
• 20:20
  comes through my like, you know, uh for
• 20:24
  you page, you know, but I'm not like,
• 20:26
  oh, let me like look up this person. I
• 20:28
  haven't really done that. However, um I
• 20:31
  was on a panel and we all said the same
• 20:33
  thing
• 20:34
  >> and then I like right after the panel,
• 20:37
  somebody had shown me um like some skits
• 20:40
  or scenes that some actors had done with
• 20:43
  social media and it was just two people
• 20:45
  like in a relationship and I want to say
• 20:47
  they had like 700,000 views and I was
• 20:49
  like, "Oh, you guys don't do social
• 20:53
  media for us." Like you don't do social
• 20:55
  media for casting directors. you do it
• 20:58
  for you. Like you do it because it's a
• 21:01
  part of your packaging or you just want
• 21:03
  another opportunity to act or you want
• 21:05
  people to see what you can do. So I
• 21:07
  think like if you are going to use
• 21:09
  social media and I do think it's a
• 21:11
  wonderful tool to use, but I wouldn't
• 21:13
  use it because I'm trying to get casting
• 21:15
  directors to pay attention to me. It's
• 21:17
  like I I would use it because like I
• 21:19
  want to be creative. I want people to
• 21:21
  see what I can do. I want to build an
• 21:23
  audience. Like I would I would use it
• 21:25
  for that instead of trying to get my
• 21:27
  attention.
• 21:28
  >> Yeah. Because I do see a lot of actors,
• 21:31
  you know, posting their reals, posting
• 21:33
  their or maybe even posting like an
• 21:36
  audition that they just had or
• 21:37
  something.
• 21:39
  >> So
• 21:39
  >> I never watch those.
• 21:42
  >> Okay. So you guys not do that because
• 21:45
  Raven's not watching.
• 21:46
  >> You could do it. You could do it for
• 21:48
  your friends, you know. I I just I can't
• 21:52
  really You know why? because it's like I
• 21:53
  watch auditions cuz like I get paid too.
• 21:56
  I'm like I'm not about to judge on
• 21:57
  social media. I want to veg out, you
• 21:59
  know? So I don't want to work. So yeah,
• 22:02
  I I've seen it but I don't really watch
• 22:07
  reals on I don't like if someone puts
• 22:10
  like an audition or real I haven't
• 22:12
  really watched it on social media. Um,
• 22:15
  maybe something else like if they were
• 22:16
  in a project like an actual clip of
• 22:19
  something, but even then I'm just, you
• 22:22
  know, I just it's not a place where I go
• 22:25
  to look for talent.
• 22:26
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 22:28
  >> Let's talk a little bit about your your
• 22:31
  producing and your directing and all all
• 22:34
  those things. What are you doing now
• 22:36
  beside well in addition to casting
• 22:39
  still? Correct.
• 22:40
  >> Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So this year I
• 22:44
  I gave myself a goal like I I wanted to
• 22:46
  film 10 verticals this year and so far
• 22:48
  we've done six and I'm like and I didn't
• 22:51
  even know how we were going to get to
• 22:52
  six but I'm like okay we got we got six
• 22:54
  I got four more to go. Um so yeah so in
• 22:56
  addition to C and that's not including
• 22:59
  two that I directed for two separate
• 23:02
  vertical companies. So yes, so my
• 23:05
  company Rat Media, we are producing and
• 23:08
  developing
• 23:09
  um we've done we've done a lot of micro
• 23:11
  dramas. We work we've done stu uh
• 23:13
  stories for brands and so we have a team
• 23:17
  of people from crews already set up. We
• 23:21
  have writers that we work with um that
• 23:24
  are developing projects that we are uh
• 23:27
  releasing and filming. Uh so we've done
• 23:30
  that. I have a a definite passion for
• 23:34
  creativity, for directing, so I've got a
• 23:36
  chance to do it this year. I've learned
• 23:38
  a lot about myself. I learned a lot
• 23:40
  about the process. It was wildly
• 23:42
  intimidating, but um for me, like that's
• 23:46
  a part of my growth. Like I love
• 23:48
  casting, but I've always wanted to do
• 23:50
  more than just cast. So getting a chance
• 23:53
  to really put my foot in the ring as a
• 23:55
  producer and director has actually
• 23:57
  helped me have the language to speak
• 23:59
  with actors as well because I know what
• 24:01
  it feels like. Like I know what it feels
• 24:03
  like when it's like, oh, I'm trying
• 24:05
  something new and I'm about to do
• 24:07
  something and I don't know if it's right
• 24:09
  or I may have to have a hit to my ego or
• 24:13
  um I don't, you know, I'm I'm trying to
• 24:15
  find ways that I can be bold and create
• 24:17
  courageous and I'm like still figuring
• 24:19
  it out. like I know what that feels like
• 24:23
  um from a creative standpoint. So yeah,
• 24:25
  I've been stretching myself a lot this
• 24:27
  year creatively and also you know in
• 24:30
  terms of the business and it's been
• 24:31
  we've had so many I'm so grateful. I
• 24:35
  think one of the things that I'm like so
• 24:36
  proud of is that I love being able to be
• 24:39
  like, "Yeah, I helped you get another
• 24:41
  ring on your credit or some footage for
• 24:44
  your real um or another opportunity to
• 24:46
  work." Like that brings me so much joy
• 24:49
  and that is something that we have been
• 24:51
  graced to do consistently in the midst
• 24:54
  of this industry that feels very um
• 24:57
  unsure.
• 24:58
  >> Well, let me ask you this. With that
• 25:00
  being said, you've done so much for
• 25:02
  other people and like you said, you you
• 25:04
  feel good when you help someone with
• 25:06
  their career or whatever that they need
• 25:10
  >> with the producing and with Rad Media
• 25:12
  and things like that. This is for you.
• 25:14
  >> Yes.
• 25:15
  >> So, how does that feel for that you're
• 25:18
  doing something for for Raven?
• 25:21
  >> Very uncomfortable and why I'm in
• 25:22
  therapy. Okay. [laughter]
• 25:25
  No, but honestly, like I'll never forget
• 25:27
  a couple of years ago, I had a I I met a
• 25:30
  life coach in our very first session. He
• 25:33
  said, "You make magic happen for
• 25:36
  everybody else, but you don't make magic
• 25:37
  happen for you." And I like immediately
• 25:41
  like was like, "Okay, I'm done. Sign
• 25:43
  me." Like, bust out crying. And so I
• 25:46
  feel like the past
• 25:49
  six years has been my attempt at
• 25:54
  investing in making magic happen for me
• 25:58
  and really doing it without guilt,
• 26:01
  without apology and saying I am going to
• 26:05
  put my best foot forward and making
• 26:07
  magic happen. And it's still hard, trust
• 26:09
  me. Like I am still like you know what I
• 26:10
  sign off for too many casting things and
• 26:12
  I don't have any time for myself. like I
• 26:14
  am still having that conversation with
• 26:15
  myself all the time. Um, but it's
• 26:18
  something I'm conscious about and I'm
• 26:20
  really conscious about the ways in which
• 26:23
  I've been able to show up for other
• 26:24
  actors and artists showing up for myself
• 26:27
  just as fervently.
• 26:28
  >> Yeah, I love that. I love that. Now,
• 26:30
  we're going to do something really fun.
• 26:32
  We're going to play a game called I'd
• 26:34
  rather.
• 26:35
  >> Oh, okay.
• 26:36
  >> Okay. So, I'm going to give you the the
• 26:39
  questions and you can't think about it
• 26:40
  too hard. You got to tell what you'd
• 26:42
  rather. Hold on.
• 26:44
  >> You ready?
• 26:45
  >> Yes, I'm ready.
• 26:46
  >> Would you rather have to watch 500
• 26:49
  auditions in one day or sit through a
• 26:51
  12-hour production meeting when nobody
• 26:53
  can agree on anything?
• 26:55
  >> Oh, 12-h hour production meeting. I love
• 26:58
  the drama. [laughter]
• 27:01
  >> Yes. I'm just going to be like, give me
• 27:03
  the tea. 12 hour production meeting all
• 27:05
  day. [laughter]
• 27:06
  >> That's funny. Okay. So, would you rather
• 27:08
  have your phone die at 2% while you're
• 27:11
  waiting for an important phone call or
• 27:14
  accidentally send a text complaining
• 27:16
  about somebody to that person?
• 27:22
  >> Phone die. I [laughter]
• 27:25
  feel I can I can I can find an excuse of
• 27:28
  like I can't
• 27:29
  >> call them back, right? You can call them
• 27:31
  back, but you can't phone. [laughter]
• 27:33
  Yeah.
• 27:34
  >> Okay. Would you rather work with an
• 27:36
  actor who never stops talking
• 27:39
  >> or one every question with I don't know.
• 27:43
  >> Oh god. [laughter]
• 27:45
  Uh never stops talking. Never stop
• 27:48
  talking. Yeah.
• 27:50
  >> I've worked with a couple actors who've
• 27:51
  never stopped talking. At least at least
• 27:53
  we can eventually get some place. Yeah.
• 27:55
  >> Right. Right.
• 27:57
  >> Would you rather be on a set where the
• 27:58
  air conditioning is broke
• 28:00
  >> or one where the heat is blasting all
• 28:02
  day?
• 28:05
  That's a good one. Oh, where the air
• 28:08
  conditioning is broke or the heat is
• 28:10
  blasting all day.
• 28:13
  Oh, that's a Okay. I tend to be slightly
• 28:16
  cold naturatured, so I'd probably say
• 28:17
  heat blasting. Like I like I'm the type
• 28:19
  of person like if it's warm outside, I
• 28:22
  can kind of be in my car without air
• 28:23
  conditioning for a little bit.
• 28:24
  >> Girl, no.
• 28:27
  [laughter]
• 28:29
  >> Okay. Would you rather have to tell a
• 28:31
  famous actor, "No, that's not working."
• 28:33
  or tell a producer, "We need to do that
• 28:36
  scene again."
• 28:38
  >> Ooh,
• 28:39
  I would rather
• 28:42
  Ooh. Oh, that's a good one. Do I tell a
• 28:44
  famous actor, "No, that's not working or
• 28:46
  producer we need to do that scene
• 28:48
  again." Um,
• 28:50
  I would probably say, "Tell the famous
• 28:52
  actor that no, it's not working."
• 28:55
  >> I say, "Let's fix it. Let's fix it now.
• 28:57
  Let's see. [laughter]
• 28:59
  >> Yeah.
• 29:00
  >> We have a couple more.
• 29:01
  >> Yes.
• 29:02
  >> Okay. Would you rather work on a
• 29:04
  production where everybody is early but
• 29:06
  nobody knows what's happening?
• 29:08
  >> Oh gosh.
• 29:08
  >> Or everybody knows exactly what's
• 29:11
  happening but everyone is late.
• 29:13
  >> Everyone's late.
• 29:14
  >> And that's probably because I would be
• 29:15
  one of the ones that [laughter]
• 29:18
  Yes. Everyone's late.
• 29:22
  >> Okay. Would you rather accidentally walk
• 29:24
  into the wrong audition room or
• 29:26
  accidentally call someone by the wrong
• 29:28
  name for an entire day?
• 29:30
  >> Um, I have called someone by the wrong
• 29:34
  not for an entire day but multiple
• 29:36
  times. Um, I would probably rather walk
• 29:39
  into the wrong audition room though.
• 29:42
  [laughter]
• 29:43
  >> Thank you Raven for playing so playing
• 29:46
  that game with me. It's always fun
• 29:47
  because we get to see the personalities
• 29:49
  of the
• 29:51
  >> I love it. I love it.
• 29:53
  >> Well, thank you so much. We don't want
• 29:54
  to take too much of your time, but thank
• 29:56
  you so much for the conversation. I love
• 29:59
  >> you've been uh able to experience this
• 30:02
  industry from so many different
• 30:03
  perspectives, not just casting talent,
• 30:05
  but actually helping actors understand
• 30:08
  the business, trust themselves, and
• 30:10
  create their own opportunities. And for
• 30:12
  everyone watching, this is Deia Avery,
• 30:15
  the Deia Avery show, the industry. Thank
• 30:17
  you, Raven.
• 30:18
  >> Thank you, Deia. This was fantastic. So,
• 30:21
  thank you so much.
• 30:22
  >> Oh, thank you. All right, guys. Talk to
• 30:24
  you soon. Bye bye.