Things Are Going Great For Me with J. Claude Deering – Details, episodes & analysis

The wait...is over! Welcome back! To another BRAND NEW season of Things Are Going Great For Me. In our first episode of Season 4 ⁠J. Claude Deering⁠ (⁠Threads⁠/⁠Instagram⁠) chats with actor James Wolk. Jimmy is known for starring alongside Robin Williams in the CBS series The Crazy Ones. He’s also known for playing the enigmatic “Bob Benson” on the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning AMC period drama series Mad Men. More recently Jimmy has starred in the CBS drama thriller series Zoo, in addition to playing “Senator Joe Keene” on the HBO superhero limited series Watchmen. Next up he’s starring in the George Clooney directed “The Boys in the Boat”, due out in theaters this Christmas.   Followed by a second interview with Daria Polatin. Daria is a TV writer/executive producer, award-winning playwright, and author. She’s the creator and EP of Devil in Ohio, a Netflix Limited Series starring Emily Deschanel, which debuted at #1 on Netflix and ascended the Nielsen Ratings Charts with 1.38 billion viewing minutes in one week alone. Daria also authored the best-selling thriller novel Devil in Ohio, which she adapted into the series. She was also co-executive producer of Stephen King’s Castle Rock for Hulu, where her episode “The Laughing Place” was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Best TV Episodes of 2019. Her TV credits include the Amazon series Jack Ryan, and Hunters, in addition to the Starz series Heels, Hulu’s Shut Eye, and MGM’s The Condor. She’s also a member of the WGA’s Middle Eastern Writers Committee, which seeks to boost visibility and employment of Middle Eastern writers within the film and TV industry. And she’s a founding member of The Kilroys, a collective of playwrights, directors and producers who are done talking about gender parity and are taking action. Stick around for Daria’s interview, we promise you, you’re not gonna want to miss it. J. Claude is also joined by his producer and co-host ⁠Winston Carter⁠ (⁠X/⁠Instagram⁠) to chat Hot Labor Summer and Heat Wave Labor Autumn. If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our ⁠Patreon⁠ for all our extras! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thingsaregoinggreatforme/support

Episode 31! In our Season 3 finale, J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) chats with actor and director Beth Riesgraf, best known for playing "Parker, The Thief” in all five seasons of the TNT hit drama Leverage. For her role, Beth was nominated three times for a Saturn Award for best-supporting actress on television. Additional credits include Spin City, My Name is Earl, Alvin and The Chipmunks, Intruders, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Killer Woman, The Mentalist, Perceptions" in addition to starring roles in USA’s series Complications, and the Paramount Network’s 68 Whiskey. Last year Beth joined her Leverage cast for the revival series, Leverage: Redemption, currently in its second season, and available to stream on Amazon’s FreeVee. Which has seen Beth helming multiple episodes as a director, as well as bringing in her 4th Saturn Award nomination.

Followed by a second interview with actor and director, Darwin Shaw. Darwin worked as a doctor at King's College Hospital, in the UK, before retraining in classical theatre at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His first professional acting role was in Julius Caesar at the Barbican Theatre with a cast which included Ralph Fiennes, Fiona Shaw, and Simon Russell Beale. He made his debut for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2011 playing "Will Scarlet" in the premiere of the critically acclaimed The Heart of Robin Hood. His first feature film role was as "Fisher", James Bond's first kill, in the opening of 2006's Casino Royale that introduced Daniel Craig as the new "007". Darwin went on to appear in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, John Carter, and Prometheus, directed by Ridley Scott. Darwin also played the leading role of "Saint Peter" in the television mini-series, The Bible, produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. Additional credits include Call of the Midwife, The Borgias, Marco Polo and House of Cards for Netflix, and Marvel’s Moon Knight for Disney+. During the pandemic, Darwin and a partner launched The Antiviral Film Project, which gathered together an astonishing 22 filmed stories from around the world, each set against the backdrop of Covid. Stick around for Darwin’s interview, you’re not gonna want to miss it.

Plus J. Claude is joined by producer and co-host Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) to chat the nuances of audition rooms.

If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras! We recommend having a look back and catching up on any episodes you may have missed. And stay tuned for Season 4!

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Today we’re doing something special again, it’s our very first solo guest episode! J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) chats with actor John Clarence Stewart (P-Valley/Starz!). John recurred on the sophomore season of the hit Starz! drama, P-Valley as beloved character "Thaddeus Wilks", aka “Big Teak”. Previously John starred on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning musical television series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, in another fan favorite role as “Simon”. John can also be seen on the Netflix anthology series What/If opposite Renée Zellweger, and he recurred on both seasons of Marvel's Luke Cage. In this special long form interview John chats arts education, getting his start in regional theater before making the move to New York City, he also opens up about family loss and grief, and struggling to make ends meet while bringing his artistry to the audition process for the hit shows he’s starred on. Finally, John discusses his career-changing role, “Big Teak” and shares his feelings on the important subject of representation for black men in mainstream media storytelling. This is a really good one folks. We hope you enjoy it.

If you like any of what you hear today, please do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras with Chris Pine, Melissa Fumero, Patrick J. Adams, and more! We've got NEW episodes now premiering every Wednesday! Featuring interviews with Zibby Allen, Alyssa Limperis, Leonard Robinson, Claybourne Elder, Beth Riesgraf, Susie Abromeit, Sufe Bradshaw, and Jee Young Han!

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Hello folks! J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) recorded a bonus episode on Acting Technique, exclusively for our show's Patreon members. And now we’re making it available to you all. In addition to working professionally as an actor, director, writer, and a comedian, Mr. Deering has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at schools like Stella Adler Studios in New York City and New York Film Academy. He's also a lifetime member of the Lincoln Center Directors LAB...not too shabby. So what you’re about to hear is a synthesis of 20th Century American Acting Technique, interpreted by American practitioners, who adapted it from Konstantin Stanislavsky’s System of Acting. Claude gives a brief history of the origin of contemporary acting technique before delving into standard areas of study such as given circumstances, characterization, objective, obstacles, dramatic actions, emotional memory, exterior work, and improvisation. Meant to be an overview for anyone not familiar with technique, or those currently studying acting at a school or conservatory, it's also a nice refresher for any pros out there. Afterwards why not check out our interviews with folks like Chris Pine, Ali Stroker, Clarke Peters, Tembi Locke, Patrick J Adams, Melissa Fumero, Ira Madison III, Chantal Thuy, John Clarence Stewart, Corbin Reid, Jim O'Heir, Baron Vaughn, Sarah Levy, Zibby Allen, Rightor Doyle, and more! And if you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. 

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Welcome back! To another BRAND NEW season of Things Are Going Great For Me: The Podcast. In our first episode of Season 3 J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) chats with author and Tony Award-winning actor Ali Stroker (Only Murders In The Building/Hulu). Ali is a Tony Award-winning actor for her role as ‘Ado Annie’ in the 2019 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! She made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway in Deaf West’s acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. She can be seen as a series regular on Netflix’s number one show of 2022, “Echoes”, as well as on Hulu’s highest rated series, “Only Murders in the Building." She also recurred on Netflix in “Ozark” and on ABC's “Ten Days in the Valley”. The past summer Ali starred in Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Richard III as Anne. She’s also performed concerts around the country in venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall. In 2022, Audible Originals released her one-woman show, "An Evening With Ali Stroker". Ali is the proud author of the acclaimed 2021 novel, The Chance to Fly, while 2022 saw the publication of her children’s book, Ali and the Sea Stars. 

Followed by a second interview with Assistant Director Ru Kazi (Welcome to Chippendales/Hulu). A multi-talented artist, and our first ever Assistant Director on the podcast. Ru is currently completing the Directors Guild Producer Training Program, with a specialization in Assistant Directing. They are currently working on various hit streaming series including Freeform’s Good Trouble and the upcoming Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales, starring Kumail Nanjiani. Also a graduate of the Stella Adler Conservatory Ru has acted in both contemporary and classical plays, they’ve also directed plays, and they’ve made numerous television appearances in shows such as 2 BROKE GIRLS, NCIS and a recurring role on NBC’s THE GOOD PLACE. Ru also made several award-winning short films, including LAST TO REPEAT, nominated for 12 awards. Ru regularly performs improv comedy as a main-stage player at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and The Second City’s Hollywood branch. In Ru’s free time, they plays drums in a social justice punk rock band that regularly plays at famed Sunset Strip venues such as Whiskey-a-Go-Go and The Rainbow Room. Stick around for Ru’s interview, we promise you, you’re not gonna want to miss it.

J. Claude is also joined by his producer and co-host Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) to chat the funniest celebrity to pass on this season of the podcast. It's "inconceivable!"

If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras! We’ve got NEW episodes now premiering every Wednesday! Featuring interviews with John Clarence Stewart, Zibby Allen, Alyssa Limperis, Leonard Robinson, Claybourne Elder, Beth Riesgraf and Susie Abromeit, and more!

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In our Season 2 finale of Things Are Going Great For Me J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) spoke with Shelly Bhalla (Jane the Virgin). Shelly is an actor who starred as Krishna Dhawan in the Peabody Award Winning, and Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series, Jane the Virgin. Shelly talks about turning a small co-star role into a beloved character who recurred 29 times on the show. She also talks about playing the first gay woman of Indian descent on television, the often elusive pay pumps as a recurring guest star, and systemic problems in terms of historical pay in Hollywood for AAPI performers and women of color. And she talks about her personal life, including dealing with the grief of losing her father 20 years ago, and her volunteering with Experience Camps. In addition to her Covid-elopement style wedding in the midst of a pandemic.

Followed by a second interview with Noah Maxwell Clarke (I May Destroy You). Noah is an English and American actor, who has recurred and guest starred on multiple British television series, including HBO’s I May Destroy You, Britannia, Top Boy, and Hard Sun. He’s also known for playing Osman Bolat on the beloved landmark British television series EastEnders. He talks about the vibe of the industry in London, UK casting directors, his Meisner training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and getting to work with the legendary Carrie Fisher. He also talks about growing up in a talented family of exceptional artists. 

Plus Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) and Claude discuss the horrific death of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, on the Rust film. In addition to safety protocols and working conditions on set.

If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. Subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras! And stay tuned for Season 3, coming soon!

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It’s multi-hyphenate day on Things Are Going Great For Me. J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) spoke with Alyshia Ochse (True Detective). Alyshia is an actor, a podcaster, an author, and an audition coach. Alyshia has over 75 titles on her resume and even more credits, including her outstanding performance in the iconic first season of True Detective, where she shared the screen with Matthew McConaughey at the height of the "McConaissance". She recently co-starred in the multiple Emmy-winning Quibi series #FreeRayshawn, with Laurence Fishburne. She talks about auditioning, book writing, and interviewing actors for her podcast That One Audition. She also talks about working on multiple projects, while maintaining her work/life balance. 

Followed by a second interview with Stefanie Black (IAMA Theatre Company). Stefanie is an actor, writer, and feature film director, who also serves as the Artistic Director of IAMA Theatre Company (of which she is also a founding member). She talks about leading a membership based theater company, and moving an entire slate of play productions fully online as digital offerings in the midst of a global pandemic. She also talks about her multiple credits working on TV sitcoms and dramas. Including being a regular player in ShondaLand, and working with her hero, Kathy Bates.

Plus Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) and Claude chat Succession and Squid Game.

If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras! We’ve got just ONE more episode in Season 2, premiering next Thursday! Featuring interviews with Shelly Bhalla and Noah Maxwell Clarke!

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J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) spoke with actor Pej Vahdat (The Old Man). Pej is a prolific actor who starred as Dr. Arastoo Vaziri on Bones, Kelly Patel on Empire, and Kash on Showtime’s Shameless. He talks about the groundbreaking character arc of Dr. Vaziri on Bones. Struggling to get noticed early on in his career as a brown actor, and navigating an industry that often tokenizes and stereotypes Middle Eastern performers. He also talks about his stage work at Lincoln Center, his early career as a professional tennis player. And the incredible story of when he started his own agency in order to submit himself on projects.

Followed by a second interview with Mapuana Makia (Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.). Mapuana currently stars as Dr. Noelani Nakayama on the new Disney+ series, Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. She talks about doing a network showcase at ABC, and going on to shadow direct for the showcase, in addition to co-teaching workshops for program. She also talks about working as a dialogue coach on set, growing up in Hawaii, working with teen actors, her old day jobs in bars and restaurants, and creating her own voiceover and audiobook business. 

Plus Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) and Claude chat about breaking the rules in art.

If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras! We’ve got just TWO more episodes in Season 2, premiering every Thursday! Featuring interviews with Alyshia Ochse, Noah Maxwell Clarke, Stefanie Black, Shelly Bhalla, and more!

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J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) spoke with actor Joe Tippett (Mare of Easttown). Joe is an actor who starred as John Ross in the multiple Emmy Award winning HBO hit series Mare of Easttown. Joe was also in the original cast of Waitress on Broadway, and he also recurs as Hal Jackson on The Morning Show for AppleTV+. Joe talks about craft and process while working on a complicated whodunit, and finding what’s universal in the specifics of small town Pennsylvania. He also shares insights about working with multiple celebrated leading ladies such as Kate Winslet, Jean Smart, and Julianne Nicholson. And he chats sobriety, the difference between performance in TV/Film vs Theater, and booking jobs in Zoom rooms. 

Followed by a very special interview with celebrity barber Jonathan Castellanos (LLANOS.LA). Jonathan has been featured in Nylon, and Valet Magazine. Before opening his own studio he worked as the brand ambassador for Baxter Finley. Jonathan is not only an artist, crafting hairstyles with thoughtfulness and unparalleled skill, he’s also a pop culture connoisseur. He’s both an excellent listener and a master conversationalist. During the pandemic, barbershops became particularly hard hit. When the lockdown happened, Jonathan had to retool his studio. By the time the lockdown started to lift, Jonathan had moved his business into the garage of his new home. Listen as Claude and Jonathan catch up after a year and a half, while Claude sits for an actual haircut.

Plus, Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) and Claude chat about comedy schools and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras! We’ve got just THREE more episodes in Season 2, premiering every Thursday! Featuring interviews with Alyshia Ochse, Pej Vahdat, Noah Maxwell Clarke, Stefanie Black, Mapuana Makia, Shelly Bhalla, and more!

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Schitt's Creek fans! Here’s a “Surprise-Me-Smoothie” you’re sure to love. J. Claude Deering (Twitter/Instagram) spoke with actor Sarah Levy (Schitt's Creek). Sarah is a SAG Award-winning actor for her role playing Twyla Sands in the record breaking Emmy-winning smash streaming hit, Schitt’s Creek. Sarah talks about the success of Schitt’s Creek, her beginnings auditioning in LA, and her new comedy horror series SurrealEstate on the SyFy network. She also talks about her dad’s famous Toronto production of Godspell back in 1972, and the experience of growing up as part of Hollywood and Canadian comedy royalty. 

Followed by a second interview with comedian, writer, and actor Madison Shepard (Single Drunk Female). Madison is a comedian, writer, and actor who plays Gail on the Jenni Konner exec produced FreeForm comedy series, Single Drunk Female. She talks podcasting, her old side gig as a LYFT driver, writing for the 72nd Primetime Emmys, and her hilarious debut Comedy EP “Goodnight Silverlake Lounge”. 

Also, Winston Carter (Twitter/Instagram) and Claude chat British culture.  

If you like any of what you hear today, do us a BIG kindness - subscribe to the show. Leave us a nice comment. Tell your aunt about us! Give us those five stars wherever you’re getting your podcasts from today. And subscribe to our Patreon for all our extras! We’ve got NEW episodes premiering every Thursday! Featuring interviews with Joe Tippett, Alyshia Ochse, Pej Vahdat, Noah Maxwell Clarke, Stefanie Black, Mapuana Makia, Shelly Bhalla, and more!

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