The Actor’s Guide to the End of the World

Maya Hawke, Instagram, and How Much Money Does It Cost to Win An Oscar?

Welcome to Episode 17 of the Actor's Guide to the End of the World!
Maya Hawke's comments about Instagram and social media have sent shockwaves through the acting community and Hollywood, shining a light on the state of the industry and asking the big question - do actors have to be on social media? E-Kan and Rían dig into the power of social media, their love hate relationship with it, and the hard truth actors need to face - but also uncover the brighter side and how this might not be as bad as it sounds. And if you’re an actor not on social media, this episode might change your mind. On the flip side, E-Kan mentions some things that actors can learn from the YouTubers and some telling signs of how the industry embraces them even more with high profile projects as well as why fame is more ambiguous than ever right now. And coincidentally, Rian will finally find out who Mr. Beast is. The icing on the cake? Ethan Hawke's comments about all this was HILARIOUS. You’re not going to want to miss this.
They also get into the hidden world of financing an Oscar campaign and how much it really costs to win an Oscar.  Is it worth it? They get into what goes on behind the scenes, the many rules and regulations controlling how you campaign and what you can and cannot say. Listen and you’ll find out the moment in history when Oscar campaigns really became a thing. And if that wasn't enough, Brady Corbet, award winning director of Oscar favorite "The Brutalist" reveals he made zero dollars for making the movie and shoots commercials to pay the bills. 
This gets the guys onto the interesting balance between making money and pursuing your creative ambitions. E-Kan shares why he thinks he has been so successful in the commercial world and gives insight on the power of mindset, and Rían shares a cool metaphor for building new neural pathways he learned from Lesly Kahn. This is going to be a good one, folks. 
New episodes every Monday! All shows are on YouTube and Substack as well!  Let us know what you think. Email us at actorsguidepodcast@gmail.com. Follow us on all social media @actorsguidepodcast
 
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/maya-hawke-producers-cast-actors-instagram-followers-1236309282/
https://variety.com/2025/film/festivals/ethan-hawke-casting-actors-based-instagram-followers-crazy-1236312855/
https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/the-brutalist-brady-corbet-no-money-1236311496/
https://deadline.com/2023/10/oscars-campaign-fees-rising-1235585681/
Hidden Gems:
White House (Baldoyle) -http://thewhitehousebarandfood.com/
Nobel Prize Winner - Harvard Professor William Lipscomb
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:40) Maya Hawke and Instagram
(11:30) Why this is a trap for actors
(13:40) Do actors need to be on social media? 
(15:30) What are the best practices for actors and Instagram?
(16:30) They've been doing this forever
(20:30) Studios are starting to invest in Influencers
(25:20) What Ethan Hawke had to say about it
(27:40) How much does an Oscar campaign cost? 
(29:45) Brady Corbet made zero dollars on The Brutalist
(34:00) The mindset traps for actors and building new neural pathways
(41:00) When Oscar campaigns became a thing
(43:00) Hidden Gems
 
 
 
 
 

Watching Self-Tapes for 4 Seconds Part 2, Oscars Fire Back at AI, and SuperBowl!

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Actor's Guide to the End of the World!
It has been wild week in sports for both Rían and E-Kan - Rían meets his childhood heroes and Manchester United legends while E-Kan celebrates the other football as his Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl in epic fashion. E-Kan recounts his favorite moments at the Eagles Super Bowl parade and why Philadelphia unlike no other.
Last week was so good, E-Kan and Rían run it back and do a follow up on last week's conversation about the four second self-tape controversy as their opinions have shifted over the week. After their initial gut reaction and emotions are taken out of it, they take a more nuanced look at the discussion overall and face the honest truth about whether four seconds is enough time to judge a self tape. This might be polarizing and unpopular for a lot of actors, but it might help you be less precious about your work and change how you look at your auditions. 
Also coincidentally after last week's episode about Best Picture nominees The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez using AI, the guys dig into how the Oscars are considering making it mandatory to disclose the use of AI in Oscar entries moving forward. How much AI is too much for the Oscars?
New episodes every Monday! All shows are on YouTube and Substack as well!  Let us know what you think. Email us at actorsguidepodcast@gmail.com. Follow us on all social media @actorsguidepodcast
 
https://deadline.com/2025/01/atlanta-casting-director-self-tapes-viewing-1236273084/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/01/21/emilia-prez-and-the-brutalist-ai-controversies-explained/
https://variety.com/2025/artisans/news/oscars-consider-requiring-films-disclose-ai-use-brutalist-1236299063/
Hidden Gems:
https://www.wakingup.com/
https://timdenning.substack.com/p/im-38-if-youre-in-your-20s-or-30s
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:05) The Super Bowl and Eagles Parade
(07:35) Rían meets his childhood heroes Manchester United legends
(11:20) Oscars consider disclosing AI use
(17:35) Follow up on four seconds self-tape controversy
(26:05) The honest truth about self-tapes 
(31:35) Hidden Gems
 

AI Oscars Controversy, Emilia Pérez Debacle, and Watching Self-tapes for Only 4 seconds?!

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Actor's Guide to the End of the World!
This past weekend, Rían celebrates his birthday going to see a soccer match as E-Kan anxiously awaits the Super Bowl (Go Birds). They talk about America’s obsession with football and E-Kan explains why the Philadelphia Eagles get a bad reputation and why he thinks football is the ultimate team sport.
Also, E-Kan and Rían dig into the controversial comments made by an Atlanta casting director about how she only watched actors’ self tapes for four seconds. This is a conversation that actors need to hear. Was it overblown? Is this common amongst casting directors? What can actors learn from this? And what is the job of the casting director and what does this say about our industry moving forward? They talk about it their experiences working for a casting office as a reader and how it will change how you approach auditions.  Be sure to listen to the next episode for our Part 2 on the Casting Director Self-tape conversation...  
And Emilia Pérez... where do we begin? They give their thoughts on Karla Sofia Gascon's Oscar campaign that came and went. They also break down the AI controversy in the Oscar competition this year with The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez, both Best Picture nominees that have admitted to using AI. Is this going to start a trend? Do actors care if performances are altered? Or are we being naive? They also discuss what is the need to perfect performances through AI and is it worth the backlash.  E-Kan shares insights from a VFX supervisor about how they use technology to alter films that blew his mind.
New episodes every Monday! All shows are on YouTube and Substack as well!  Let us know what you think. Email us at actorsguidepodcast@gmail.com. Follow us on all social media @actorsguidepodcast
 
https://deadline.com/2025/01/atlanta-casting-director-self-tapes-viewing-1236273084/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/01/21/emilia-prez-and-the-brutalist-ai-controversies-explained/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/02/05/emilia-prez-director-disavows-karla-sofa-gascns-tweets-and-slams-actress-for-playing-the-victim-all-the-films-controversies-explained/
 
Latinos on Emilia Pérez- https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/emilia-perez-latinos-racist-does-academy-care-1235090484/
AI at the SuperBowl
https://www.adweek.com/media/no-ai-super-bowl/
Hidden Gems - Emmet Kirwan’s "Accents" show on tour
https://www.civictheatre.ie/whats-on/accents/
Dog Man (2025)
 
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:45) The Super Bowl and Philly Eagles' fan reputation
(07:09) Rían explains how sports differ in Ireland than the US
(09:44) Casting director 4 seconds controversy
(17:29) Do casting directors watch every self tape? 
(19:14) Lessons actors can learn from this 
(22:14) Atlanta growing pains
(23:59) What actors can learn from being a casting director
(26:59) Emilia Pérez and Karla Sofia Gascon disaster
(29:44) The Latino problem with Emilia Pérez
(33:15) AI Controversy in the Oscars
(35:19) Do actors care if performances are altered by AI?
(40:04) The things that are altered with technology
(41:59) Hidden Gems
 
 
 

First Acting Jobs, Tarantino, Theater vs. Film, and Biggest Actor Pet Peeves

Welcome to Episode 14 of the Actor's Guide to the End of the World! 
Good news- Rían got hit with one of the worst storms in Ireland’s history and lived to tell about it. Quentin Tarantino is sounding off at Sundance about the state of film and how watching theater compares to film right now. Is he right? What does it say about the future of film? Is it going extinct? E-Kan and Rían will dig into it from the actor's perspective and talk about their own experiences on stage (or lack thereof), and why they wish they acted on stage more. Also the value of working in theater vs film and tv as an actor. Is it true theater should be the foundation of most actors? 
Also, the guys talk about the Stay In LA petition that is growing momentum and what you need to do to help support the cause (link below), as well as a great editorial by actor PJ Byrne on the importance of keeping productions in LA. 
They go down memory lane and talk about their first jobs - Rían touring through Europe, E-Kan shooting a film while living on the beaches of Santa Barbara for a film - and why they would never do it again. Also what are the demands for the modern day actor right now? They discuss why it helps to have the mindset and dedication of a professional athlete and how that will change your career and help you deal with the grind. Also discussed - what are the biggest actor pet peeves and what we wish non-actors would understand about our profession. Why "everyone's a critic". And the power of saying "no."
They also bring up the famous actor who said the difference between theater and film is like the difference between making love and masturbation. They disagreed- what do you think? In the pod, E-Kan mistakenly attributed it to Meryl Streep, but it was Susan Sarandon. Listen to the end and you'll hear the Viktor Frankl quote that got them going down the rabbit hole. This is a good one, folks! 
New episodes every Monday! All shows are on YouTube and Substack as well!  Let us know what you think. Email us at actorsguidepodcast@gmail.com. Follow us on all social media @actorsguidepodcast
 
Stay In LA Petition - https://www.stayinla.org/
PJ Bryne editorial - https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/la-bigger-tax-incentive-program-rebuild-fires-1236282891/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRknmmDcF20
Susan Sarandon interview- https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/susan-sarandon
VIktor Frankl - A Man's Search for Meaning- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning
Hidden Gems: About Time (2013)
Free Paddle Tennis (Venice, CA)
Theatr App (resold theater tickets)
 
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(05:17) Stay In LA Petition to help recovery from the wildfires
(08:12) Tarantino on theater vs film
(11:32) What makes theater special
(14:02) Is theater out of touch? And the future of entertainment
(16:52) Rían toured around with a show around Europe
(17:17) E-Kan's first job living on the beach of Santa Barbara
(19:17) The demands of the modern actor now in 2025
(23:17) Why everyone's a critic when it comes to acting and people just don't understand
(30:17) Their first times on stage
(33:47) Why theater is the purist medium for actors
(35:37) Theater is making love, film is masturbation
(38:17) Live life like it's the second time around
(40:37) Hidden Gems

Oscar Noms, Incarcerated Firefighters, and Getting Banned by TikTok, Oh my!

Welcome to the Actor’s Guide to the End of the World Episode 13! … a little later than usual because of a big weekend for Philly (Go Birds).
While Rían braces for possibly the worst storm in Ireland’s history (he’s okay), he tells us about the first time he faced an American winter (he was not okay). Los Angeles gets ready for another wild week, and E-Kan gets a little more into the air quality of the fires and what we need to know about 9-11 and a previous study on California wildfires. Also, incarcerated firefighters are getting paid almost nothing to fight the fires and what Kim Kardashian has to say about it.
Not surprisingly TikTok is still around, and they also banned one of E-Kan’s videos. You can be the judge how fishy it was. We also learn a little history lesson courtesy of Oscar-nominated actors of “The Apprentice” Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, and Donald Trump. Also, how the “The Apprentice” film shows how art and film can intersect with the society and politics. The guys share how difficult it is to stay engaged and not get overwhelmed by politics and 24/7 news cycle, and what do you do when it feels like there’s nothing you can do.
The Oscar nominations just got announced, and the guys will discuss the top storylines from the nominations, history being made with Emilia Perez and others, and notable Golden Globes moments. Also a nice reminder - if you steal a few scenes, you might end up getting burned alive by Leo Dicaprio. And E-Kan and Rían realize what award shows are really about and why they’re so captivating. 
New episodes every Monday!
Follow us wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Substack and on all social media at @actorsguidepodcast
 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/10/epa-head-wrong-911-air-safe-new-york-christine-todd-whitman
https://www.asbestos.com/featured-stories/9-11-lingering-health-effects/#:~:text=Since%20the%209/11%20attacks,illness%20with%20over%2029%2C000%20cases.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/10/wildfires-and-health-los-angeles/
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/10/09/907099868/smokey-skies-are-the-new-normal-are-they-making-us-sick
https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/new-analysis-shows-spikes-metal-contaminants-including-lead-2018-camp-fire-wildfire-smoke
https://deadline.com/2025/01/kim-kardashian-la-wildfires-incarcerated-firefighters-wages-1236255068/
https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/07/smoke-exposure-california-wildfires-52000-early-deaths-study/
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/10/09/907099868/smokey-skies-are-the-new-normal-are-they-making-us-sick
 
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(04:00) Ireland’s worst storm in their history
(05:25) Rían’s first American winter
(07:20) California’s Air after the wildfires
(09:15) What we can learn from 9-11
(13:15) TikTok is back and how they banned E-Kan
(16:35) How all the apps are getting wacky
(19:00) How do you stay above the noise and when things get overwhelming
(23:00) Incarcerated firefighters are making almost nothing
(24:00) Oscar nominations and history is made
(30:45) Demi Moore’s Golden Globe speech and why awards shows are so captivating

What Really Happened with the Wildfires, TikTok Ban (not really), and Online Dating

The Actor's Guide to the End of the World is back from a week off, and what a week it was. This is a bonus double episode and a much needed sanity check-in for E-Kan and Rían (and maybe for you as well), which then turned into a therapy session.  We hope you’re all safe, and thank you to the first responders, firefighters, and incredible community in Los Angeles for all they have been doing in response to the wildfires. If you’ve been affected, we hope you have found resources, but if not, we’ve attached resources and links below. 
E-Kan and Rían share their first reactions to seeing and hearing the devastating wildfires in CA and what they want people to know about the biggest stories and misleading headlines coming out of California. Could this have been avoided? Will LA be changed forever? Was this is a Black Swan event? And thank God for Bill Burr. They also talk about the predatory schemes by insurance companies and landlords preying on those affected by the fires you should watch out for (links below) as well as trends that you might see more of when it comes to climate change. Rían will talk about how he sees Dublin being affected already. And about that air quality in Los Angeles...they will go through how you can prepare yourselves from the air as the city recovers from the fires. 
Also, is TikTok actually going to be banned forever? Spoiler alert - not yet. This was recorded before the ban and unban of TikTok, but does anyone really care at this point? Rían shares his particular struggle with social media, and they discuss why so many actors dislike social media- and why it might be more important than we think. They also talk about how difficult it is to not care what people think and how much can you really know about a person from their social media? We get deep, ya'll. 
Then it all takes a turn and they get onto dating apps. E-Kan shares why he doesn’t touch them, and they find the parallels between getting rejected as an actor and in dating. Stick to the end and you'll hear about the time E-Kan tried one…for five minutes. You'll hear Rían's mediocre maybe even bad advice on the best way to use dating apps. And we might answer the big question- Who's more cynical when it comes to dating, E-Kan or Rían? 
New episodes every Monday!
Follow us wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Substack and on all social media at @actorsguidepodcast
 
California Fire Resources -
https://actorsguidepodcast.substack.com/p/california-wildfires-resources-list?r=4mm2fh
Air Quality in Los Angeles FYI - https://coveacupuncture.substack.com/p/i-just-watched-a-25-hour-webinar
K95 are good, but N100 are best - https://www.amazon.com/3M-Particulate-Respirator-8233-N100/dp/B008MCV43K
Bill Burr on the Wildfires - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAZE2aYUrHY
Compensation Claim for the Eaton and Hurst Fires-
McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP
Report Rent Hikes here - Dial 3-1-1 or https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company
1 year Moratorium on insurance cancellations- Richard Laura is giving consultations. Reach at 800-927-4357
 
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:15) Reactions to the wildfire disaster
(07:10) Bill Burr on the wildfires
(08:50) Biggest stories and misinformation about the fires
(12:45) Black Swan events
(15:15) What we need to think about with climate change
(17:05) How Dublin is being affected by climate change
(19:30) How people are preying on the fire victims
(23:30) How LA residents can prepare themselves for the air quality
(27:00) TikTok Ban - will it go through?
(30:15) The value of social media and the internet
(34:30) Rían talks about his struggle with social media
(41:00) Why E-Kan isn't on the dating apps
(45:50) Is anything we see online true? 
(48:30) The parallel between getting rejected as an actor and in dating
 
 
 
 

Quick Update - The California Wildfires

Hey everyone - there will not be a new episode this week. With the ongoing wildfire situation in California, we will get back to uploading new episodes when it feels right, hopefully soon. If you are moved to donate to help the disaster relief, here is a list of organizations, places to volunteer, as well as resources for those in need and evacuees. Stay safe, and we will be back soon.
Donate: 
REDCROSS - redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation.
CORE (Core Organized Relief Effort) - https://www.coreresponse.org/
Volunteer:
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: Volunteers are needed to sort food and non-food donations. https://www.lafoodbank.org/
Canine Rescue Club: Foster or volunteer to help rescue animals. https://www.caninerescue.club/
LA Animal Services: Fostering pets is essential right now. Adoption fees are temporarily waived. https://www.laanimalservices.com/
Pasadena Humane Society - foster an animal
361 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, California 91105, (626) 792-7151
UNION RESCUE MISSION - https://urm.org/get-involved/volunteer/
 
 

AI Bills in Effect, Golden Globes, Resolutions, and Is New Year's the Worst Holiday?

It's the new year, and this is episode 11 of The Actor's Guide to the End of the World!
Some key AI bills in California start this week, and E-Kan and Rían will get into what you need to know about digital replicas and how this bill will protect actors. Also the Golden Globes are this week- this episode was taped before the Golden Globes happened so it will just be a preview of the show and any notable stories will be in the next episode. 
You’ll hear E-Kan’s hard take on New Year's resolutions and New Year's in general and how they celebrated, or in   E-Kan’s case, not celebrate.  Is it the most overrated holiday ever? What is Dublin really like for New Year's? Is        E-Kan actually Larry David? They will get to the bottom of this, as well as break down what works for them when it comes to building habits and why resolutions haven't worked for them in the past. Do they work for you? You might start reframing resolutions like they do and come up with a few of your own. They also drop a few gems on the trap of vision boards and the keys to a daily routine.
They also dish on some of their guilty reality show pleasures and some of the most surprising shows that came out of the writers’ strikes. 
New episodes every Monday!
Follow us wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Substack and on all social media at @actorsguidepodcast
Hidden Gems: 
Live tapings and sitcoms: https://1iota.com/
Awards screenings blog - https://awardswatch.com/studio-fyc-pages-for-2023-2024-film-awards-season/
 
Time stamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:00) AI Bill for Digital Replicas start this week 
(04:45) Nikki Glaser hosts Golden Globes this week
(05:50) Reality show guilty pleasures
(07:45) Crazy reality shows that happened during Writers' Strike
(09:20) Is New Year's the worst holiday ever?
(14:00) How Dublin parties on New Year's 
(17:25) The problem with New Year's resolutions
(21:50) The trap of vision boards
(25:30) Atomic Habits and morning routines
(30:00) E-Kan finds a resolution
(32:00) Rían's resolution
(35:30) Hidden Gems