After a career in law enforcement, Mike Knox decided to pursue his acting dreams. What he didn’t realize was how his experiences trained him for the unpredictable world of show business.
By embracing failure and going out of his comfort zone, Knox has landed roles through Casting Networks that ended up being some of his favorites.
Knox shares stories of booking roles that include an Elvis impersonator officiating a wedding on the web series Good Mythical Morning, and improvising alongside Kylie Jenner in a major commercial. Get ready to dive into a story of resilience, fearless reinvention and the surprising lessons learned from chasing the spotlight.
Insights From Mike Knox
- Actors should embrace failure as part of the process and keep auditioning consistently, understanding that rejection is normal and helps build resilience.
- They should prepare to be flexible and improvise on set, as scripts and directions can change rapidly, requiring adaptability.
- Actors should focus on being present and authentic in auditions, responding naturally to their scene partners instead of trying to overly “be” the character.
How did you first decide to become an actor?
It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. When I started out doing it, it was a lot harder because you didn’t have access to social media. You would respond to an ad and have to drive [to auditions]. I realized early on that I wouldn’t make any money from doing this. It’s extremely hard. I had a family, my daughter got sick, so it sidetracked me. Now that I’m retired from law enforcement, I have the opportunity to do it.
How did you first discover Casting Networks?
I took an acting class at UCLA, but it turned out to be a class about the business of acting, which was great. The teacher talked about Casting Networks, which I had never heard of before. What I love about Casting Networks is that being a user is so flawless.
[I like] the way a casting call is broken down. I can see where it is, you know what it is, how much the pay is, the time it’s due by and the shoot dates. A lot of it is scheduling, and what I didn’t realize going into it was you might get an avail where you’re available, but then nobody calls you back, so there’s a lot of failure to it.
There’s a lot of waiting around. There are a lot of jobs you think you’re going to get that you don’t, and Casting Networks is keeping all of that cataloged for you [with the Role Tracker feature]. Often, I’ll accept something and forget what it was, or I’ll audition for something and forget what it was. Now I can go back to Casting Networks and refer to it.
You booked a role as an Elvis impersonator. Tell me a little bit more about that gig.
It was for Good Mythical Morning with Rhett and Link. It was during a time when I just thought, “If I’m going to get into it, if I’m going to do acting, I’ve got to do something that scares me to death.” That was an Elvis impersonator.
I went and got the outfit, and I watched a bunch of Elvis impersonations. I sent in a self tape, got a callback for it and sent in another one. Then they wanted to see more of the outfit that I had. The studio was in Burbank, so it was close by. I was scared to death.
[They gave me] 12 lines, and they kept changing them. That was another thing I didn’t realize — how much improv goes into all of this. The lines were changed at 8 o’clock at night, and then they were changed [again] at [midnight]. When I arrived at the set, they had been changed again.
I did my best, and it turned out to be great. [My role] was an Elvis impersonator who was officiating a wedding. It was something I worked hard to achieve, and I landed the role. It was something that I was very proud of.
What was the whole experience like for you?
You meet with the producers, then you go to the green room, where you wait. It’s surreal because you’re in a green room by yourself. Between my anxiety and panic, everything was setting in. The producers are coming in, telling you, “Hey, 15 minutes ’till we do this,” or walking you through a little bit of what they want [you] to do.
I’m waiting at the door to go onto the set, and they’re calling, “Action.” I’m meeting the two stars of the show for the very first time. Again, it is a lot of improv because I’m having to react to what they’re saying to me, which wasn’t in the script. I have to play off of what they’re doing. That’s their show. It’s not my show. I’m just there for a specific amount of time.
I did my scene. I talked with everybody for a little bit of time, and then they’re like, “Okay, that’s it.” Your job’s over, you’re ushered out the door, and that’s [what it is] for most acting jobs. I think for some people, that’s hard to deal with because you have this huge high, and then you have this low when they shuffle you out the back door.
What other successes have you achieved through Casting Networks?
I got a Kylie Jenner commercial I did two weeks ago. That turned out to be great. It was a lip gloss commercial. [When I booked it, at first] I was like, “I don’t think I want to do that, but the money’s good.”
That said, I’d been going to commercial classes and acting classes. One of the teachers said, “Take the job because there are hundreds [if not] thousands of other actors that want that job. The fact that you’ve got [it] is kind of like winning the lottery. Take the job and then see where it goes from there.”
I didn’t know it was for [Kylie Cosmetics], Kylie Jenner’s cosmetics [company]. [The casting notice] just said, “lip gloss,” and then I didn’t hear anything until 6 o’clock in the morning. I contacted one of the producers and said, “Where’s the call sheet? Is there a call sheet?” My call sheet was at 8 o’clock, so I rushed over to the set, and it turned out to be a huge production. I did an improv scene with Kylie Jenner.
When I auditioned, I sent in a self tape thinking I didn’t know if I was going to get it or not. That’s what a lot of it is, not thinking about whether you’re going to get it. To me, it’s the numbers game. I’ve auditioned over a thousand times and I’ve gotten about 30 jobs.
The Kylie Jenner one has probably been one of the best. The Elvis one was just great because I got to be Elvis.
Do you have any advice for your peers on what you think helps someone succeed on Casting Networks?
For me, it’s embracing failure. I was always taught growing up that you can never fail at anything. Don’t even try if you think you’ll fail.
To me, it is all failure, and it’s running toward the fire. Just signing up for Casting Networks when I started two years ago was horrifying for me because I didn’t understand it. I thought all of these other people knew [something that] I didn’t know. A lot of it was simply the repetitive nature of the process.
If you’re just starting, or have been doing this for a long time, I think people recognize that as the craft. Just like learning lines, it’s going to stick with you through repetition and failure.
I’ve always been afraid of failing, and now I’m just embracing the constant failing. When you audition for something and don’t hear anything, that’s considered a failure.
I think it’s very hard on our egos to do that, but that’s how I approach things. That’s coming from somebody who has a law enforcement background, where you’re supposed to be in control of everything.
On one of my very first jobs, I played George Handel, the 1700s composer. Afterwards, the director came and hugged me. I’d never had a job or anybody who hugged me or anything like that. I was like, “This is what emotions are about.”
That’s what I love about acting, and it’s also what I love about Casting Networks. You’re meeting all these people, and you’re networking constantly. Besides the acting part, Casting Networks is bringing all that together — all of these people to help you do your job. That was something that I had never seen before. I thought everybody was against you, and now I see everybody’s there to help you.
With your law enforcement background, a lot of that job is going into uncomfortable situations and just being ready to deal with whatever ends up happening.
That’s what I always remind myself. I worked in a prison for five years. I can walk into a room and do an audition.
I’m still scared. I still have all those thoughts going through my mind, but it’s getting a little easier as I go about doing it, and that’s my goal. My goal is to finally get into an audition where I’m at ease.
Like with Casting Networks, every day you’re getting that list of jobs, and you’re just taking it day by day, applying for these jobs, and you never know what’s going to happen. That’s what I think is great about it.
What’s the best way to approach an audition, and what tips and advice do you have for your peers?
I’ve taken a bunch of different acting classes. For me, it’s about going in there, being yourself and being present.
You can go in there and start to get nervous, and then you’re thinking, “What’s that person thinking, and what are they thinking about me?” If you’re just going in to play that character and be present with that character and listen, I think it’s going to take you farther than if you’re trying to figure out how to be that person, because you’re not that person.
If the scene’s about anger, you can be angrier. For the scenes about loving, if you’re present and thinking, “How am I going to respond to that person,” that’s yourself coming in, being present, and just being yourself. Again, bringing in the improv, I think, is always great. I never realized how much casting allows you to do improv.
I think that it’s hard for a lot of people to just be themselves because we’re always trying to act like we’re somebody else.
Final Takeaways
Starting out as an actor can feel overwhelming, especially when facing constant rejection and unexpected challenges. Mike Knox’s journey shows that success comes from embracing failure, staying open to improvisation, and being authentic in your work. Here are some practical tips to help new actors navigate the ups and downs of this craft.
- Accept that failure is part of the process and keep auditioning without losing confidence.
- Be ready to improvise and adjust quickly when scripts or directions change on set.
- Focus on being present and true to yourself during auditions rather than trying to force a character.
- Use tools like Casting Networks to stay organized and track your auditions and roles.
- Remember that building ease and comfort in auditions takes time, so be patient with yourself.
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