Lee alumnus snags role in 'The Mentalist'
On Thursday Feb. 4, Lee University alumnus Seth Caskey (’99) co-starred in an episode of “The Mentalist” on CBS.
Caskey played the role of Matrie’d in “Episode 13: Redline.” He shared the scene with well-known actors Simon Baker, Robin Tunney and Currie Graham.
“Working on the show was a dream come true,” Caskey said. “I’ve had a love of acting for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching tons of television, and it was such a thrill to work with an amazing group of actors and a top-notch production team.”
Caskey has been acting since age 11. While at Lee, he was a founding member of The Kingdom Players and appeared in several main stage productions including “You Can’t Take It With You,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “What Time I Am Afraid.”
“The theatre program was where I found my connection to Lee. College can be a big transition for anyone, and having a strong and supportive theatre program gave me the community I needed.”
Caskey started dating Erica Parrish in Dec. 1998, but in Jan. of 1999 she studied in Cambridge. For four months, the relationship was limited to email and 10-minute phone calls once a week.
“The time apart was difficult for a new relationship, but invaluable in making us better communicators with each other,” Caskey said.
The couple were engaged in Nov. 1999 at the Omega Alpha Phi Snowball event, and will celebrate their 10 year wedding anniversary this September.
Instead of graduating with a theatre degree, Caskey decided to major in public relations and advertising, because he wanted to make sure he could financially sustain his new family. Caskey and his wife, Erica, a 2000 Lee graduate, moved to Virginia Beach, Va., where he worked as a graphic designer and communication director for Spring Branch Community Church.
However, Caskey continued to act locally on stage and film, but he eventually discovered he could no longer ignore his desire to act professionally. The couple moved from Virginia Beach to Los Angeles, Calif., in Sept. 2006 to pursue full-time careers in the entertainment industry, according to his biography on sethcaskey.com.
Under the instruction of Sanford Meisner’s protegees, Martin Barter and Alex Taylor, the Lee graduate was professionally trained at The Sanford Meisner Center in Los Angeles. He graduated from the school’s Professional Acting Program, completing the comprehensive two-year training in an intensive 30 weeks.
“We started with 18 students, and only 6 of us finished. It was an intense growing experience, both personally and professionally. Training every day created valuable habits in me that I continue to use every day.”
“The best advice that I have for aspiring professional actors at Lee is to keep an attitude of perseverance and a willingness to go with whatever comes your way,” Caskey said. “There is no set career path for an actor. No ladder to climb, no ‘if you do this – this will happen.’ I moved to Los Angeles in 2006 and and started working on whatever projects would hire me.”
In addition to acting, Seth is the director of online media for the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. He was also one of five actors followed by “Backstage” in 2008 and currently maintains the Reality of Doing blog for actors at http://www.realityofdoing.com.
