Off Duty Actors

About Off Duty Actors

Imagine this: you're having a bloody great yap about the acting industry with your mate. You exchange ideas, tips, insights, stories, successes, fails and suddenly? You realise there's no such thing as an expiration date. Listen in for a sneak peak into the film industry and the hustle of actors, writers, directors, producers, agents, casting directors and more. Welcome to the Off Duty Actors pod hosted by Rachel Di Renzo.

Publisher

Rachel Di Renzo

Category

tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Oct 2025

Latest episode

19 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Mar 2026

   Kathleen Simmonds: Bite-Sized-Bits! Marketing Your Film, Attaching Names and Why You Should Be Like Tom Cruise

   If you haven't listened to my full chat with the incredibly insightful actor and producer Kathleen Simmonds, I highly recommend it - and if you have, welcome back to this Bite-Sized-Bits! In this quick, yummy, 10 minute episode Kathleen and I discuss the importance of marketing, particularly just how much of your budget should go towards it. We chat about attaching names to a production and why that's important, but how to navigate it to keep introducing up and coming actors into productions... and why Tom Cruise is the ultimate guide to how you should approach being on set. Maybe don't hang out the side of an airplane (or do, whatever ya fancy ya maniac) but you should know all your crew departments just like he does. Enjoy this extra episode with Kathleen Simmonds!

2. 

   12 Mar 2026

   All The Way From NYC! Actor and Producer Kathleen Simmonds: Why Your Audition is a Miracle, On Building Long Lasting Relationships and Longevity in the Film Industry

   Aussie actor and producer Kathleen Simmonds joins us all the way from New York for this episode! If you’ve ever felt stuck in the wrong career and wondered whether acting or producing might be for you, this is a realistic conversation about whether the grass is truly greener and what it means to follow your gut. Kathleen shares her tumultuous decision to leave her job as a lawyer in Brisbane, Australia, to study at The Actors Studio in New York, where she gained experience and career advice from the likes of Al Pacino, Ellen Burstyn, and Alec Baldwin, to name a few. She later leveraged her law degree to secure a visa and work as a line producer and producer of documentaries such as on Emmy Award-winning The Sixth (A24) and Little Richard: I Am Everything. Kathleen is now producing from her company, KingoSimmo Productions, LLC, with the goal of opening doors in theatre and film for creatives who focus on authentic, unique stories, while continuing to work as an actor across the U.S. and Australia. We discuss the importance of relationships and marketing in the industry, her love of theatre, and why having your life in order is key to building a sustainable career. I recommend this episode to actors seeking an honest conversation about the industry and how to create longevity. If you enjoy this episode, keep an eye out for a Bite-Sized Bits ep, it’s a 10-minute bonus chat with Kathleen on realistic marketing and attaching names (dropping soon) Enjoy this chat with the sharp and entrepreneurial Kathleen Simmonds! Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat. Like, subscribe and share if it tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

3. 

   5 Mar 2026

   Rebecca Dyson-Smith: The On-Set Experience and Finding Your Creative Path by Not Sleep Walking Through Life

   Welcome to Off Duty Actors! You might recognise our stunning guest Rebecca Dyson-Smith “Becca” from shows such as Slow Horses, The Queens Gambit, SAS Rogue Heroes, the list goes on. In this episode we chat about how Becca found her point of difference in her German heritage and used it to her advantage, creating work for herself before she even left acting school and how she maintains a consistent flow in her career. We chat about studying acting in Scotland, hierarchy on-set (do you introduce yourself to Number One on the call sheet or do you wait for them to introduce themselves?), advocating for yourself in hairy scenes, enjoying and finding fulfilling work outside of acting, the audition experience with Nina Gold for Slow Horses, the actors anxiety and finding the creative path that works for you. I particularly enjoy our back and forth on the little things, like habit forming and making sure you’re not sleep walking through life... ya know, little things. Becca and I really delve into the nuances of the creative brain and it’s SO MUCH FUN. I loved this episode, it’s an intellectually stimulating chat about acting, being on-set, career advice and figuring it out between two very curious actors. So please enjoy this chat with actress Rebecca Dyson-Smith. Follow us on Instagram & TikTok, this episode is available on Spotify, iTunes and Substack. Hosted by Rachel Di Renzo, music is One Woman Band by Grace Mesa and sourced from Premium Beat. Like, subscribe and share if it tickles your fancy. This podcast is brought to you by me, Rachel Di Renzo, actor, screenwriter, producer and now, podcaster. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to Off Duty Actors, now go make the thing.

Contact Off Duty Actors

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.