Jesse Plemons

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The next event in California Lutheran University’s “Conversations With …” series will focus on young Hollywood, with two 20-something actors sharing their advice with students and community members.

Doug Brochu and Yvonne Zima will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, in Preus-Brandt Forum on the Thousand Oaks campus. Actor, writer and director Markus Flanagan, who teaches at CLU, will moderate an informal one-hour discussion on the craft of acting followed by a question-and-answer sessionwith the audience.

Brochu plays gregarious funnyman Grady Mitchell in the Disney Channel sitcom "So Random" and played the same role on the predecessor, “Sonny With a Chance.” He is the co-host of “Snap!,” a reality special for the Disney Channel. Other television credits include recurring roles on Disney XD’s “Pair of Kings” and Nickelodeon's, "iCarly," a guest-starring role on "Zoey 101" and voice roles on the animated series “Fish Hooks” and “Kick Buttowski.” He also starred in theater productions of "My Fair Lady,""Smokey Mountain Christmas," and "The Play's the Thing."

Zima currently plays Daisy Carter, a “deranged Lolita,” on the daytime serial drama “The Young and the Restless.” She was 5 when she landed the recurring role of Rachel Greene in the drama “ER.” During the next three years, she was cast in the movies “Heat,” “Executive Decision” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight.” She took time off from show business during her teen years to focus on school. At 16, she wrote a novel titled “The Rise and Fall of a Deliberate Weirdo” that satirizes high school, Hollywood and celebrity-obsessed culture. She now writes screenplays.

The “Conversations With …” talks provide theater arts students and other aspiring actors with advice from professionals. They take the approach laid out in Flanagan’s book, “One Less Bitter Actor: The Actor’s Survival Guide,” which explains how to make it in the business of acting while staying sane and focused.

Donations will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit the CLU Theatre Arts Department.

Preus-Brandt Forum is located south of Olsen Road near Mountclef Boulevard. For more information, call 805-493-3415 or email info@westlakeactingstudio.com.