The 98% with Alexa Morden

How Industry Change Starts with Us: Insights from Actor and Advocate Alexa Morden

In this episode, Alexa Morden shares a powerful perspective on the realities of the acting industry, emphasizing the importance of advocacy, authenticity, and mental resilience. Her insights challenge industry hierarchies and highlight practical ways actors can reclaim their power and protect their well-being.

Key topics: 

• The myth of "making it" and redefining success in acting 
• The widespread issue of abuse of power and how to recognize and address it 
• The role of unions, regulation, and industry accountability 
• Practical strategies for mental health and resilience amid industry challenges 
• How to cultivate authenticity and maintain integrity in a competitive environment 
• The culture of silence and how to break it for collective safety 
• The importance of self-empowerment and community action in creating change 
• The significance of focusing on art and personal growth over external validation 
• Resources for actors to understand their legal rights and industry protections 
• The vision of a more equitable, transparent, and collaborative entertainment industry

 How to connect with Alexa and access resources:

• Beyond the Spotlight:  by Alexa Morden and Dr. Steve Bull

• The 98% Podcast

• Acting with Alexa

• Instagram: @alexa_morden

This episode underscores that change begins with awareness, advocacy, and a commitment to integrity. If we actively support one another and challenge industry misconduct, we can transform the culture into one grounded in fairness and respect for all.

Transcript

David John Clark (00:00)

Welcome to the Late Bloomer Actor and another episode. Today, I'm thrilled to introduce our guest, Alexa Morden, a passionate advocate for actors and co-host of the podcast, The 98%. Alexa is a British Canadian actor who made her TV debut in Channel 4's critically acclaimed, Skins. Since graduating from drama school, the Manchester School of Theatre, she has worked predominantly in film, winning multiple best actress awards from worldwide film festivals.

She also writes and produces her own work with her films and scripts being recognized at film festivals and writing competitions.

honesty and support in the acting community, shedding light on the realities faced by a majority of actors who not in the spotlight. In our conversation, we'll dive deeply into her journey, her advocacy work and her new book, Beyond the Spotlight, co-written with her father, Dr. Steve Bull. Expect an insightful discussion on the challenges and triumphs of being an actor and how Alexa's experiences have shaped her into a resilient and empowered individual.

This is an engaging conversation that promises to inspire and inform and hopefully change a culture that is so prevalent in this industry.

Alexa has been a great voice in my ears listening to her podcast, The 98%. So I would now like to welcome her to your ears. Here we go. Enjoy.

David John Clark (01:21)

Good morning, everyone. And welcome back to the Late Bloomer Actor. It's good morning for me. And I believe it's good evening for my guest. As I've mentioned in the open, we are talking today to the wonderful Alexa Morden. Good morning, Alexa.

Alexa Morden (01:34)

Good afternoon David, thanks for having me.

David John Clark (01:37)

It's good afternoon for you. I love these time zones. I have been very fortunate to have you in my ears alongside your co-host Katie Elin Salt in the podcast, The 98 %? That's correct. So welcome Alexa to the Late Bloomer actor. Now, just quickly, I believe your co-host stepped back from the podcast last year and has welcomed a new baby into her life. Is that correct?

Alexa Morden (01:47)

Katie Elin Salt, yes. Yes.

Yes, congratulations, Katie. She's also running a charity for profoundly disabled young children to run sensory theater. She's doing amazing things in the world. We love Katie, but she is a board member of The 98 % Community Interest Company. So she still has her fingers in the pie, as we can say.

David John Clark (02:04)

⁓ she's a mom.

Bye.

Beautiful.

I love it. love it. And now I've got a lot I want to cover today, both from what I've learned from your podcasts and your advocacy for actors. And now a brand new book called Beyond the Spotlight, How to Survive and Thrive in the Real World of Acting and Performing Arts, co-written by a Dr. Steve Bull. I believe that's your father. Is that correct?

Alexa Morden (02:41)

Yes.

Yes, it is. Yeah, my Dad has over 40 years of experience working in quite high end sort of fields with athletes and business people all about mindset and resilience. So it's a great partnership actually, as I hope people agree reading the book.

David John Clark (02:44)

I love it.

I love it. you, how did, how did that go? Daddy, can you be in my book with me?

Alexa Morden (03:06)

It was actually

the opposite way around. He asked me if I'd be interested in writing a book for him. And I was like, double take, like, what the hell? Yes. And then it turned out, you know, originally we were like, maybe we go half and half, but then it just poured out of me. So I ended up being 90 % me and 10 % him, but he doesn't mind too much. He's, he's nearing retirement. I'm taking the mic now.

David John Clark (03:27)

I

love it. I love it. And we will certainly be talking about the book. But firstly, can you just give us a little rundown on who you are and how you ended up on this wonderful journey that we call acting?

Alexa Morden (03:39)

Well, I'm one of those that have just never wanted to do anything else. From the age of three, I was performing in my living room and putting on shows as much as possible and going to drama classes, dance, singing, just performing as much as I possibly could. And so I took the fairly traditional route of, you know, taking a gap year after school, working three jobs, saving as much money as possible, auditioning for drama school. I very luckily got in, did a three year BA, Honours Acting. I left

you know, having ticked so many professional boxes already and just ready for the industry to take me under its wing and catapult me to Hollywood. And it didn't quite work out like that, but, so a few years in, I asked Katie, who at the time was just an acquaintance. We actually met at a commercial casting and just sort of hit it off. I asked if she wanted to start a podcast with me because when I was in those days of waking up,

and going to work as a waitress and coming home at 2 a.m. and going to bed and waking up and going to work as a waitress and coming home and waiting for my agent to ring in desperation that they'd bring me out of the pits of this existence. I would turn to podcasts with other actors and it was inspiring to hear about their big break or how they went from waiting tables to leading a BBC show.

But I found this disconnect that they were all talking about it in hindsight. Like they had already quote unquote made it and they were sort of looking back at the time before thinking, well, I don't have to worry too much because I'm not there anymore. And what I was missing was hearing from actors that were still in that part of the journey because all of my actor friends were out of work or just jobbing actors or working at a grotto over Christmas or spraying perfume in Harrods as we all have.

David John Clark (05:22)

You

Alexa Morden (05:25)

Yet you never really hear about in the mainstream. And then at the same time, when you bump into fellow actors, I felt, you know, especially in my twenties as a new graduate, we're constantly trying to prove ourselves, not only to the industry and the gatekeepers in the industry that we want to give us jobs, but even to each other. It's like we're too afraid to admit that actually it's really hard and working three minimum wage jobs, PAYE,

David John Clark (05:38)

Mm.

Alexa Morden (05:49)

where it all goes directly to your rent and bills in the big city that you've moved to because you thought it would make all your dreams come true is really, really hard. And being told that you didn't get a job because you don't have enough Twitter followers or finding out you got down to the final two and didn't get it and you find out by a cast announcement on Twitter. Like all of these things that we, I still call it Twitter by the way, I refuse to call it I know it ages me too of that time.

David John Clark (06:11)

Don't we all, don't we all?

Alexa Morden (06:16)

So the idea of The 98 % and why we called it that is the studies show, and even now it hasn't changed almost 10 years later, that only 2 % of actors pay their bills from acting work or in full-time acting work, which means 98 % of us aren't. And yet you never really hear from us. So we had one rule when we started the podcast and that was no famous actors allowed. And we only wanted to hear from...

actors that were in work but also out of work or weren't working as actors at all anymore and had done something totally different. So there was that side of things, but we also wanted to bridge the gap between actors and industry professionals and show that we're all just humans in this business trying to do what we love most as opposed to, agents and casting directors being seen as these gatekeepers, which plays into this power play and hierarchy and...

⁓ I have to go into an audition constantly being on or being this version of myself. When we had industry professionals on and we asked the hard questions, we asked the things that actors are usually too afraid to say, and instead being met with incredible people that are happy to answer and happy to dispel myths or demystify the truth of it and really go, ⁓ they aren't these big scary wolves that are just looking to test us. They actually want...

us to do great just as much as we want to do great. And yeah, that was 2018, the podcast started and it's just gone from strength to strength. It really resonated with a lot of people. I began, know, I thought Katie was my co-host, but it's been my baby because I produce it and edit it and do all of that. And there was this fear of like, are we solidifying ourselves as out of work actors?

David John Clark (07:46)

Definitely.

Alexa Morden (07:59)

And even though you feel like it's a niche audience, it's actually not because there's over 100,000 actors on Spotlight now and 98 % of them are gonna relate to what our podcast is about. So we've done pretty well for a little independent podcast as I'm sure you're It's very hard keeping a podcast going. It's a lot of work. And yeah, it really opened my eyes to what...

David John Clark (08:10)

Mm.

Mostly!

Alexa Morden (08:24)

is real in this industry, what is smoke and mirrors, what are the standards that we hold ourselves to that are just unnecessary, you why are we constantly working towards our big break when that's very unattainable for most and doesn't even look like what we think it looks like to the people experiencing it. And through all of this, back to your question is, I've been an actor and I've gone from...

you know, no job in three years to leading three feature films and going to 50 commercial castings to being the face of brands. You know, I've done that, but I'm still in the 98%. And so now with my book and my advocacy and all the other work I'm doing and the online platform, it's to normalize the reality of being in this industry and to empower actors to know that they are just as worthwhile and fulfilled and successful,

whether they're stopped on the street for an autograph or on the way to pull pints to pay their bills.

David John Clark (09:22)

I love it. love it. And you would, you're talking there about someone mentioned or asked, are you cornering yourself by calling the podcast The 98 % sort of thing? And I listened to another podcast called The Unemployed Actress. And she said the same thing about, I, am I, know, pocketing myself by calling it? But it's not, it's just identifying the truth out there, isn't it? That's the truth is your podcast is what you focus on.

Alexa Morden (09:46)

Yeah, and even the actors that we do recognise off TV, a lot of them aren't working most of the time. They're maybe in the 98 % too in that realm, but they're just paid so much more, or maybe they have a break between seasons that they then aren't working. So either you've been in the 98 % or you relate because there are some things like...

David John Clark (09:53)

Hmm.

Alexa Morden (10:08)

not hearing a yes or no or having to send self tapes into the abyss. There are some things that are universal to actors. I have two percenters and famous actors that do listen to the podcast and they love it. And as well as agents and other people, like, I had a director that I had an audition with once and he was like, I have to thank you for your podcast. It's made me a better director. And I sat there, I was like, my God, is he going to think that I'm just this like out of work actor now?

And instead it was the opposite. We really connected, we keep in touch still. And he said that he's better at his job now from hearing from the actor side of things. And it's just, yeah, there's really something in speaking honestly and not shying away from it because otherwise if I was like, I don't want to do this because then I'm just seen as this thing, I'm perpetuating the idea that we are only seen as valid if we're the lead on a Netflix show.

David John Clark (10:37)

Mm.

Yeah, and there was a point there and this goes a lot towards what we'll be talking about, but your advocacy and things that have come out about acting. There was a comment made a long time ago about casting directors being gatekeepers. And you mentioned it just before about people thought people talked about them being the gatekeepers. And I mentioned that to Louise Heesom, who's a casting director here in Adelaide on a podcast recording I did. And she almost burst into tears. She'd never heard it.

But the thought of people thinking she was a gatekeeper really upset her. I'm panicking, I'm no, I've upset a my favorite casting director. But I explained to her, I said, no, because I didn't believe that and I don't believe that. And we got that discussion going. So is that a lot of what you've focused on that 98 % of us are out of work and not making it, but it's not because there are gatekeepers, that's the industry?

Alexa Morden (11:38)

Mmm.

Yeah, and also like what people learn from our podcast is casting directors have to pitch themselves. They go up against other casting directors when pitching to cast a show and then they miss out on it or they don't have the connections or they're too new or too green or they're not taken seriously. Like they go through similar things as we do. And I think the people, I think there's two camps. There are certain industry professionals that play into this idea that they're a gatekeeper. And that's where my

David John Clark (12:09)

Mmm.

Yes.

Alexa Morden (12:29)

advocacy comes in because it benefits them a lot of the time financially to sort of play that card. But the good eggs, which I like to think are overwhelming, overwhelmingly the majority in the industry would hate to be seen as that because casting directors couldn't do their job without us. And so many casting directors speak openly about how they love actors or they were actors themselves. And so they know what it's like.

And I say this in my book actually, is lots of actors make the mistake of going into auditions thinking they have to prove themselves. But the casting director wants you to do well because it reflects well on them. You know, if they've pitched to get this job and this production company or director have chosen them over other casting offices, they want to submit audition tapes to that producer or director and have them go:

God, you've brought me great actors. So they're on your side. They're giving you a yes. They're waiting for you to come into that audition and knock their socks off. They're not putting you up for the test of going, we thought that they could do it, but we're bringing them into audition to test them, to see if they're really as good as we hope. Like they want you to do well. And I think that's a lot of it. Same with agents. Yes, there are bad eggs. And I come into contact with a lot of the sort of nefarious agenting practices.

There are more that are amazing, that love actors, that don't play into this, you know, I'm your agent, you must do what I say. It's a partnership, it's a team. They have become an agent because they love actors and they want to help actors reach their goals and, you know, support them on their journey in this industry. So I always say to people, like, if you've come into contact with industry professionals who are making you aware of the power play and that they're above you sort of on this ladder,

David John Clark (13:59)

Definitely. ⁓

Alexa Morden (14:19)

that's sort of a red flag to me because most of them would never ever, as you say, want you to view them that way.

David John Clark (14:28)

Yeah. And that's, it's all about that teamwork thing, isn't it? And this, this goes into where your podcast became known as being brutally honest in this area. So was there a moment early on when you realized, okay, this is bigger than conversations. This is actually advocacy.

Alexa Morden (14:48)

Yes. And it's funny because I was a lot more timid when we started and Katie's a few years older than me and she was a lot more forthcoming and like sharing her opinion. So when you, if you listen back to the podcast from the start, you'd be surprised that I'm the sort of mouthpiece for advocacy that I am now, because I definitely wasn't at the beginning. And that's why I say, if I can talk out about these things, anyone can, because I was that person that after the edit was like, Katie, you sure you want to say that? She's like, yeah, babe.

So there was a moment where we did the episode early on on Yes or No, which was about getting a yes or no from auditions. And people really responded to that. And we started a hashtag. And then there was another episode that we did about being a woman in the arts where we basically sat and we read out sexist casting calls and how these are even able to be posted. And then that really resonated with people. I think because what I found is:

When certain actors make it, and if you aren't watching, I'm saying this in air quotes, because in my book I speak about how I don't think making it is even a thing. It's just a myth that we're all trying to shoehorn ourselves into. Actors will speak about issues that absolutely deserve to be spoken about. Diversity, class inequality, all of this great stuff that needs prominent people to speak about.

But you don't see actors speaking about the out of work, jobbing actors, because once they make it into that other sort of sector, they don't have to think about it anymore. So I started to realize that even though we are unknown, again, I'm saying in air quotes, actors ourselves, we were becoming the voice for tens of thousands of actors that didn't feel like they could speak up about these things themselves. And that just slowly happened.

As the podcast went on, but then as we started, we did an episode called Abuse in the Arts, which came from me starting to speak about my experience at drama school of being bullied and having my whole life leading to these three years and thinking it would be the start of the most amazing journey. And really it was a terrible, horrible time for me.

And the floodgates opened then and people just started emailing me their own experiences. So we gave a voice to them by reading out people's anonymous stories. And we thought, well, this is great. We'll do this podcast episode. We'll send it to the organizations in the industry. We'll, you know, maybe campaign and we'll raise awareness about, you know, how bad these issues are. And it just like nothing happened. We were just stonewalled. Nothing changed. No one with.

David John Clark (17:22)

Wow.

Alexa Morden (17:24)

the power to do anything, wanted to do anything. And that really showed me that, the industry is aware of issues, but they don't want to do anything because the people talking about it aren't famous, which is so ironic because the whole reason we started The 98 % was to say that you don't have to be famous to have a voice, to be heard, to be valid. And then the Bodhi Talent scandal happened in 2024, where I was sort of at the center of...

exposing and raising awareness about a rogue agent that was stealing money. And now that's happened a couple more times since. And then we're into the more sort of advocacy stuff because people don't have anywhere to go. They don't have anywhere to go. And they're not famous enough with the money and the industry standing to just... And I have so much respect for the famous actors that do, because again, they don't need to. They've got jobs lined up. They don't need to paint themselves as someone difficult.

David John Clark (18:03)

No.

Alexa Morden (18:19)

But when they do and they speak up about these things, I really, really admire it because I know how hard it is. But, you know, what I always say now is if Harvey Weinstein can, you know, attack A-listers for many, many years, what do you think is happening to the actors in rehearsal rooms and actor training programs and unrepresented actors who have nowhere to go because the organizations don't have regulatory power?

You know, it's a lot worse that's going on in, sectors of this industry where people feel disempowered and feel like they don't have a voice. And I think people started to view The 98 % as that voice.

David John Clark (19:00)

That's wonderful. It's because we're in an industry where everyone, for want of a better word, are desperate. They want to, they want to get that acting job. They want to become famous. So they're, they're almost willing and I'm doing the air quotes now. They're willing to do anything to get there. And that's where a lot of the Weinstein stuff came. Now I've got an example of my own here, which is just on a local basis, but there were reports here of a filmmaker that was allegedly doing nude auditions.

Alexa Morden (19:10)

guess.

David John Clark (19:29)

So he had scenes where it required nudity and the girls were coming in and doing that nude with him alone in the scene, in the room. Now, whether this is true or not, but it's a hundred times around the world, we've heard it now to the point that I ended up going to an audition with an actress as her partner, so to speak, to assist so that we could ensure that this didn't happen. Now, the scary thing is, is how many girls

Alexa Morden (19:30)

Jeez.

⁓ my god.

David John Clark (19:58)

And it's sad that we have to say girls or women, but I'm sure that it's something that happens with the men as well. But how many people have said, I'll just do it. I'll do whatever I can to make it. Which is just, you know, and then when they do make it, it's too late then they can't voice anything because that's their career is built on it.

Alexa Morden (20:11)

Yes.

Yeah, there's that and then there's the idea, well, if I say no, someone else will. So it's twofold. It's like double whammy of, well, I may as well just. And this is not to victim blame at all or to put the onus on the person in that situation that does something there and comfortable with saying, you should just say no, because the horrible thing is sometimes it's harder to say no than it is to just do it. But I do talk about this in my book. I say,

David John Clark (20:21)

It's really sad.

Yes.

Of course not.

Alexa Morden (20:49)

this industry gets away with so much because we let it, because we are so desperate. And it's a vicious cycle is we're so desperate and then these perpetrators see how desperate we are. So then they act on that, which then, you know, it makes it even worse. Whereas, you know, perfect example of me, who I am now, how I use my platform, what I speak about. I would like to think that no one's going to try and take advantage of me because they know that I'm not going to take it, right?

I wish that every actor could feel that. there was this, and that's why I'm trying to say to people that come with me to The 98%, a lot of people report things to me and they kind of want or they expect me to do something about it, or they want to share their story and they want me to publicly put someone on blast while they remain anonymous. And I understand that, but I'm not here to do things for other people. With my platform now, I want to help empower actors for them to act like this themselves and to become

David John Clark (21:19)

Mmm.

Alexa Morden (21:46)

a creative, that if they're in a room, their desperation isn't being sensed because they can, especially these nefarious people in the industry, they can smell it on you. And I used to be that person. I used to walk into rooms with the attitude of I will do anything because I felt like that showed that I was such a serious actor who would take it so seriously because acting isn't who I am, isn't what I do, it's who I am. And I now feel the total opposite. Therefore I will do

anything just to be able to do what I want. Sadly, there are too many people in this industry that go, okay, you'll do anything? Let me test that then. And the harder we make it for them to feel confident that they can get away with it, the less that it will happen. So when I say to actors report this, talk about this, do this, and they're too scared to, I totally understand where the fear comes from. But there are people taking advantage of that fear.

David John Clark (22:25)

Mm.

Alexa Morden (22:43)

The way that the fear doesn't exist is by being empowered enough to know that you don't need to take things from someone just because their job title is director or producer or casting director or agent or even actor. You know, I say in my book, there are actors who are also predators or who treat people badly because they're famous or because they've worked on this or they're connected with that person. And I was talking about this...

David John Clark (23:01)

Definitely.

Alexa Morden (23:10)

just today actually, because a radio presenter in the UK has just been sacked for his personal conduct and it's come out about years ago, an investigation and someone underage. And I was saying, as usual, we aren't talking about the main crux of the problem, which is abuse of power. It's not just these individual people having nefarious wants or whatever, it's abuse of power. It's the fact that there is...

David John Clark (23:27)

Power.

Alexa Morden (23:35)

hierarchy in our industry where actors are at the bottom and because there is no regulation, there's no proper reporting avenues, there's no safeguarding or anyone holding people to account, there are people that are willing to take advantage of that and get away with it for years.

We have to stop making it so easy. And the way that we do that is to emotionally detach ourselves from this industry to understand that yes, we are a business and yes, this is our job, but we are a human first and nobody should treat another human in this way, X, Y, and Z. And the less desperate we are, the more happy we are and fulfilled and

the less that we buy into this idea that success equals this and that actually we can find success in a million different ways, the harder it is for people to take advantage of us because we don't need you for our happiness or our fulfillment or our creative joy. We can find that from ourselves.

David John Clark (24:32)

And definitely we live in an environment now where so many people are making their own projects and you can fund your own projects. That power is transferring a bit as well, but just to focus on your discussions there of that power is dissipating and more people are reporting. Do you feel that we've had a significant shift around the world that is now more difficult for someone in a position of power to abuse that power?

Has it changed? Would you be able to put a number on it if you could call it?

Alexa Morden (25:05)

I don't, I sadly don't think I would say that there's been a significant change just because of what I'm still hearing about, you know, post-Weinstein. But change is starting to be made. And again, I know I'm one of these people now that's like, I'm in my book, I'm in my book. But in my book, I speak about, I have a whole section about abuse of power. And the first chapter in this section is about the golden age of Hollywood.

David John Clark (25:10)

That's sad!

Alexa Morden (25:29)

And how misconduct and malpractice and exploitation is actually woven into the very fabric of this industry. This is decades and decades and decades in the making. The Harvey Weinstein's of today are doing what they're doing because of the producers of yesteryear that made it very easy for them too. So I think it's gonna take a really, really long time to unpick this, but where we are at the moment is people are starting to talk about it. And I think social media as...

David John Clark (25:40)

Hmm.

Alexa Morden (25:58)

many qualms I have with social media and I could do a whole podcast episode ranting about the negatives of it. I think that coupled with Gen Z, which is this new generation of they don't give a fuck and they're here, they're going to call shit out is I am seeing people post more, even if it's anonymously, but they're at least giving a voice to their story rather than thinking this is embarrassing. This is shameful. This means people are going to look at me this way.

David John Clark (26:02)

You

Alexa Morden (26:26)

And I think that's where it starts is eliminating the culture of silence because that's one of the other factors that allows abuse to get to happen so easily is there is a culture of silence and then the abuser will say, if you tell anyone about this, you'll never work again, which is a myth, but no one can blacklist you. No one has the ability to stop you from working ever again. But the people that perpetuate that myth are the very people that benefit from the fear that it creates.

David John Clark (26:35)

Hmm.

Alexa Morden (26:54)

That's where I'm starting to see a change is that we are working against this conspiracy of silence a bit more and at least giving a voice to things. Where we really need to see change is we need regulation and there's none of that at the moment in the industry. And so these issues will continue happening as long as there's nowhere for people to go to see consequences taken. I mean, especially in the UK where I don't know what it's like in Australia, but in the UK anyone can become an agent.

You know, in the US you need to be licensed, you need to be approved by SAG and like understand all of these things. In the UK, there's nothing. And then you become an agent and you automatically have this air of perceived legitimacy and a stamp of industry approval and know, cushy seat on this pedestal just because you're seen as a gatekeeper. When really there are people becoming agents with no experience and even with criminal records. It's just the Wild West.

David John Clark (27:32)

Mmm.

Wow.

I think we've seen a bit here in Australia. We have a TV show called A Current Affair that's exposed a few. I remember one recently where she was an agent for disabled actors and actresses and was promising them the world and making them pay the monthly fees and the show real fees and all the money that came out with these promises that she was submitting them to Hollywood movies and everything like that. And they weren't.

Alexa Morden (27:59)

Mmm.

⁓

David John Clark (28:18)

She's taking it from disabled people, young children that just got dreams like the rest of us, but being picked on because of their vulnerability, so to speak. And we've seen the other agents who are the same one, they offer $1,000 you can sign up and then I'll promise you access to your Hollywood casting directors and, but now you need to pay this money. It is happening. As soon as you said something about agents not being registered,

Alexa Morden (28:27)

Oh my God!

Yeah

Ugh.

David John Clark (28:48)

I actually don't know in Australia. I know that for them to get on Casting Networks, they've got to have referrals from other casting directors to get agents. But I think you can just become an agent. Of course.

Alexa Morden (28:54)

Yeah.

But that can be forged. I've heard of people forging

those things as well. There's no... Yeah, you should find out that would be interesting because that sounds crazy.

David John Clark (29:04)

I will.

It's sad that you use the word culture. Just before we move on, I want to go back a little bit because there's from your book and your website, you talk about the Sky News reported the systematic abuse in UK drama schools. One of their news titles was I was forced to smell soiled underwear. Now that old school, you must be broken down to be built up and

Alexa Morden (29:22)

Mm.

David John Clark (29:32)

and I'm the teacher here, I've got the power. Is that the same culture that the casting directors and the agents that have been abusing people have? I don't understand it.

Alexa Morden (29:44)

Good question. I think it's different. I think the drama school thing is this idea that, thousands of people have auditioned to come here. If you don't want to do it, then there's hundreds of other people that will. It's very much this idea of, you think this is bad? Wait until you're in the industry. The industry is even worse. Now to that I say, why aren't we training the new generation of actors to not put up with this in the industry, rather than telling them that if they do, they won't work again or they'll be seen as difficult?

David John Clark (30:02)

Yeah.

Alexa Morden (30:13)

And it's also, I think in drama schools, you tend to find a lot of people that maybe tried to be actors themselves and it didn't work out. And so now they get their kicks from the power play of like these young students just, and also we're very young, especially if you go after school, you're still an adolescent really in my opinion. I was 19 when I started. And so you go from school where you're graded and your, teachers sort of, you know,

control you to going to drama school and you don't have that time of going, okay, I can get validation from myself. You go looking for it from the drama school tutors. And there are, I would say, cause I still got a lot of reports about drama schools, there's, was going to say there's sometimes a difference between the in-house tutors and the guest directors that sort of come in, but then sometimes it's the flip and it's the opposite. So I think with the drama school, it's more,

that thing of we'll break you down to build you up, but then in my case, they didn't build me up or they don't end up building up or they have their favorites and it's just this power play sort of thing. With the auditions agents and casting directors, it's more they prey on your dream. I can make this happen. And this, talk about this all the time online with grifters. I did a 12 days of griftmas in the lead up to Christmas in December because here I am, my social media

David John Clark (31:24)

Definitely.

Alexa Morden (31:35)

soapbox now is it's so easy for now people going online and they're selling you a dream. I can get you this, I can get you that for a thousand pounds, you can do this. No one can guarantee you anything. So once you become a graduate and you come into the industry, reality hits you in the face because you're like, I'm out of work all the time and drama school didn't prepare me for this and now I have to work all these jobs that I hate and I'm questioning my life choices. And then, my God, someone's promising me all my dreams can come true.

And I've gone on their IMDB and I wish that I could do what they've done. So maybe they have the answers. And this is bad for my business because I'm also an acting coach, but I can't guarantee you anything. You know, I say on my website, I'm not here to help you make it. I'm here to help make your corner of this industry as enjoyable as possible. So when it comes to the industry, you have the gatekeepers or the people that position themselves as such, making it seem like...

David John Clark (32:15)

Exactly.

Alexa Morden (32:30)

They're the ones that can get you the jobs. Where I think drama school is more, well, if you want to be a professional actor, like you're not even going to have a career if you can't put up with this. And then you go into the industry and you're like, well, that career that I've been training for is still so out of reach. Maybe this person can help me get there.

David John Clark (32:48)

So with all this with drama schools and then the agents and casting directors taking advantage of all these poor actors that just want to make it work. Where's the role of the unions in all of this? Now every country's got unions. So UK has got Equity, I believe they're called and you've got SAG-AFFA in the States. We've got MEAA here in Australia. So what's their role in this? Cause I know they have links to government and they have

rules and regulations that casting directors and contracts have to follow. Do they have an enforcement role?

Alexa Morden (33:24)

No, it's the answer. I have a lot to say about, yes, and that's my thing is I have a lot to say about this and I don't want to put people on blast and I understand that there are difficulties. So I will start by saying that unions, so let's talk about Equity in the UK, which is the actor Union. Equity doesn't have regulatory power. So

David John Clark (33:26)

Should they? Should they?

Alexa Morden (33:52)

because let's talk about agents, as I was saying, anyone can become an agent because there is no avenue to become a proper agent and anyone can do it overnight. That means that there's no one that can really tell you that you can't be one. So let's say one of the agencies that I've exposed for stealing money, Equity can't turn around and say to that agent, you can't be an agent anymore because there's nothing actually giving them the ability to do that.

But my point is, is well, you could put a round, an email out to members to warn people, or you can post online about the red flags to look out for, or you can give me a job to be able to head a task force to help give people, because that's another thing is you say you can't do something about the reports, but you could maybe support the people who are reporting. You know, we can't do...

this, but what we can offer is this, can we look after you rather than just ignoring reports or pretending, you know, that the situation isn't as bad as possible. So while unions don't have regulatory power to stop people from working, I think they could help more in terms of making it more difficult for these nefarious people to do what they're doing. Because at the end of the day, that's what I'm doing. And I'm just an actor who happens to have a podcast and an online platform with a few thousand followers.

I make PSAs, I make warnings, I make videos. If I get enough black and white evidence of unlawful activity, I will support that actor in reporting to the relevant authorities. And if nothing happens, I will help them sound the alarm because I believe the actor should be warned and not be thrown to the wolves. So that's where I struggle with unions and organizations who say they can't do anything because I say, why aren't you helping change

the way it is so that you can do something. Like where's the legislation change that you're working towards? Equity used to have a sort of blacklist when it was a magazine or I'm told, I think this was slightly before my time, that, and again, I'm not here to call on people to just call out anyone that anyone's reported. You know, there should be evidence, people should have paper trails. But if there is cut and dry evidence, and a lot of the time there is,

David John Clark (35:58)

Of course not.

Alexa Morden (36:08)

why can't you have a list that every month you say, if you've worked for this and you have payment concerns, please email us here or here's a list of the production companies that haven't paid people properly. Here's a list of the agents that we've had reports about malpractice from. If you have experience of this, please let us know. I've got, I've got 60 page Google docs of evidence from dozens of actors about specific people. And I will give this to the union and say,

please can you help me do something about this? And nothing, I can't even get a reply. So that's the issue is I feel like the industry is trying to shy away from these issues because it's bad for business. We don't wanna talk about how the entertainment industry is one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Like it is from what I've learned. It's pretty rotten, it's scary, it's dangerous. But that's not good for business to talk about that.

David John Clark (36:40)

Wow.

Alexa Morden (37:04)

But if we ignore it, it's only going to get worse because it emboldens these people. And I've seen it before, like this agency that I investigated, armchair investigated last year, one of the people behind it had two agencies behind her that had already gone into liquidation. How is it that someone who has already stolen money and gone into liquidation, leaving people without pay, how is it that they can start another agency

do the same thing again, and then start another agency and do the same thing again and basically steal over a hundred thousand pounds. So I understand that unions and organizations, aren't the police, can't do, they can't, you know, regulate, but how is it that I can with no funding, no support, no legal team, just me and a microphone and my brain that can...

David John Clark (37:40)

That's disgusting.

Alexa Morden (37:57)

you know, has an affinity for this sort of thing, thanks to all the true crime I listen to. You know, how is it that I can do more than an entire union? And that's my problem is I understand that they can't, like they have to be aware of things and they have to be careful and they have to jump through hoops. But I don't think near enough is being done to even tackle how bad this issue is, let alone actually see consequences for the problems that go on.

David John Clark (38:01)

I love it.

That's just sad. It's, it's, and all it does boil down to is that education and advocacy from these agencies, they can't enforce the laws or prosecute, but it's like the building industry. And when you see the rogue builder and he gets called out and he rolls over into new company, but there are regulations and there are government agencies now that can investigate that and ban his builders license. So that's what we need here is that.

Alexa Morden (38:49)

Yeah.

David John Clark (38:50)

We need the unions in a position of advocacy and education so that actors feel comfortable in stepping up and identifying issues so that someone, an agency then can investigate it. And then the government department can say, we're now taking away your ability to be an agent for 12 months or two years or five years, if it's really bad. So that that person can't be an agent or a casting director or even maybe a filmmaker ever again. They take their license away.

Alexa Morden (39:15)

Yeah, exactly. I

think also, and I will give, you know, the benefit of the doubt with this is, is defamation. People are very scared of defamation and it's very, very easy because I've seen it happen time and time again, that the first thing that people do when they are exposed is they claim defamation.

David John Clark (39:29)

Of course.

Alexa Morden (39:36)

Which is just not true because it has to be a lie. And why would anyone risk their reputation? Why would I risk my entire reputation and career on lies by posting about someone? I just wouldn't. So I will say that. But this is a perfect example. I got a report a few years ago from a woman who was being stalked by a man after working with him at a theater job. And she found out that the name that he was using was an alias.

And when she found out his real name and Googled him, she found that he is on the sex offender registry for being a pedophile. He has a sexual offense. He is on the registry. He's a pedophile. He's been convicted. And he is using an alias to work in theaters with children, the same children at the age of the person that he was prosecuted for and is stalking women.

So we go to the union and we say, this is the guy's name, this is his picture, here's a list of all the theaters that he has advertised himself to be working in over the next few months. Can you please help us email these theaters and let them know that they have unknowingly hired a convicted sex offender to work with children, which is against his parole. Nothing. So.

David John Clark (40:44)

Mmm.

Alexa Morden (40:49)

You can't claim that you're scared of defamation when all the work's already been done for you. There is a conviction. He's on the Public Sex Offender Registry. It's out there publicly. Can you please do a campaign about DBS? Can you please reach out to these theatres and make sure that they're asking for people's government names so that they can make sure that they aren't unwittingly hiring a paedophile? And apparently, no, it's just...

David John Clark (40:55)

Definitely.

No.

Alexa Morden (41:14)

And that's why I get frustrated because I understand that our hands are tied a lot of the time, but there's other times where to me, and I know I have very strong sense of justice, but to me, it seems very obvious what the next course of action is and they wouldn't help. So me and this woman ended up doing it ourselves. And now she's been further stalked because this guy has figured out that she's just trying to keep people safe. It's, you know, it's...

David John Clark (41:16)

I could see that.

⁓

It's just, it's so bad, especially a union. And I understand what they're saying, but they've just been given the evidence. So at the very least they didn't have to do anything. All they had to do was go to the police and say, we're the, we're the actors union. We represent actors here in the UK and here's some evidence of someone committing a crime. So you don't have to tell all the theaters or anything. Yeah. But you shouldn't have had to do it. ⁓

Alexa Morden (41:59)

Exactly. And we've gone to the police and the police negligence is a whole other thing. Yeah. I acted as a victim support

advocate. I had someone else get involved to like write and do a freedom of information request and like find out if they've even reported this guy. And there was this whole thing with the police that I won't even get into, but exactly that is getting some backing from the actor union to say,

Dear police, we can't do anything about this because we don't have regulatory power. However, we have come in, with this evidence. This is where he's working. Please, can you help us? We're told that this theater has, a performing arts club on a Saturday, which this guy has access to, which directly violates his parole. Like, how much would that have helped? And instead, people are just completely left on their own. So I don't want to sit here and make an enemy of the very people that I'm trying to help. But at the end of the day,

David John Clark (42:42)

Mmm.

Alexa Morden (42:52)

don't unions exist to protect actors? And if you can't protect them from sometimes the most dangerous, unsettling things that are going on in this industry, then what hope is there really? And that's why I started a nonprofit community interest company, because at least now, while I'm not the police, my focus is on education. As you said, if you go on the 98 % website, I've got loads and loads of resources.

David John Clark (43:05)

Hmm ⁓

Alexa Morden (43:19)

And stuff about legal rights. People don't even know in the UK that it's against the law for agents to hold onto your money for more than 10 days. So I have a whole article on that, on VAT, what that means when an agent charges upfront fees. Is it legal? No. Why is it not legal? Facing narcissism in the industry. Is your agent threatening you? This is what to do. These are all resources that I've asked and hoped that industry organizations would have themselves, but they aren't. So

David John Clark (43:28)

Wow.

Alexa Morden (43:48)

I'll do it myself.

David John Clark (43:50)

I

love it. Oh wow. I'm mindful of the time because I've just real, I knew coming into this that I had so many questions and just in chatting with you, we've answered most of them and I'm skipping a heap just to get through. But I want to go through into your book that you're releasing, which is pretty much if, correct me if I'm wrong, but it is an actor's book about how probably more focused on the business side of acting in your auditions, but also

about having that understanding of the negative side of the industry and how as an actor you can protect yourself. Is that correct? Is that what your aim of the book was to get both sides?

Alexa Morden (44:31)

Yeah, I mean, the aim of the book, it's drawn from my experience as an actor, number one, my experience from the 98 % speaking to hundreds of actors and casting directors and producers and directors and agents and intimacy coordinators and all corners of the industry. And also my experience as an acting coach now as a person centered acting coach, meaning I meet you where you're at as a human being rather than...

you're an actor and you have to do something every day to make you feel like an actor because then we get into this mindset of I'll be happy when, I'll be happy when, I'll be happy when and then what if that when never comes and 10 years of your life has gone by and you can't tell me what you've done with your life because all you've been doing is waiting for your agent to ring. So it's basically about the reality of being an actor. All the things that drama school maybe doesn't prepare you for. It's not about how to act, it's not about...

how to do a good self tape, things like that come into it. I've split the book into three sections. The first section is hashtag actors life, which is the reality of the business. That's where my dad features the most with his psychological insight paired with my lived experience. Each chapter is about a different facet of being an actor.

Dad follows up with tangible exercises and thought patterns to change to make your life as an actor as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible. So we've got like reframing language, performing under pressure,

reframing language, performing under pressure, effective goal setting. That's a really big one because if your goal is to be on the West End within the next year, you can't control that. How do we break that down into process focused goals so that you can feel like you've been successful even without reaching that goal that's totally out of your control? And then the second, there's more, I'm not giving the whole contents page here, but the second section is mental health and wellbeing, which is a huge...

talking point that I think is missed a lot when talking about being an actor, because the average of people struggling with their mental health in the arts is higher than the national average. So that's split into three sections. How does being an actor affect your mental health and how does your mental health affect being an actor? I'm not a mental health professional, but we talk about strategies to put in place to keep your wellbeing good.

David John Clark (46:32)

Definitely.

Alexa Morden (46:54)

And then the third section is abuse of power and misconduct. And that again is split into three separate chapters. It's about what's going on in the industry that we know of, what I've had a peek behind the curtain and learned about what is going on that you don't usually hear of. And then how do we make change? What can we do to actually tackle this problem? And then the last chapter is sort of a culmination. But the point of the book is for actors to read it,

finish reading it and go, ⁓ I'm a successful actor. And realize I don't need to be in Netflix or walking a red carpet or in a variety cast announcement to feel like I've made it. I can feel like I've made it right now in the journey that I look at because this ideal that we hold ourselves to, that we want to try and reach, you know, I say that only 2 % of actors earn their main source of income from acting work, but the actors that we see

on the red carpet in Hollywood at the 0.02%. So why are we wasting our time comparing ourselves to them or going online and comparing ourselves to actors who are writing that they're pleased to announce or they're posting a picture of their trailer on their set or whatever? You can look at where you are in your journey as an actor right now and you can feel successful, valid and fulfilled because I spent too many of my years, especially in my 20s,

not enjoying my life and literally going, I'll be happy when all I want to do is earn my bills, know, pay my bills as an actor and then I'll be happy. And coming back to the, you know, abuse stuff is what if you get that dream? And I've talked to people who this happened to. What if you get that dream job and you're harassed by the producer or you're bullied by the director or your agent doesn't pay you? You know, we have to empower ourselves and not go looking for validation from the industry. And that's sort of what the book is about.

David John Clark (48:41)

Mm-hmm.

Alexa Morden (48:51)

How can we wake up every morning feeling confident, resilient, and proud of where we are without the external validation and the external factors that we feel we have to reach in order to be perceived by this industry as something we want to be?

David John Clark (49:08)

I love that. I love that. And that it comes back to what we started talking about at the start of this whole discussion about culture. So for a career book, which is what it is, if you're looking at the contents for it, it sounds like it's full of dark stuff and you know, just woe is me, but I can see what the end game is there. It's about that. How do we get through it knowing that it's there? What do we do about it when we identify it?

And if everyone does this, will that culture slowly seep in and change? And that's the end goal, isn't it?

Alexa Morden (49:42)

Yes, yes, thank you for saying that, David. Yes,

because my mum's actually reading the book now. She read parts before, but now it's a physical book. And she rang me yesterday and she was like, Alexa, what I'm really taken by is some of the stuff that you're talking about is like not nice, but you still finish every chapter on a positive, like on a high. And exactly what you just said is I used to feel like, as I said, acting isn't what I do, it's who I am. And therefore I don't have a choice. I have to do this because I was born to do this.

By the end of the book, I say, this is a choice. We are making an active choice to be in this industry. It is difficult. It is hard. It's full of pressure, but we are making an active choice to be in it. So we owe it to ourselves to be happy while we're doing it, whether we're on set or whether we're, doing leading princess birthday parties for five-year-olds or whether we're filming a toothpaste commercial self tape at 12

David John Clark (50:36)

Yeah.

Alexa Morden (50:38)

at night or whether we're getting our makeup done in a trailer for a big movie, whatever you're doing, you deserve to feel happy. I don't want people to go, God, this is just depressing. And I do say that, I worry that some people think, she's being really negative in the things that I talk about. I'm not being negative, I'm being realistic. And also the thing about my book is,

You know, I can count on one hand the amount of actors from my graduating year at drama school who are still pursuing acting. On one hand, I don't think that's a coincidence that we don't prepare actors for the reality. So then they don't get fine longevity in this career because they internalize the setbacks as thinking that it's something to do with them. Whereas we're going to find a lot more longevity in this career if we can look at it realistically, you know, break it down in a way that is

David John Clark (51:07)

Mm.

Alexa Morden (51:29)

healthy and manageable for us and show up at all the opportunities we have, not desperate, but empowered, not nervous, but confident, not like crying every time we don't get a job, but focusing on, on, stuff that we can be grateful for and learning a lesson and getting back on the horse and doing it again, if that's what you choose to do. So while I do touch on the stuff that can be a bit dark,

it's all with the idea that this is going to serve you long term because knowledge is power. So to be knowledgeable is to be empowered and you become knowledgeable by reading this book. Can I read you something from the book actually? Hot off the press very quickly because it's from the last chapter and it ties into what we've been talking about. One of our key conclusions is very simple.

David John Clark (52:07)

Always.

Oh please. Please.

Alexa Morden (52:23)

we have to stop giving the industry so much power. It gets away with so much because it can, and it can because it knows that too many are scared or desperate. The less desperate we are for the industry's perceived ideas of what's most important or what success means, the more power we might get, the more power we get back. Of course, we might all be striving for that hashtag actors life we see in the mainstream. And yes, that stuff is exciting and great.

But so are indie films, fringe theater, short films, scratch nights, voiceover, mocap, theater and education, and R &Ds. All great art starts with people you've never heard of, stories that haven't been told, and lived experiences that haven't been shared. If we focus more on our art and creating a meaningful life, then a fancy acting job can be the cherry on top of an already beautiful and delicious cake.

David John Clark (53:15)

Wow, that is fantastic. That is fantastic.

Alexa Morden (53:20)

So I hope that gives

an idea that it's a positive, you know, my dad is a mindset psychologist. It's all about positive mental attitude. I grew up with thinking positively, always finding a silver lining. So it's a positive book, I promise you.

David John Clark (53:26)

book.

I love that.

And I've, I say, I say this so many times in my show and whenever we talk about mindset, I expect my door to open my wife to come in because she's big on mindset. Cause she knows my mindset can be quite negative. I expect the worst to happen. I expect me to deliver a bad tape and I expect me not to get that audition. So I need to learn and that's where that mental health, I mean, I'm

Alexa Morden (53:52)

Mmm.

Hmm. David. Yes, I got. Yeah, I got a great book to recommend you

actually.

David John Clark (54:06)

I love it.

And I think that's a big thing that we have to focus on. We're in an environment now where life is so tough. We've got wars, we've got people rising up against governments and governments clearly just worried about where the people are going that sometimes we feel as the little person and it's not about just actors, it's about anyone in any industry

feeling that they don't have a voice, that they're not going to make it, that they have to do what the boss says, regardless of whether it's right or wrong. Having that power to be able to stand up and say, no, I deserve this and I don't deserve that. And you don't get away with it.

Alexa Morden (54:41)

Yes.

Yes, exactly. Like, we were all kids once, raiding our dressing up box, putting on shows in our living room for our parents as our audience. Like, when did the joy of acting and performing get taken from us and get replaced by this noise of the industry of like, you're a business, you have to do this and this way you have to do it. It's like, at the end of the day, we just want to make people laugh or bring them to tears or tell stories or just...

David John Clark (55:15)

Exactly.

Alexa Morden (55:15)

We want to be up on stage

just having a great old time. And that's what my focus is as an acting coach as well is you will do good auditions and you will book jobs if you're good at what you do and you have a good time doing it. So let's get back to that. Let's get back to the fun and the freedom and the frivolity of putting on a voice and learning lines and putting it on tape. You know, as you say, there's so much going on in the world. We're here to have fun and enjoy what we do.

There's just too much angst and desperation in actors' minds that I'm here to eradicate.

David John Clark (55:49)

Definitely. And you almost mentioned this in the reading that you just did there, but your book and the podcast, The 98%, is about making actors feel seen and supported. So what would you love the industry to look like in five or 10 years if these conversations keep happening?

Alexa Morden (56:08)

I would just love.

David John Clark (56:09)

Well, hopefully

the conversations, sorry, hopefully the conversations don't need to keep happening because hopefully we eradicate the problem. But if we keep the conversations going and your advocacy and, and others around you, what do you hope that will happen in five? How does the industry look in five to 10 years in your eyes?

Alexa Morden (56:28)

Yeah, I mean, I don't know if this is plausible, but I'd love just the hierarchy to be demolished. You your example of these nude auditions, which, my God, like there was a guy here that was has just been arrested for that basically. But, know, I would love an industry where an actress goes into an audition room and is asked to do something they're uncomfortable with and that actress to say.

No, I won't be doing that. And can you please give me the number of, you know, who I can report to at your HR department because this is inappropriate. And there'd be absolutely no fear of repercussions because of that. I want actors and agents and casting directors and producers and directors and showrunners to be on the same level playing field. We are all just creatives here to do our job. We couldn't do it without each other. We're a team. We just want to, tell stories

David John Clark (57:00)

Exactly.

Alexa Morden (57:17)

and let's not exploit or take advantage of people in order to do that. But that's not just about dodgy people and bad eggs waking up tomorrow and deciding that they're not gonna be dodgy anymore. I think that mostly is gonna come from actors deciding that they're not gonna give their power and their precious selves to this industry so much that they let go of their own integrity and care for themselves.

David John Clark (57:46)

That's exactly it. It's that integrity. Hold on to your integrity. Be the person that you are and be that child that got dressed up when you're on. And I've said it a hundred times on the podcast. It's about the fun of acting. And when that's taken away, what's the point? So, Alexa, thank you very much. This has been very, very insightful. It's what I wanted to get.

Alexa Morden (57:50)

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah.

David John Clark (58:11)

That understanding for actors that this is in the industry and how to identify it yourself. We've got the resources through the 98 % podcast, your website, and now the book, which everyone will go out and read so that they can learn and identify. If not for them, if they're not exposed to it, so they can identify it for someone else, which is what I did for the actress here in Adelaide. To end on a better, a lighter note.

Alexa Morden (58:33)

Mm.

David John Clark (58:38)

I always have a tradition on the show of asking what is your t-shirt quote. So something that you would put on a t-shirt and be willing to see be seen out in public. And it doesn't have to be acting relating. can be whatever you want. It's your show.

Alexa Morden (58:58)

Oh well, okay, the first thing that, can I swear?

David John Clark (59:01)

You can!

Alexa Morden (59:03)

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is just fuck the patriarchy. the actual answer is, sorry, my staunch feminism coming through there. No, the actual answer is funny because a few months ago, I launched t-shirts on the 98 % of actors against AI in the wake of the Tilly Norwood AI actor things. And so we have t-shirts now that say things like,

David John Clark (59:13)

⁓

Yeah.

Alexa Morden (59:31)

"Stars are born not generated"; or "Craft not code"; "Powered by talent not tech"; and then on the back it says "Actors against AI"; and if you want to buy one all proceeds go towards my non-profit which goes directly into the advocacy and help that I offer actors. So I think it's too hard for me to pick just generally a t-shirt but I definitely think a topical one now would be

AI art question mark, ew. That would be my t-shirt. Get away from me with this AI slop. We don't need it.

David John Clark (1:00:03)

Hmm ⁓

No, I love it. And I mean, it's a whole podcast episode in itself. I think there's a place for AI in the creative arts to take certain roles and make things a bit easier and processes for us and making our workloads easier. But the craft has to be human. We need to see humans on the stage. We know damn well now that the old Coliseum scenes won't be a thousand extras. It's sad. They can't afford it. They will be AI generated, but...

Alexa Morden (1:00:27)

Yes.

Yeah.

David John Clark (1:00:39)

The primary scenes, the people we see on our screen need to be real actors. And I don't think we'll ever be in a position where we're going to watch what's her name, Tilly in a lead role. Not, pretending to be human. Yes, we've got, we've got, we've got anime, we've got cartoons, but they're anime and they're cartoons. We don't want, we don't, with real voices most of the time too. So that is absolutely brilliant.

Alexa Morden (1:00:55)

No.

Yeah, made by humans on the other side. Yeah.

David John Clark (1:01:09)

We've almost alluded to it already, but where can people find you? What's the website address that you would like people to go to, which I will put in the links, of course.

Alexa Morden (1:01:17)

Nice. Yes. Follow me on Instagram, Alexa underscore Morden, the 98 percent pod. That's the word percent and word pod. And then my acting coaching consultancy and, you know, advice for actors. I've got loads of free resources and stuff that's at acting with acting dot with dot Alexa, which you can also find my website acting with Alexa.com. I've got lots of free resources, blog posts and advice columns that you can just go and read.

The 98 % is the-98-percent.com. Please do check that out for actor empowerment, things to know about the industry, people to be aware of. And then you can order, I'm not sure about Australia, but hopefully you'll be able to order Beyond the Spotlight wherever you order books, I guess. And you can search Beyond the Spotlight Alexa Morden to find that.

And I think that's everything. Oh, and listen to the 98 % wherever you get podcasts. There's over a hundred episodes to listen to for free dating back to 2018. And I've got new episodes coming this year.

David John Clark (1:02:26)

And I've listened to most, if not all the episodes. I think when I first found you, I went back to episode one and binged. So I love it. So thank you very much. This has been absolutely awesome. Is there anything before we sign off that you are desperate to get out there? I think we've covered everything. You can have the last word.

Alexa Morden (1:02:32)

Yes, the best way to do it.

No, just say

to actors listening that you are enough right now, exactly how you are, and you're worthy, and your space in this industry is worthy, and you do not need external validation to make you feel like an actor.

David John Clark (1:03:02)

I love it. Alexa Morden, thank you very much for coming on the Late Bloomer Actor, it's been an absolute pleasure.

Alexa Morden (1:03:05)

Thank you. Thanks

for listening, everyone.

David John Clark (1:03:09)

Cheers.

David John Clark (1:03:09)

Wow. Wow. This has been truly insightful and a very necessary discussion for all actors to A understand and B to be informed about moving forward in their careers. So thank you. Thanks. Has to go to Alexa post-interview. Thank you on behalf of all my fellow actors. Those that I've met will meet and that listen to this show and those that don't know they're going to be actors yet.

Thank you for being the advocate you are and the advocate the industry really needs. That's something that we certainly took from this discussion and is absolutely amazing that the advocacy is coming from people like yourself and not the industry that we would expect to be.

I'm left reflecting on the profound insights she shared about the acting industry. Alexa's candid discussion about the struggles and realities faced by actors has not only opened my eyes, but also reinforced the importance of integrity and self-worth in this profession. Her advocacy for transparency and empowerment resonates deeply, reminding us that success is not solely defined by fame or recognition. Personally,

conversation has enriched my understanding of the acting world and reinforced my commitment to authenticity in the craft and supporting others, which is such a pivotal reason I host this podcast. Alexa's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and the impact of using one's voice for positive change. I hope you, our listeners, my listeners feel as inspired as I do to embrace your unique path and continue pursuing your passions with confidence and courage.

And if you or anyone you know is struggling with any issues discussed in today's episode, please reach out to someone who can support you, your union or industry bodies or Alexa or myself. Okay. It's important to talk about these and don't brush them under the table. Don't brush them under the carpet. Don't think that you can't say something because you can. And we need people to stand up and say something when the wrong thing's being done. Otherwise these people, these people in power.

Some people not in power, but people are using their positions of authority, get away with what they're doing. And we don't want that. We want the industry to work fairly and appropriately for everyone. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you found this episode insightful. And on that note, let me say as I always do, I'll see you on set guys. Cheers.