Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Shares His Most Important Audition Tip - In The Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast

If you’re an auditioning actor, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has a strange but effective tip for you: wear mismatched socks. “It takes the pressure off of trying to be perfect,” says the Emmy-winning star, who has many other practical tips for his peers. The former architect’s rigorously methodical approach to both his career and craft is proof that there’s no one path to success in the entertainment industry. Read his 2016 cover story here: Born in New Orleans, raised in the Bay Area, and studied at UC Berkeley and the Yale School of Drama, Yahya broke into the biz just after graduate school on the Netflix series #TheGetDown. His roles since have run the gamut from musicals like #TheGreatestShowman to action hits #Aquaman and #Watchmen, and he’ll next star in the upcoming sequels to the “Matrix” franchise and “Candyman.” Yahya is currently SAG Award–nominated as part of the cast of Aaron Sorkin’s Netflix film #TrialoftheChicago7, in which he plays real-life activist Bobby Seale. This e