Michal Sinnott makes my jaw drop. It is not because of her looks, though she has the beauty of a good Botticelli portrait, I mean a very good Botticelli. But no, it is not her looks. It is her talent. Her talent makes my jaw drop. I’ve had the privilege of working with Michal on two of my plays. Both times she has displayed a depth and intensity that gives ferocious life to written words. But it’s more than talent. There is also her range, her intelligence, and her laser focus on the work. If you want soft and tremulous she can play that. If you want crazy and dangerous she can play that. I don’t believe there is anything she cannot play. Consider yourself very lucky if you have the good fortune of working with Michal.

Michal Sinnott...where do I start...found her, or should I say she found me through a Backstage casting ad. The short of it is, she wasn't going away until the movie was completed. The long of it is she demonstrated such commitment to the process that there were times I leaned on her. So much so, that I changed an existing character for the better to accommodate her passion and talent. Likewise, her bravery and enthusiasm is such that she's almost born with experience...

Michal Sinnott's remarkable resourcefulness stems from her intense conservatory stage training. She has two gifts I appreciate very much: she is a careful listener in life and when taking in the other character; she naturally and adroitly makes you realize what the playwrght or screenwriter found fascinating and important in her character, why her character was created. Michal is a consumate professional. Every time I have directed her it has been a joy. And, by the way, when she is on stage or in the frame, you don't want to take your eyes off her!

I had the privilege of working with Michal on my short film, "Ripe". Everyday Michal brought an infectious intensity and focus to set. Michal has great instincts. As an actress who is confident in her characters, she effortlessly adds subtleties to her performances. Both on and off set, Michal always has an energetic and positive personality.

Working with Michal was a wonderful experience; she can bring dull dialogue to life and take flat characters and transform them into flesh-and-blood people with intimate emotions and detailed pasts. She commits an incredible amount of herself to all her roles and goes above and beyond what any director could ask for — a hallmark of a dedicated, passionate, and talented professional. Michal is by far one of the best actresses I have ever worked with.

In every movie there is always one role that anchors the story emotionally — usually the hero. But then there is another role, one that is just as important to cast right, because this role in turn anchors the story for the hero. It could be a significant other, a dependent, often a parent. When we were casting "Quid Pro Quo" in New York, the key role for our hero was his ill-fated mother, who perished in the car accident that left him immobilized. We looked a long time and it was down to the wire — still no mother. The problem was I knew there would be precious little screen time to make an impression on the audience before the tragedy struck, and yet that impression fueled the entire story. As the casting goes, so goes the movie. And I needed to find an actress with an unusually compelling presence, someone who could, in short, convey youthful vitality and the promise of a beautiful future, as well as a mother’s powerful love — in seconds. Michal Sinnott is such an actress, and we are lucky we found her.  She is the real deal.

Michal is that rarest of talents – a totally real, luminous, accessible and vulnerable soul who doesn’t simply "act" but effortlessly and spontaneously "becomes". Simply put, her ability goes far beyond training to truth, which makes her an absolutely wonderful explorer, motivator and collaborator.