The Inspired Actor

The Inspired Actor is a podcast exploring performance, imagination, and the actor’s creative process. Produced in collaboration with MICHA — the Michael Chekhov Association, the series features conversations with international artists, teachers, and practitioners working with the Michael Chekhov technique and related approaches to acting, directing, and creative collaboration.Learn More at www.michaelchekhov.orgTobias Jelinek is an actor and founder of The Inspired Actor, a Michael Chekhov-based acting lab in Los Angeles exploring performance, imagination, and creative transformation.Over a 30-year career in film and television, he has portrayed bold, transformative characters across comedy, drama, and genre storytelling. His work spans from his early role as Jay in Disney’s cult classic Hocus Pocus to appearances in the Marvel and DC universes and acclaimed productions including Stranger Things, Mayfair Witches, and This Is Us. Most recently, he portrayed real-life serial killer Richard Speck in Ryan Murphy’s international hit Monster: The Ed Gein Story.Jelinek’s interest in documenting and sharing artist archives began in the early 2000s through a collaboration with Callie Angell, curator of the Andy Warhol Film Project at the Whitney Museum. He later penned Detour Journals, a column for H Magazine dedicated to the raw exploration of Los Angeles subculture, artists, and creative communities.His upcoming projects include a new Ryan Murphy production as well as a collection of interviews and narrative collaborations connected to the anticipated photo book of celebrity hairstylist and artist Julio “Shampoolio” Romano.