This is a director's podcast, but the truth is I don't talk with enough actors on here about the struggle they face in indie film. It offers a different lens on how difficult it is to get things made. That's why I'm so happy to be joined by Robert R. Palmer, actor/writer in the film LAST MAN UP (2026), which premiered at the Palm Springs International ShortFest.

When we talked about the plight of actors, and I went through the ways especially an LA-based person had to get ahead -- influencing; writing your own script for a great role; other social media activities -- the difficult challenge for actors right now is getting ahead....by actually acting!

So Robert did something creative: he wrote a project that he could star in and then reached out to an ultra-talented director named Hazel McKibbin. (I'll talk to Hazel next episode.) It's both a show of humility and genius, and I cannot wait for you to hear his story.

Robert and I talk about:

how he describes the film;
what it's like writing a role that you know -- as an actor -- you'll play;
taking a story about masculinity and pitching it to a director who sees things through a feminist lens;
how he got involved in filmmaking and how he wrote this project to get to the level of work he wanted to be at;
what life is like as a young actor in LA;
working with the director for the film and what he wishes directors knew about the acting life;
what's next for him and why you should hire him for your next project.

Memorable Quotes:

"It's a tragedy, but a fun tragedy."

On masculinity and feminism: " they're two sides of the same coin";

"I'm an actor, first and foremost."

" Being a young actor in LA, it's a grind. It's a hustle."

"Actors want to be left alone."

Links:

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