Actor, writer, comedian, and coach Crista Flanagan jams with author and Emmy-honored casting director Bonnie Gillespie about creating your own characters, the power of the self-tape, and finding the story in everything.
Here’s the chat from our live session!
What are your key takeaways from Crista’s interview from the SMFA Summit? Share below in the comments! 🙂
Crista Flanagan is an actress, writer, and teacher living in Los Angeles. Born in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, she attended college at the University of Evansville, Indiana, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Theatre. Then it was on to the University of California, Irvine, where Flanagan earned her Master of Fine Arts in Acting. Upon graduation, Crista moved to Los Angeles and began her career by writing and producing her one-person show, But Wait… I Have Impressions. It was this show that launched her standup, won her the 15 Minutes of Fem one-woman show competition, and landed her a job on FOX’s latenight series, MADtv, where she spent 6 seasons as a series regular. During her time at MADtv, Crista wrote segments for 20 episodes and acted in 82 episodes of the series, creating many original characters and celebrity impressions. During her MADtv years, Crista joined the cast of Mad Men for their first three seasons as tractor-riding secretary, Lois Sadler. She is a two-time SAG Award winner for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series for her time on Mad Men. Other notable acting credits include The Resident, Dirty John, Mom, I’m Sorry, Grace and Frankie, Disjointed, Love, Grey’s Anatomy, Workaholics, Hello Ladies, Marry Me, Key and Peele, Trophy Wife, 2 Broke Girls, Last Man Standing, and Cougar Town. Crista coaches and teaches acting at Side of the Road Studio in Los Angeles.
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