How do you become a lead on a major network series? And how do you become an actor who leads with joy? In the second episode of How We Role‘s sophomore season, Stumble star Jenn Lyon joins host Robert Peterpaul to unpack what being number one on the call sheet really means.
Jenn Lyon is an award-winning actress who stars in the leading role of Courteney Potter in the hit NBC comedy series Stumble, opposite Taran Killam. Best known for the role of Jennifer Husser in the hit TNT series Claws (opposite Niecy Nash), her other credits include the role of Chloe (opposite Julianne Moore) in Netflix’s limited series Sirens, the villainous (and fan favorite) witch, Esther Finch, in Netflix’s Dead Boy Detectives, Paramount+ series Happy Face (starring Dennis Quaid and Annaleigh Ashford), Elsbeth (starring Carrie Preston) as well as Linda on Hulu’s English Teacher, for which she garnered critical acclaim and Emmy buzz. You also may recognize her as Lindsey from Justified.
As a classically trained theatre actress, Jenn has worked extensively on and off-Broadway. Broadway credits include Tom Stoppard’s 11-time Tony award-winning The Coast of Utopia as well as Larry David’s Fish in the Dark.
This episode focuses on how actors can work their way up, covering:
- How making bold — and often odd — audition choices can lead to booking.
- Learning from incredible #1’s like Julianne Moore (on Sirens), Timothy Olyphant (on Justified), and Niecy Nash (on Claws).
- Technical aspects of shooting a mockumentary-style show like Stumble.
- How to create a warm and inviting environment for guest stars and the crew on set.
- Tangible tips on the craft of acting from self tapes to comedic beats and more!
Submit your questions for future episodes, and if you enjoyed this conversation, please share it with a friend and leave us a review!
Listen to How We Role on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you stream podcasts.
Robert:
We love a good audition story here. So, how was that process for Stumble? And were you aware of anything you did along the way that you think booked you the job?
Jenn Lyon:
Okay. So yes. My managers had sent this script to me and they were like, “We don’t even think we can get you in for an audition because they only want names for this. But just be ready. Because if we can get you in, this is a great role for you.”
I read it. I molted on my skin, I grew feathers. I was like — it appeared to me like John Nash’s mathematics appeared to him in A Beautiful Mind. You know what I mean? It was just like, I know this backwards and forwards, man.
And also, there was so much room for discovery. So I really worked on it, really hard, for like a week. And I even made, because the audition scene was the whiteboard scene you see in the pilot where she’s talking about cheer camp and everything she needs to happen, or that needs to happen, that she needs to do. And then also another scene in the bedroom with Boone.
But I made my own poster board whiteboard. I was like, I’m gonna think of funny shit to do if I get to do this. And so then it came up that I was gonna get to audition because, and this is how — this is so good for actors to know. You never know what’s gonna get you the ability to get your foot in the door.
I wasn’t getting an appointment. The director, Jeff Blitz, went to dinner with two people that I don’t know. I know them now because I sent them gifts. But he was lamenting the fact that they couldn’t really find the right girl. And they said, Have you seen English Teacher? Do you know who Jenn Lyon is? And he was like, “No.” They showed him clips at dinner of English Teacher, and then he was, like, “Oh, we should see her.”
So, like, thank you, Connor, thank you, Barrett. And then, by the time he called and said, “We’d like to see her,” I was prepared.
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