Hollywood « Operation Blank

May 12 2012

First TV Credit

This has been the year of changes. Towards the end of December and beginning of January, I was feeling majorly stuck and unproductive. My old representation was sending me out for parts that were way to young for me (sorry, but 13 is really a stretch), Actors Access was dried up like an old biscuit, and it felt like I would be 90 before I ever saw any footage from recent projects .

But frustration isn’t always bad. It pushed me to take some risks, make some changes, and things have really turned around. I set out this year with the goal to book 1-2 Guest Stars on a TV series; I’ve already met my goal and the year isn’t even half over.

Almost two weeks ago, my first guest star on a major television network aired. Exciting? Yes. Nerve-wrecking? Definitely.

For the first 30 minutes of the episode, even after seeing my name in the opening credits, I couldn’t help but entertain the idea that they might have cut me. It’s a valid fear, and I’m sure most actors have this worry– you never know what will go to the final edit.

But sure enough, 30 minutes in, they kept my scene! (They did cut a few lines, but the majority of it was there.)

It was really sort of surreal. I mean, I’ve been working hard at this, giving it 100%, and it was just… cool. Cool to finally be one step closer and see that the work is paying off.

A few days after it aired, I posted a new reel to my site. Which will have even more new footage once Superseeds and “Red Scare” release. More updates on those hopefully soon…

In the meantime, here’s a little reminder to everyone else chasing their dreams to celebrate their wins. Celebrate and enjoy all the steps along the way. The ups make any down worth it.

———————————————————————————

Tagged Acting, actor, Actors, actress, be successful, break in, break through, breaking in, change, changes, credit, dream, dream chasing, dreams, exciting, Film, follow your dream, follow your passion, frustrated, frustration, goal, goals, guest star, guest stars, Hollywood, jennifer love hewitt, Los Angeles, making it, meet goals, passion, positive, risk, risks, stuck, success, television, The Client List, TV

Apr 01 2012

4 Comments

Acting/Producing

Self Starter: Nia Vardalos

You talk to any one in the film industry, and they will tell you: it is hard. It is hard what we do as actors, and it takes a long time. You hear so many stories of A-List actors who didn’t get their big break for 10 or 15 years… but they stuck it out, kept working at it, and made it.

Personally, patience has always been a trait I struggle to embrace, and I know many actors (if not most) can relate to this. We spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for the next audition, booking, and sure, you even get on set and shoot something, and then you find yourself waiting again for it to be released.

I think that’s why the actors who take matters in to their own hands and create projects stand out. I just love that attitude. We all know it is hard to break in, so when people are just like, “hey, I want to be working, so I’m going to make my own work”, I applaud them.

That’s why Nia Vardalos is cool.

I was browsing through The Daily Actor, an actor-friendly news source I visit regularly, when I stumbled upon an interview with Miss Vardalos. I didn’t recognize her name off the bat, but as soon as I started reading, I realized she was the writer/actress from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Apparently, she was so frustrated that she couldn’t get work in Hollywood, that she decided to write a screenplay, and when she couldn’t get her screenplay read, she decided to turn it into a one woman show.

I didn’t wait for the phone to ring, anymore, I created my own work in Hollywood, and I got on stage and did my own show. So what I learned was that the goal was to get the screenplay made, but the experience of it made me creatively satisfied.

After good reviews, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks ended up seeing her show and suggesting she make a movie out of it.

If I had not had that screenplay written who would have known where Tom and Rita’s minds would have been in six months… The fact that I had the screenplay with me made a difference. I tell people all the time, take your acting classes, get your headshots ready, have one in the car all the time, you don’t know when you are going to run into Quentin Tarantino.

Um, so cool? I think yes.

And in one final piece of advice:

So sometimes you have to tell yourself that the frustration that you are going through is because sometimes there is something bigger around the corner. So don’t get down and keep your mind open.

Words of wisdom.

I am totally inspired by her story and hope to follow in the footsteps of Nia and other successful self-starters, like Brit Marling , Tina Fey, and Miranda July.

And to any one with doubts; if movies are truly you’re calling, don’t give up. Be prepared and make things happen for yourself.

Read the full interview at: http://www.dailyactor.com/2012/03/nia-vardalos-actress-interview/

———————————————————————————

Tagged Acting, actor, actress, breakin in, brit marling, daily actor, directing, Film, Hollywood, independent film, interview, Los Angeles, luck, miranda july, my big fat greek wedding, nia vardalos, preparation, Producing, Rita Wilson, self starter, struggle, success, tina fey, Tom Hanks, TV, waiting, work, working, writing

Feb 07 2012

4 Comments

Acting/Producing

Thank You, Jane Lynch.

Today, I bought Jane Lynch’s autobiography Happy Accidents, and opened it up to these words of gold:

If I could go back in time and talk to my twenty-year-old self, the first thing I would say is: ‘Lose the perm.’ Secondly I would say: ‘Relax. Really. Just Relax. Don’t sweat it.’

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t anxious and fearful that the parade would pass me by. And I was sure there was someone or something outside of myself with all the answers. I had a driving, anxiety-filled ambition. I wanted to be a working actor so badly. I wanted to belong and feel like I was valued and seen. Well, now I am a working actor, and I guarantee you it’s not because I suffered or worried over it.

… Turns out I just had to be ready and willing to take chances, look at what’s right in front of me, and put my heart into everything I do. All that anxiety and fear didn’t help, nor did it fuel anything useful. Finally releasing that worry served to get me out of my own way. So my final piece of advice to twenty-year old me: Be easy on your sweet self….

Thank you, Jane. Twenty-year-old me appreciates the advice. And I am excited to read about the rest of your journey.

———————————————————————————

Tagged Acting, advice for actors, anxiety, auditioning, fear, happy accidents, Hollywood, Jane Lynch, Los Angeles, relax, struggling

Jan 07 2012

2 Comments

Acting/Producing

Self Promotion

I’ve never really sent post cards. Except for like 1 week randomly. I always just sort of expected that they got thrown in the trash.

But with Superseeds and Red Scare coming up in the next few months or so, I want to be ready to reach out, both to established connections and people I want to work with.

I started doing some digging, and what did I find? Casting directors (with blogs!) who wrote whole articles on the art of post-carding. Sweet!

And let me say this right up front. Yes, ultimately we toss them. Ultimately we toss your headshots, too. That’s just practical. I can’t store all your headshots in a warehouse forever. You send us your materials. We consider you. Eventually we toss your materials in the trash. Nothing personal… If someone looks interesting and I like their resume I might pull them out and put the post card with my submissions…

– Mark Sikes, “Post Cards“

… success because a relationship went from stage one (she knows me but I don’t know her) to stage two (now I’ve seen her commercial, so I know her work, but I don’t know her name so it’s not terribly helpful yet) to stage three (I’ve gotten her postcard, so now I know her work and her name) to stage four (we’ve met in person and now I know she’s not a “whactor”…

– Bonnie Gillespie, “Cross Pollination“

And not just that, but both Bonnie Gillespie and Mark Sikes have blogs dedicated to helping actors, with tons of secrets and tips:

Bonnie’s blog: The Actors Voice

Mark’s blog: The Casting Corner

I also highly suggest checking out Bonnie’s article “The Delicate Art of Self Promotion”.

———————————————————————————