Starving Actor Blog

The Emptiness of Success

2011-10-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

When I was reaching toward that first big plateau of success as an actor, I was motivated, focused, excited, and working as hard as I could to get there. But once I got to it, it wasn’t the feeling of satisfaction I had imagined that it might be.

I had spent my first 3 years working my way up from the very bottom, doing every crap paying job that came along. Many of them for $100 or $300 buy-outs, and some even for no pay, just to get the credits I felt I needed to be qualified to work in the bigs one day. That was my dream as an actor.

I finally got enough credits, moved on out to Hollywood, and landed a decent talent agent. I felt so honored to just be able to say to myself, “I am competing for jobs with the very best in the world”. It was a huge accomplishment for me. But I still had bills to pay. Getting that first big paying job eluded me for about a year longer. It was a national commercial campaign for a fast food chain. There were only 2 actors in the spot, a former big western movie star, and myself. All of a sudden, I was appearing on TV over 20 times a day in front of 20 million people. What a rush that was. I remember when I booked the job, that I threw my arms up in the air, like I was “Rocky” or something. But it wore off very fast. Then, after I saw it air a couple of times, the thrill was over.

I think all actors, musicians, people in competitive careers, and even politicians, dream of success, and why not? It’s a logical goal to strive for. I never quite understood why it was that each time I achieved a new level of career success, I was left with a little blankness. It was a sort of stale feeling of emptiness, and an “okay, I got there, now what?” I didn’t quite understand it, and it didn’t make sense to me. I worked my A$$ off, I was focused, determined, shook off all the detractors, rejections, humiliations, and being made fun of. But when I got there, of course there was always this short period of euphoria. But shortly thereafter, I was left with this odd sort of empty feeling each and every time. Was I just an unhappy person? Was nothing ever enough?

Of course, my focus was to get the job. All through the years, that was my goal. Doing the actual acting work was fun, and exciting, not to mention that it paid very well. Then I would see my work air on TV again and again. Some of it ran for years. But it was almost an anti-climactic feeling. I wasn’t as happy as I thought I should be, and I couldn’t quite understand it. I had reached success, and was left feeling empty almost immediately after the job wrapped.

Each time, in my mind, I thought I had succeeded, so why this uneasy feeling about having gotten there? This is what I worked toward, right? I had succeeded, why wasn’t I jumping up and down? And why did this “flatness” set in shortly thereafter? So I would lift my head up, let it go, bear down, and move on to the next job. But every single time, that feeling I craved so badly faded very fast, once I had gotten to that perceived point of success, which was booking the big job. I had achieved what I thought was my goal, and maybe even attained some notoriety among casting directors, and even my actor peers. Maybe that success wasn’t large enough., and I just needed a lot more of them.

I figured that maybe I just hadn’t set my success goal high enough, so I would quickly move on, and get back to work focusing all my energy on the process of getting that next big job – I’ve got to work, and achieve that next success, so I could feel it again. I wanted to feel that satisfaction again. Or so I thought. After all, as an actor, that’s our job description, to get job interview after job interview. Sometimes it was 4 or 5 days a week.

This same scenario repeated itself over and over for 20 years. And there it was, after each booking. I had reached that success plateau or goal, and that blank emptiness feeling would set in almost immediately. I figured that this was just the way it was for life as a working actor. No matter how many successes I had achieved, it never lasted and it was never enough. As Mick would say, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”

I began to understand why so many actors and musicians would turn to substance abuse. Many of them would enjoy much greater successes than I, but many of them would end up on drugs, or end up in various states of depression. How can this be? Isn’t success the real goal? I have been working consistently and earning a living as an actor. I was doing what I always dreamed of doing for over 20 years…is this not what I dreamed of, and isn’t it how I define success? I thought not, and was never satisfied no matter how many big jobs I booked.

I was discussing this whole life question of mine one time. Then a wise, caring acquaintance of mine, stopped me, and asked, “When are you the most happiest, career wise?” It’s a simple question that I never stopped and asked myself. I thought about if for a few minutes, and said, “I am the happiest when I am working hard, and trying to pursue the next success.” But when I get there, I feel this blank emptiness. He said to me, “Don’t you get it? It’s the PROCESS of getting there that is the most fulfilling for you. Once you get there, there is nothing left. You got there. You reached what you were working so hard to accomplish, and now it’s over. It’s the process of getting the job that you crave. It’s like an addiction for you.”

It dawned on me that he was right. I was in my happiest state when I was working toward success. Once I had gotten there, the stale plateau of emptiness would set in again. All that work and focus was now over, I had done it. I realized that the process of getting TO each success was what motivated me. That’s what drove me, and made me happy.

In discussing this with another friend, who was not in the acting bysuness, she said that it is true for all professions. "Success" is a vague concept, so we try to define it in terms of specific goals. Job titles, material possessions, salary, or whatever we think it means for us. Then, when we achieve those goals, it is a rush and then an emptiness. Because a goal is not a single objective, it is one of a series of chapters in our lives.

That was a real kick in the brain for me. All of sudden, I was able to put my entire acting life, and career into better perspective, and I understood what it was about show business that motivated me, drove me so hard, and what I really enjoyed about it so much.

When I started out as an actor, my dream was to work and be successful. I think that’s what many actors work toward. But in reality, it was all the hard work, and the process of getting there that really made me enjoy my acting life.

It’s rather difficult for me to share this story, because it’s very personal. It may even sound foolish to you. But if what I say here can help just one person with similar struggles in life – well…then it was worth it.

Stand Up Comedy As Acting Lessons & Audition Training?

2011-08-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

I never really wanted to be a comedian, I wanted to be an actor who could do comedy well, and I wanted to improve my acting, and auditioning skills. That was my mindset going into stand up back in the mid 80’s.

Doing stand up can lead to other good paying jobs, but more importantly, stand up comedy helps us get used to performing in front of people, as well as helping with auditioning. We need good comic timing, good improvisation skills, not to mention getting over any stage fright issues as quickly as possible, so we can advance in our career.

I don’t think you really do ever get completely over stage fright. In fact, if you do, I think you lose your performance edge. Even after many years, I would be feeling it every time, moments before going out on live TV, or on stage. I learned there is a razor thin line between fear, and excitement. All I had to do was tip it the slightest amount towards excitement, and the fear was gone. When I found myself in that situation, I would say to myself, “I am excited to go out there and do this!” I learned to channel my fear into excitement.

Just to fast forward here for a bit, when I got out to LA, I used to love hanging out on the patio at “The Bean”. (coffeebean.com) It’s a popular small chain of café’s that many actors and creative types go to and network. After an audition, a gig, or out making the rounds, I would usually stop in there to chill out.

Anyway, one day I was sitting there with a few other actors sipping some “tender coffee”. (That’s coffee with a little too much steamed milk and other flavors added in to it.) Anyway, the subject of doing stand up comedy came up. One of the actors sitting with me commented, “I tried doing it once, and it was the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had in show business”. “I never felt so all alone, and I will never ever do it again!” I shared the story below about my first stand up comedy experience that you are about to read. After hearing about that, he realized that his first time wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. We shared a good laugh over the whole thing. It is kind of funny now, but not so much at the time!

I explained how awful it was, but I managed to shake it off, got back up on my horse, and kept doing it. That, yes, attempting stand up is terrifying, but the more I did it, the more comfortable I was getting performing in front of live audiences. When I got up the second time it got a little bit easier, and as I kept trying it, it did get easier, and I did get better and better, more confident with it. But mostly it was about overcoming my own fears, and how much it helped me to improve my auditioning skills. That first time is always the worst, go into it expecting to fall flat, because that’s what probably will happen.

He rented a few instructional DVD’s and got back up there. A few months later, I saw him perform at an open mic night, and he did quite well. He came over and sat with me, and thanked my profusely for encouraging him to get back out there and to continue doing it. He mentioned that he had booked a very nice job, and that the stand up helped him to nail an improv commercial.

Having a set list of jokes can help you, kind of like how a band will have a set list of songs they are going to play. It helps you to remember where you are in your material if you get lost. When you are new to this, sometimes we can just go blank and forget all our material. The unexpected things do happen, it throws you off, and this is good practice for you in the world of real auditions.

Pulling a set list out of your back pocket is considered kind of tacky, and it’s a sign of a hack by most comics. But having one when you are getting started out is a good idea, to help keep you on track. I got to the point where I didn’t need it, but having it in my back pocket, just in case, built my confidence. We aren’t there to impress all the other comics anyway. We are there to improve at it, most of them know this, and have probably done it themselves at one time or another. Later on, you will find that you don’t need that set list anymore.

For most of us, the hardest part of acting, is auditioning well and getting hired. Stand up probably helped me to audition the most. Even though I had no real desire to be a stand up comic, I knew that it would teach me to improvise better, and help me with my auditioning skills. For me, the actual acting part of a job was pretty easy. I would just play myself most of the time, and imagine I was that character, in whatever the situation was. Having a good imagination and plenty of life experiences to draw from is a big part of this.

Many of the stand up comedy clubs now offer courses in learning how to be a stand up comic, so you might check into that also. These days, you can easily find DVD’s on how to be a stand up comic pretty inexpensively. Maybe look at one or two of those first.

Stand up has become so popular over the years, because the club owners only need a microphone, a sound system, some chairs, and that’s about all it takes. It’s a whole lot cheaper than hiring a band is. So comedy clubs are popping up everywhere now. Most of them have an open microphone or “mic” night. Many have a small cover charge or a 2 drink minimum now. That’s probably my fault, as you will read here in a few moments.

Consider trying your hand at stand up comedy. For me, it was the best auditioning training, as well as free acting lessons. That was why I first got into it in the first place. I didn’t want the life of traveling around the country as a stand up comic. My passion was acting. I couldn’t afford the money to take acting lessons, and I knew I would need to develop good comic timing, and be fast thinking on my feet to audition well. It really strengthened my improvisation skills, and helped me to deal with that unpredictability factor.

Of course sometimes you get the hecklers, curve balls, the unexpected, that type of thing happens. It’s all good training for you as an actor. You also learn how to write comedy. You don’t have much choice unless you are Milton Berle or something. That’s why I tried my hand at it. It was free training in the most brutal of ways. Figure it like this…if you can cope with a room full of other hostile comics, then when you go on an audition with a room full of people in there, it seems like nothing compared to that.

I wasn’t good speaking in front of people. I didn’t even like reading a report out loud in high school, so I knew I need to work on this.

I bumbled my way into it all right. I was cocky, and I figured I could just get up there and slay the audience with no real preparation. I wrote up a bunch of what I thought was very funny material, and then hit up the local open mic night all excited to wow the crowd. When my turn came up, I went up there and at first everyone was laughing at me. It was a great start. My first joke was hysterical, and I was on a roll…for about 30 seconds. Every single thing after that bombed badly. It was awful. Not a single laugh, everything fell flat. The silence was deafening.

The five minutes I was stuck up there alone seemed like it went on forever. Near the end of my time, people were saying things like, “Get out of there!” “You suck!” It was pretty ugly. I had an egg in my hand and accidentally dropped it on the stage carpet. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking. Worst of all, I really was doing my very best up there.

Like a bonehead, I had invited family members, and most of my friends, to come see my performance. My parents had passed away at that time, but I did have some cousins, and relatives. Talk about being humiliated. Even my family members split half way during my act. They were like, “We don’t know this guy!” I got stuck paying the tab for them, and I got thoroughly bitched out by the management afterwards. This was bad.

My very best friend named Tom was there, and he was a little bit too buzzed. He was a pretty big guy in stature, and he felt so bad for me, that he took it out on the comedy club john. He went into the bathroom, and completely destroyed it. I mean he knocked the hand dryers off the walls, he smashed up a urinal, broke the toilet seats, and tore that place to pieces. (He was able to dash out the front door before anyone caught him.) I had no idea that this was even going on until later on in the evening. He tore that club up for me, because of my hurt up there. Talk about a display of friendship.

The cops showed up of course, and when I saw what he did I was like, “Hey I don’t know who that guy was.” “He must be somebody with a good sense of humor.” That was probably the best line I had of the night. I never shared this story with anyone except my later to be wife. She stuck with me even after that. There’s true love for you. I knew I had found the right woman for me. A few years later, I asked her to marry me, and we have been happily married for 22 years.

I did manage to shake that entire first stand up comedy experience off, and get back up on stage about a month later. But, it was at a different club. A few months after that, I went back to that original comedy club when I had some semblance of a routine put together. I apologized for my amateur mistakes the earlier time to the management, and they were nice enough to let me back up on stage again. They did keep a VERY close eye on me though. They were all lined up in the back watching my every move. It was a bit tense, but before long I was there on a weekly basis. I did mange to get back up on my horse.

So my recommendation is obviously to watch a few instructional stand up comedy DVD’s, and get some practice first. Maybe take a class or two at an adult educational center, or something like that, before you just dive up there unprepared like I did.

Looking back, stand up did help my auditioning skills a lot. Absolutely nothing scares me anymore after being on stage in front of people who aren’t in the mood to laugh at your material. (Most of the time at open mic’s the crowd is just other comics, and their friends.) Now the pressures of an audition seem like a cake walk. Call up your local comedy club and see about their open mic night, because I’m sure you are totally psyched about it now.

Seriously though, the more I did it, the better my audition skills got. Be realistic about it, and keep things in perspective. You’re going up there to better your acting skills, timing, and maybe see what you can do. You might end up liking it. I did, even after that. I love doing stand up, it’s a tremendous thrill when you do well and you are bringing laughter and joy to people. Especially the way the economy is right now. People need a laugh now and then, even if it is at you. It’s still depressing when I write a routine that falls flat though. Sometimes the same exact routine will bring nothing but laughter, and with a different crowd another time, it will fall flat. Go figure.

When I got to LA, I discovered that casting directors, talent scouts, and show producers go to comedy clubs to scout for talent. I guess they figure if you have the courage to “tough it out” by yourself up there, you are probably good enough to consider hiring. I was able to get a few jobs that way. Think about all the comedians that have starred in their own sit-coms over the years.

Even though I didn’t really want to be a comic, I felt it was important for me to only do “clean” comedy. I admit it’s a whole lot easier to get up on stage, drop a few F-Bombs and get some cheap laughs. The networks, casting directors, and industry professionals are not going to be all that impressed if you do that, because anyone can do it. That doesn’t work very well on TV either. (Well, I guess it does on a few cable networks.) Writing and doing clean humor is a LOT harder. Most often, it’s the hacks that get out there and use lots of expletives.

The older, classic comedians couldn’t even come close to saying anything profane on radio or TV. Granted some of them had writers, but many of them did not. Study a few of them, and watch how they moved, their timing, and expressions. Watch how they use voice inflection, gestures, and how they wait for the laugh. My suggestion is to learn how to do clean comedy if you want it to help you advance, unless your persona is going to be like “Dice Clay” or something.

Jack Benny was one of my favorite comedians. Many of the comics to follow imitated many aspects of his original style. His radio and TV career spanned a thirty year period starting in the late 1930’s. He created this stage persona that was brilliant. I used to study his old TV shows, and watch how he could get this amazing thunderous laughter with just a simple expression, a gesture, a single word, or a long pregnant pause. He had these dead pan facial expressions, gestures, and this comic timing that was unbelievable. He could sing, dance, and play the violin very well, but the stage persona he presented, thought it could, but couldn’t. He was able to pull off appearing untalented like nobody else could.

He created this character for himself that he was a pompous stingy miserly cheapskate, that was also an insecure and untalented braggart. All of which wasn't true in real life. Even though that was his stage persona, it was also an endearing, very likeable, and even admirable character that he played. It even possessed a certain kind of vulnerability. His on stage persona never was allowed to grow over the age of 39. He was 39 for 20 years! LoL. The rest of the cast would work off of him, and he would usually be the brunt of the joke. It was a brilliant stage character persona. He was also one of the first to break down racial stereotypes. You can often catch a few of his classic TV shows on the cable channel, “Retro” on Sunday nights, and also on a few other channels.

I remember watching an interview where he said, “Everything good that happened to me, happened by accident.” Sometimes that’s just how it goes in comedy, and in the acting business.

Here are a few tips on doing stand up that I learned the hard way, and also a few I figured out over time from watching other comics perform. I noticed that almost all of them fall into one or more of these categories, and adjust their personas to fit. One thing to do is experiment, try a few out, and figure out which style fits you the best.

Here are a few of the more basic comic style examples: “I’m a Victim”, “The Poor Me Syndrome”, “Sarcastic”, “Angry comic”, “Shy and Timid”, “The Opinionator”, The Impressionist”, “Prop comic”, “Egocentrical”, “Political Humor and/or Satire”, “Doing Characters”, “Song parodies”, and the “Observationalist”. I’m sure there are a few more, but those are most of the styles I observed, and at least it gives you an idea. I think the best approach is to add a few of those different elements into your stage persona as it evolves.

Whatever you choose to do, don’t overdo it, just be yourself, and act naturally. Audiences can tell when you are overdoing it. Most all good comedy is based on truth, and emotion, so if you are dishonest out there on stage, they can sense it. Use your truth, and it will likely become the basis for your persona and material.

Try to incorporate your life experiences and individual personality, that’s what makes you unique. Your quirks, delivery style, timing, and finding your “voice”, are things that come form experience. And you get that from doing this a bunch of times. Find out what works for you, and what does not. Believe me, it’s pretty easy to find out when something isn’t working! We are all different, and trying to discover your own comedy stage persona is a good first goal.

I think the hardest part of doing stand up is the writing part. That’s why so many comedians have a writer, or even a team of writers. There’s only one way to get better at writing. You keep on writing, shaping, and editing, and then write some more.

Writing materiel that creates funny visuals in the audience’s mind with words, always worked well for me. And if I could make them feel an emotion, that helped to get laughs also. We as comedians, always over exaggerate things to make them funnier. “I had to pee this morning for like an Hour!”

If you can manage to create funny sounding words or sayings, that works also. The “callback” is a common but effective gimmick to use in your routine. That’s where early on in your comic “set” you do a bit, and then later on you recall it as part of another bit. When we perform, we want to be living in the moment, and not living in the present. There is a big difference between the two.

The opening ten seconds of your routine sets the tone for the rest of your entire act, and for the audience, so it needs to be strong. You need to grab on to them early on, or you are screwed. The ending of your show needs to be strong as well. You want to leave them laughing, and wanting to hear and see more from you.

Anyway…here’s an example of how doing stand up led to some good paying work. I started doing it mainly to sharpen my comic timing, and deal with the unexpected. I got to the point where I was pretty respectable at it, but not great consistently. I didn’t want to just write a routine, and do it over and over. I just didn’t want the lifestyle as a comedian. I had gotten to know a lot of them, and I knew pretty much what the road life and touring was like. Plus I toured for a little while with a few R & B, and rock bands. So what I liked to do was write a new routine each week. It's pretty risky. Because sometimes I would tear it up, and other times I would totally bomb out. I just felt like doing the same routine over and over was boring. That’s not what I was up there for anyway. Believe it or not, bombing out is a positive thing, because it helps you to improve. It just feels like crap at the time.

When you are lucky enough to get some critique or criticism, it’s easy to get defensive, or feel negative about it. Try to remember what it was, and use it to help you improve the next time. Usually it’s meant to help you do just that anyway. There are occasions where it can be a bit vicious; we have to just shake it off.

One time at this big name comedy club in LA, they were having this big comedian contest with a big prize. It was a guest starring role on a popular sit-com. Man that's a sweet prize. I did my very best, but I just wasn't on that night. Sometimes that’s just the case. I was a little out gunned also, most all of the best comedians in town were in there trying out as well.

I knew I hadn't done well, and I was feeling pretty awful as I left the club. Another popular TV show happened to be auditioning comedians on camera outside the club in the parking lot for something. Some guy who had seen me in the comedy club saw my performance, and followed me to my car and asked me to audition. I really didn't feel like it, I was feeling like $hit. But I was flattered I was even asked to do it. So I shook it off, and did a few of my stand up bits.

The policy of this particular show was to tape you, and if the producers liked it enough, and aired it on the show, then you would get union scale, if you were in the union. If not, you got to be on TV, plus got a salad shooter, and some press on nails as a prize. Of course people will do just about anything to get on TV for free now! I'll be doggoned, because they had me on numerous times during two seasons of episodes. The show was “America's Funniest People”.

I was lucky enough to work on the classic Gong Show a few times also. They had to really like your gag if you were a union member, because if they used you on the show it paid union scale for the day. At the time these kinds of shows were advertised in the trade papers like Dramalogue, and Backstage West. (I believe The Backstage paper later bought out the Dramalogue). And you could audition for it without an agent, once a week right at the CBS TV City Studios on Beverly Blvd. You would just write up your own comedic sketch, or routine, and go audition for the show. You were allowed to do two different bits at the audition. I was able to get on there about a half a dozen times out of about twenty tries. Working on that show was an absolute blast. Getting “gonged” was hilarious, and that show is among some of my fondest memories.

These kinds of TV shows were a great way to supplement our income, and we could do them on our own with no agents. I would run into a lot of other character actors over and over at these auditions, and it was kind of funny. In the holding area, we would have these unusual conversations waiting to audition, "So, what did you come up with this week Charlie?" "I'm going to be Jaque Cou-strap this week." The guy played the piano and sang a parody song with a jock strap over his face. Murray, the unknown comic was one of my favorites. He was always very cordial, and supportive to the rest of us. Not to mention funny. He even sat in the audition holding room area with that paper bag over his head. The guy was a crack up. He was one of the innovators, (cool), not someone who copied the others, (hip). He got to the point where he was so popular, he didn’t even need to audition, they would just put him though once he showed up.

Obviously, doing something like this was not your normal kind of a job. When you were hired for the Gong Show, you would hang out in this huge lunchroom size waiting room with all these bizarre people in weird costumes and crazy props. They were all waiting to appear on the show also. What the producers did was shoot five episodes of the show at a time in one day, and it was on a Friday. So this huge room was packed with 100's of these crazy people, and all of them would be going berserk practicing. All of them going off, and rehearsing their routines, it was madness! It’s kind of like you see at the auditions and screenings for shows like “American Idol”, and “America’s Got Talent” or something. You’re in there with these huge crowds of people that are way too excited.

If you drew working in the last episode they were shooting, you could end up sitting there for hours. I felt a lot of sympathy for some of these people waiting to go on the show, because many of them really thought this was going to be their big break in Hollywood, and that they would get "discovered". Most of them ended up with their dreams crushed, getting Gonged up big time. Some of them were just delusional about their talent, and were genuinely devastated when it happened to them. Some people that couldn’t even sing a single note in tune, must have gone through life with everyone telling them what a great singer they were. I always wondered when I watched the earlier version of the show, if some of these people really were “for real”. As it turned out, a lot of them were. It really did happen, and I felt kind of bad for them when reality finally arrived for them. You see it to a certain extent on the Idol, and at the AGT auditions.

Most of us "regulars" just wanted to get on the show, do something funny, and then get gonged out. Then after the gonging, we would get to crack a comical joke with the host. That part was always improvised, so you never really knew what the host was going to say. You had to have a few things ready to go, or be fast on your feet. The show was taped in front of a live audience, so it was a bit of a rush. Some of us live for this stuff.

That was it for us, just get on the show, do a comic bit, get gonged, and get a decent day’s pay. One of my best lines after I was gonged was when the host said to me, "Well, the panel gonged you." (Weird AL got me that time) I quipped back, "That's okay, and I’ve seen better panels on the interior of my Chevy van." It was a pretty good line, and everybody in the audience cracked up. Again, we got scale if you were union. If not, another salad shooter, and a case of cereal. I loved working on that show. Weird AL hooked me up later with Jeff Foxworthy to be the redneck on one of his shows. How cool was that? Being gonged isn’t all bad; it led to a few good jobs later on because he remembered me.

These days, when you do perform in comedy clubs, a lot of them can provide a DVD or video CD of your set. They also do charge you for it, (usually it’s in the $20 range), but it is worth its weight in gold. With most comedy clubs if you ask them for a video, they will do it for a price. Some even do it for free, as a gesture of support and kindness, after they get to know you. They know what we go through up there on stage, and after all, we are helping them put on a show. So asking for a video does work, after you have been there a few times. I always bring along a few blank DVD’s in my car, and offer to let them use it. Many of them have the facilities to record them, but often don’t have extra blank DVD’s. (Or are too lazy, and will say that as an excuse.) Once you have proven yourself, getting a video is a lot easier to do.

If you have a good stand up comedy clip you can use your actor demo reel, that’s a sweet bonus, and looks very good on there. If nothing else, you can watch how you did, and see what you can improve on, as well as remember what you did well.

If you are getting serious about this, at some point you are going to have to spend some money and get with a good acting teacher or coach. Something to keep in mind, is that many failed actors end up becoming acting teachers. I think finding an acting coach is a better idea if you can find one near you. It just depends on where you live. The things I learned from acting coaches stuck with me more than the things I learned in acting classes did. As a newer adult actor, some of these acting classes can be a little bit intimidating and even overwhelming for you at first, but dig in, and try to hang with the rest.

In some areas of the country, there might not be any good acting coaches near you. So an acting class is really your only option, other than watching a few DVD’s. You need live acting training to grow as an actor. If you can find an acting class that is made up of other newcomers who are also serious about becoming adult actors, that sounds like a good class. You want to avoid the ones that are filled with dreamers, hobbyists, and people that are just dabbling in the field. Like I mentioned, most of them will let you sit in, or audit one of their classes first. Then you can make a more informed decision. Do some research first, and be sure you aren’t over paying for this, because it happens a lot.

A good coach will serve you better at that level. I learned more from them than I ever did with all the acting classes I took over the years. They tend to work with you individually, and on your particular weaknesses. That helps you to grow much faster as a professional actor.

These days, you don't have to rely on guess work anymore, or the opinion of one actor saying this is a good acting teacher, or on someone else. You can just do a search, and Google them and see what's up. Search your city and the key words "acting" and " teacher" or “classes”, and see what is around you. Look for reviews and opinions written about them, to help you make up your mind.

Talk to as many actors, and industry people in your area as you can find. I never took a class where the teacher wouldn't let me at least audit one of their classes first to see if it was right for me. If they won’t let you audit one, something's wrong. If you are starting out, or even experienced, you need to be constantly training and working on your craft.

I did community theatre when I couldn't afford acting classes, just to stay sharp. I still believe the best way to learn, is to do. We are all as different as our fingerprints, so no matter how much training you receive, you still have to adapt it to your own individual style and personality.

Try to figure out ways to get as much live improvisation experience as possible. Many of the smaller art centers, and adult education centers offer some inexpensive basic acting classes, and probably even some stand up comedy classes in your area. I took a few classes in adult education at a facility called The Learning Tree when I was in LA, and they were pretty good. They were taught by experienced actors, and/or comedians. They help you with a lot of the basics, reading scenes, auditioning, improvising, writing material, timing, and lots more. At the finish of this one comedy course the entire class went to a comedy club for a live performance.

If stand up is something you just plain don’t want to do, consider joining a comedy improv group. Most of them do cost money, but it’s worth it for the training.

At the end of the day, earning a living as an actor boils down to one thing: winning the job. I give you info about increasing your odds, and putting yourself in the best possible position to get hired.

I earned a living for two decades as an actor, and I just published my book about it. The things that worked, and the mistakes I made, that I learned tough lessons from. In it, I share ways to audition better by being more prepared, to gathering information that will help you get the edge on the competition, and book more jobs. I discuss common sense ways to acquire the best possible tools at the lowest possible costs. Things like how to have the most effective headshots, resumes, websites, and optimizing everything else including your online presence. I share low cost ways to get experience, and training. I mix in a few of my personal acting, and casting anecdotes that I hope you will find interesting and/or amusing. I priced my book low, because I wanted to share my experiences, and help fellow artists.

Please consider picking up my recently published 240 page book titled, "An Actor's Face, Audition, Casting Advice, And Anecdotes From A Working Actor". It's available for $5 only at the Amazon Kindle book store.

Lots of practical advice, casting, and auditioning tips for comedians, and actors who want to book more work. Also for actors who are making the big move to NYC, or LA, to pursue their dream as an actor, as well as for people who are thinking about breaking into the business.

Anyway, Break an Egg!

My Audition Routine For Commercial Castings

2011-06-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

When I got to LA, I had quite a few commercials under my belt, but I knew I needed to find a way to get a leg up on the competition. After a couple of months of auditions, I had met a few of the bigger commercial casting directors. I approached a few during off hours, and offered to intern for them. I wanted to get a little “inside baseball”, and see what their job really entailed. I wanted to see their day was like, and from their perspective. I also wanted to see if I could watch some of the other actors audition. I figured that would give me an edge.

I was honest and up front with them, I said, “I’m not trying to get on the inside track for auditions with you, I want to learn how your work day goes.” “I’m willing to work for free for a few weeks, do whatever grunt work you need done, and run your errands.” One of them said okay, if I was would keep my mouth shut, and stay out of the way in the audition room. So I got run pretty ragged doing all kinds of things, but I learned more from the experience of being in the audition room than from anything else.

I was amazed to see how many actors would come in unprepared. Some come in that had no idea what they were really doing. Some were arrogant, or had chips on their shoulders. Some simply couldn’t hear, and react to, direction when it was given to them. Some were just plain too nervous, and would start running their mouths unnecessarily. Many of them had their auditions deleted from the audition tape, and they never even knew it.

Then there were the professionals. They were the ones who stuck out like sore thumbs in the bunch. They knew exactly what they were doing. They listened to direction, and were just “in the moment” being themselves. They were letting their individual personalities out, following direction, and being creative. Those were the ones the casting director wanted the clients to see. It was a real wake up call for me.

In addition to that, I had no idea what casting directors go through in a “normal” day. They are fielding phone calls from producers, directors, ad agencies, and clients changing up the copy. They are auditioning actors all day long, often without even getting a lunch break. There are calls coming in form agents, and even actors who are going to be late. They are also dealing with breakdowns for other jobs, and have to make preparations to cast those. Their average day is utter madness. By 4 pm, they are pretty worn out. I never realized how much work they actually have to do. I figured they just sit there and audition actors. Knowing all of this was very helpful, because if I went on an audition and the casting director was a little snippy with me, I had a little bit better understanding why.

All of this taught me how to be able to “read” a room better when I walked into it. I became much more sensitive to what they go through. Most of the time, they are friendly and supportive to us. But if I came in a room, and they had some kind of negative energy going on, I didn’t let it affect me personally. I became one of the pro’s who walked in the room, listened closely, made strong choices, owned it, was always polite, and left the room promptly. I didn’t want to be that “deleted” actor.

So, summarized, here’s my commercial, and/or theatrical audition routine: When I get the call from my agent, the first thing I do is make sure I don’t have another audition conflict, or any direct product conflicts. If I have anything else non-acting related going on, I cancel or reschedule it. I want to always be that actor that when they call me, I will be there no matter what. If you are late to an audition; the casting director will figure if you are late for the audition, you might also be late to the set. So unless you have a broken leg, or a family emergency, no excuses, be on time. If something like that does happen, call your agent right away. Most of the time, your call can be rescheduled if it’s a real emergency.

Just as a side note, when I got my first smartphone, I noticed that when my agent called me for an audition, and that the sides were attached, I didn’t see any attachment. I was going to call them, but I figured it would be best not to bother them until I was sure. When I got home, I checked the email on my computer, and there it was. I spoke with a few of my other actor friends about it, and sure enough, some brands of smartphones don’t show the attachments. So check it out on your computer first, before calling your agent.

I do get some rush call auditions, but most of them are scheduled for the following day, sometimes two. I don’t know how it happens, but auditions always seem to come up around rush hour. They’re at 9 am, or 4:30 pm, where you would run right smack into it.

It’s rare, but if I do get to pick an audition time range, I go for the earliest possible time. For some reason the early actor tends to have a better chance at booking the role. I think they may just get tired after seeing the same thing all day. Go for early if you can pick an audition time.

Most of the auditions are scattered around a 25 mile radius in Los Angeles. So no matter how centrally located you may try to live, you often still end up with a long commute. They are where they are.

If the agent emails me the storyboard and script, I go over it and think of three or four different reads I might use, that may not be the first and most obvious ones. Then the next day I revisit them, and go over it again. How is the commercial’s message being conveyed? How do I fit into it? What is the product, and how are they selling it? If it’s a film, what’s the theme?

Most of the time, there are no sides beforehand. It is just a type they are looking for and I have nothing much to go on except for a time, and wardrobe suggestion. Often it’s just something very generic, like a construction worker, taxi driver, fisherman, or a dad in a polo shirt, etc.
Fine, I have lots of junk in the trunk, just in case they have gotten the roles mixed up. (It happens.) Maybe I might get to try out for a different role I think I might be better for, whatever it may be, I’m ready for it. I might also be able to get another audition for something else while I am there at the same facility I am going to visit.

Having various wardrobe changes with me, saved me numerous times. I also have plenty of extra headshots, different hats, and eye glasses, just in case. I’m ready to change it up completely if I need to. (If I do choose to wear glasses, I slate with them off, and put them back on for the reading. That way I can show them two looks.)

I make sure I am wearing no colognes or other heavily scented things, which some casting directors might be allergic to. Then I put on the most comfortable shoes I have, and suit up in my wardrobe for the audition. (Or I have it ready to do a quick change in the car when I arrive.)

I like chewing bubble gum. Always remember to take it out before you go in for an audition. Directors hate it when actors are auditioning and chewing gum. I got busted once, and that was it. I never made that mistake again. Plus, there was no place to spit it out, so I had to put it in my pocket. I forgot it was there, and my pocket was permanently gooed shut. What a mess. But it served as a good reminder.

I eat a small meal before I leave the house, so I’m not starving when I arrive. I don’t want my stomach to be growling. LoL. I have fluids like Gatorade, or bottled water, and some cough drops in the car for when I get there.

I leave early enough so that even with a traffic jam, I will arrive there at least 30 minutes ahead of my audition time. The same for call times on the set as well. Then I can get as much information as possible prior to my audition. They also might spring some dialog on me, and then I at least will have some time to work on it.

When I arrive, I take at least five minutes of quiet time just to gather myself, and calm down from the drive. If you like to say a prayer, or anything like that to help you get your mind right, then you have time for it then, and you can do so.

I stay away from drinking ice cold beverages, because it contracts, and affects my voice. I avoid anything with caffeine or sugar in it. Chocolate gives me a sugar rush that makes me appear to be nervous, so does caffeine. I avoid that, and any candy that is sour, or eating anything spicy before my call. My throat is part of my instrument, and I need to keep it in prime working condition. If anything, I take a honey cough drop 15 minutes before auditioning. I learned that one from a radio broadcaster.

I always go in way ahead of my call time, so I can gather some more information about the audition. I look at the casting area and size it up. I look at the sides for my part, and all of the other parts as well. If there is a storyboard on the wall I study that. If there are boards up for related spots they are casting, I study those as well. It gives me a better idea of the direction of the commercial campaign, and I might want to hint towards one of those.

If there is another spot they are casting at the same station, or another role I think I might be better suited for, I study that closely. I might want to wear an article of clothing, such as a mechanic shirt underneath my businessman shirt. Then I can easily transition in seconds to the other role if the opportunity presents itself.

I observe all the other actor types that are out there waiting to audition for my part, and try to speak with a few as they are leaving the facility. I try to gather any information about the audition that I can. Sometimes I need to talk with a few different actors to get some decent intel on the audition.

For example, how many actors are they auditioning at one time? How many times did they let you read for the role? Was it on camera? Is the casting director, or are the clients in the room? Was there a rehearsal before the audition? What did they have you do for it? Obviously, you are not going to get all that information from one actor, so I usually speak to a few, catching up with them as they walk out to their cars. This is why I need that extra arrival time.

I return to my car, digest all the information, make adjustments to my wardrobe, my look, and think about some different reads I might give. More often than not, I end up throwing all the reads out and go with something else when I get in the audition room. If my instincts guide me in a certain direction, then I go that way. But at least I am prepared to deliver something strong, if there is no direction given. Many times, there is none, and they want to see what you as the actor will bring to it. If they do give me some, I take it.

I make every effort to go into a room with nothing but a positive mindset. Anything that’s troubling me or negative, I push it out of my thoughts. I leave it at home, or in the car. To help me get into the right frame of mind, I say to myself, “I love, and approve of myself.” I repeat this three times. (And you have to really mean it!) As I do this, with my left hand, I tap my right hand area just above the thumb, right on the flat area where my hand meets my wrist. I just lightly smack it about six times with my left hand index and middle fingers pressed together. I learned this from a very close friend that is one of these “new age” types.

She explained that this is one of the body’s Meridian points. I thought to myself at the time, “Man this sounds like a pretty stupid idea.” But I went ahead and tried it at my next audition, and, as odd as it may sound, it helped me. I was always a bit self conscious, and it helped my state of mind. You have to learn to love yourself, and like who you are, as hard as that may be sometimes. So doing that is a part of my pre-audition routine. If there is something that I do, or try out and it works, I continue doing it next the next time at the callback. But I always go in ready to make adjustments. We need every edge you can get in this line of work.

When I get out of my car, I do some stretching up against it just like an athlete, or a jogger does. I want to get my body limbered up for a little acting exercise. I exercise my facial muscles and my voice a little also. Other actors parking and getting out of their cars nearby look at me and think I’m some kind of a nut, but I don’t care. I am there to do one thing, out shine the competition, and win this job.

When I do get in the room and sign in, I do everything I can to stay relaxed and focused until I get into the room. Sometimes we can be stuck waiting there to audition for as long as an hour or more, waiting for our call. I don’t get pissed off, or get an attitude about it. We are all in the same boat, some actors handle it better than others. As frustrating as it can be, I try to be disciplined, and just be patient. It is very hard, because it is almost always loud with all the other actors yakking away in there. Many are blabbing loudly into their cell phones, like this is some sort of a social gathering. It’s a job interview, and I treat it that way. This is all business.

About twenty years ago the “size sheet” appeared on the scene. Casting directors almost always have you fill one out before auditioning, and you give it to them with your headshot. It’s kind of annoying, because when you get a callback, they have you fill out the same stupid form all over again. The obvious things are on there, like your eye and hair color, weight, and various clothing sizes. Also your agent, your contact information, and if you have any conflicts on the product. Be honest about that one, you shouldn’t even be there if you do.

But at the bottom of the page there is usually this little box that says, “Are you willing to do extra work?” My advice is to don’t ever check yes on that one. Many times the producers want to hire you as a principal, but they know the rules, and might just use you as an extra on the job instead. (For more on this, read the chapter on unions.)

Sometimes for these auditions, we would end up sitting there for an hour or more. According to the SAG rules, if we are kept waiting longer than an hour, we’re supposed to be paid 30 bucks or some silly amount like that. But not many of us ever pursued it, because if you did…you probably weren’t going to get an audition for that particular casting director again. (And most of them know that.) So if they ran a little late, we just had to deal with it, and keep our mouths shut. This is not a battle that’s worth fighting, for thirty bucks.

Often when I am at my particular casting, they would also be casting two or more roles, or maybe even a series of commercials at the same station. I really liked the ones that would post storyboards on the wall for each one. It gives us a much better idea what the ad agency’s vision, or concept was. Many of them don’t, because some aren’t exactly sure what they even want yet. All of them would usually have a script for us unless it was just a “look” thing that they were casting.

I found that it’s important to study all of the roles I might be appropriate for, and even learn some of them, just in case. I can’t tell you how many times I was hired for a different commercial than the one I was actually there for. Especially at the callbacks, be sure to study all the parts. Often, after auditioning for the role I was there for, I would say, “I would like to give you a quick take on the other role for such and such”. Just don’t ever phrase it as a question. “Can I do it again?” Answer: “No.”

This one time I was there as a dad, and I saw they also were casting a car mechanic spot. That’s something I played a lot, so after the first audition, I pulled a blue mechanic hat out of my back pocket and put it on. I said, “If time permits, I would like to quickly read for the role of the mechanic”. It worked, and I got the role, so keep an eye out, and study the other things they are casting.

Trust your instincts, they will guide you. If you feel you are better suited for another part, you might be right. Plus, it gives you a chance to get more time in front of them. I found out that with many of these commercial campaigns, they only have a vague idea of what they want. If you walk in, and give them your interpretation of it, and nail it – you’re in. Some other spots are cast in stone, they know exactly what they want. If you can walk in the room, and be that image of what they had in mind, you’re probably getting that job.

I don’t want to create any kind of negative energy prior to going in for my audition, but if someone is overly loud for an extended period of time in my audition group, I will ask them to please tone it down a bit. I’m here trying to get a job. I try not to do this unless it is absolutely necessary, because some actors I’ve met at this level, have a real chip on their shoulders and don’t care about anyone else but them.

Most of the time, I tune it out any way I can, and stay focused on the job at hand. I use my mp3 player if need be, to white out some of the noise. The music I play is something instrumental so I can still stay into things, and not be overly distracted by it. (Back in the day, it was a CD player, and before that a cassette player!)

Other times to get away from noise, I will just walk away to the far side of the room so I can be alone. Even if everyone else in the room is loosing their heads, keep yours on. I don’t talk to the other actors, unless it’s a scene that needs to be rehearsed with a partner. Try to find a compatible one. As far as chatting with other actors, other than perhaps a quick reply to a question, that’s all I want to do. During my pre-audition routine and warm up I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to be rude to my peers, but I don’t want to be distracted, loose focus, or my concentration either.

If someone does want to talk with me, I just politely explain that I am focusing on my audition right now. I will be happy to speak with them afterwards. Some actors cop an attitude about it, but I am there to work. I move and find another seat if I have to.

Inevitably, at many auditions, you will hear someone loudly boasting about all the wonderful jobs they have done, implying how great they are and that you don’t have a chance against them. Some of them are just knuckleheads, but others are trying to get inside your head. They try and get you depressed and/or thinking that you can’t win against them. It can get to you if you allow it in. Don’t fall for that crap. It’s usually their intention, or they just need some attention, because they are probably weak themselves. Many of these characters can talk a big game, but in reality they probably haven’t done much of anything. Don’t let those big egos get to you in there. It affects your confidence, and your audition.

I’ve seen a lot of mind games, and attempts to intimidate others going on in the waiting room, especially at callbacks. Some actors will try to psych you out in the waiting room, and they love trying to do it. Some even get off on it. Unfortunately there are some people like that when you get to the professional level.

Other times it’s done in more subtle ways with things like glaring at you, or just body posture. If you are sitting there all nervous about it, and someone else is sitting there confidently, relaxed and ready to go, that’s not good for you. I admit, I have been in both of those seats. Solutions? The same as before, I turn on my mp3 player, or I go to another part of the room to get away from it. Mostly I just try to tune it out however I can, and get my focus back on.

I pay attention to the two actor’s names that are on the sign in sheet just before mine. Then I know about how much time I have before it’s my turn. It’s part of being ready, and prepared. I don’t want to be surprised, and not be ready to go in, when my name is called.

I’ve learned to breathe through my nose, and not through my mouth as much as possible. A doctor explained to me many years ago, that more oxygen can get to your brain that way. This helped me with auditioning a lot. I breathe like this until it is time to speak. As simple as it may sound, it takes some practice to do it. Normal breathing helps you to be more relaxed.

One way I learned was bicycle riding. I would close my mouth and breathe only through my nose. It’s hard at first, but if you practice it enough, you can master it. Many professional athletes do this to build up their cardio, and endurance. It’s a way to give your body more strength when you need it. Breathing normally under stress is a skill that takes a lot of work to master. Relaxation and breathing exercises help to keep my body centered, and grounded.

When I know it is about five minutes before my audition, if I’m sitting, I stand up and move around a little bit to get the blood moving and flowing throughout my body. Otherwise, I go into the audition a little flat, and with less energy, and by then it’s too late. (It happens after you come out of the room, and it’s not going to help you very much then.)

I look for a private spot and stiffen up each limb of my body really hard for a few seconds, and let it relax. I focus and think about that body part as I do this. I feel the muscles tense up, and then relax them one at a time. It helps to get my blood moving. I do this with each body part, my arms, my legs, my hands, my feet, my neck, and my abdomen. Then I repeat the process up to three times. It takes me two minutes maximum to complete this.

I also do some facial exercises to limber up my face, like making different expressions. Warming up my face is important because usually the audition involves expressions of some kind. I limber it up like I would before doing any other exercise. I stretch my lips a little, move my tongue around some, and limber up my jaw bones. People do give me some strange looks, but it’s what I like to do before going in. I look a little strange anyway.

Nobody can really see what you are doing, if you are discreet about it. You don’t need to move from a standing, or a sitting position. When I can, I prefer to stand. I find that doing this relaxes my body more, and I am more prepared.

When my name is called, I walk in confidently, set my briefcase inside the door, and head straight to the mark unless otherwise instructed. I don’t look down to see it, I can feel where it is based on the room, the set up, and the camera’s position.

They sometimes offer me a little direction, prior to an audition. I listen to it clearly, and give the logical analytical side of my brain a moment to digest it fully. That allows me time for my creative intuitive side to be freed up, to come up with something. But I have to listen clearly and absorb the direction. I take a moment to let it sink in and process it. Sometimes that is easier said, then done. Like I mentioned, so many actors aren’t able to hear direction, and act on it, in stressful situations. I give my brain a second to catch up to my body. I don’t ever rush it.

When they ask me to slate my name, I say it clearly, and with moderate projection. It does not tail up in pitch, or down, it is just a clear confident statement of my name. I am proud of who I am, and what I am doing. Without being asked, after a second or two, I turn right to profile one beat, then left for one beat, then back to center, and hold. A mistake I saw many actors make was to beam a fake smile or some other stupid expression after the slate. I just hold it with a look of confidence, but not arrogance.

The camera person will usually stop us after that, and then queue us to begin the reading. It gives the impression that I have been there so many times, that it’s a reflex.

There may be some direction before or after I slate also. I do the same thing, listen and absorb it, so I can follow it. I at least use it as a guideline. I may need to just toss out all the reads I had planned up to this point, but that’s okay. I was prepared a certain way, but I am ready for something else completely different if need be.

Sometimes when we are standing there on the mark, they will ask us if we have any questions about the audition, right up front. I am usually ready to go, but if I do have one, I ask. Sometimes I am not clear on something, and I ask. Better now, than screw it up and regret it later.

If they ask me if I would like to do a rehearsal first, unless I am feeling unclear on something, usually I say no. Unless I am feeling uncomfortable with my choice, or there are other actors auditioning with me, and I want to get a feel for blocking the scene, our timing, and chemistry, I will say, “No, I prefer to get right to it.” I came in that room ready to go, and I want to if I can. I keep my focus better if I can get right to the actual audition straight away. If I am with a few other actors I try to give them a nod to, “Let’s just do it.”

I find that my first take is almost always better than my second one in an audition situation, so I don’t want to burn a good one up, and loose it as a rehearsal. When I’m working on the set, of course, that’s a totally different situation.

I try to give a read that is not just a safe one, or the most obvious choice, unless I’m otherwise instructed. Most of the actors I saw audition, would take the safe or obvious read. I want to stand out from the crowd. I usually go with my first instinctive feel on it. I try to dig deep for a risky and different one that the others may not have thought of. More often than not, my first impression it is the best one. It took some experience to get there, and just trust my instincts.

When I finish the first read, if I have what I feel is another good take on the spot, or other spots, I say that I would like to do it quickly another way if time permits, and then I pause for reply. If it’s a no, I thank them and leave. If it’s a yes, I do it to it. If I get a chance to do a second read, I make the most of it. Often I will get some direction, casting directors and directors love an actor that can take some direction. If there is none, I try to have something completely different ready for them. Our job is to roll with it.

After I am done, I thank them for their time, and leave, (Not forgetting my briefcase on the way!)When I do leave, I try to let it go. This whole thing is now out of my hands. I did my best under the circumstances, and that’s all I can expect from myself. Even if I feel I made a mistake in there, I need to just let it go. It is time to focus on the next audition.

Just don’t ever try to “crash” a casting. Even if it looks completely disorganized, and you may think you can slip in unnoticed, they will find out later on from the tape. They also keep records of all the actors they are seeing that day. Asking to audition is okay, but crashing one really pisses casting directors off. I did it a few times at the nonunion and union level, and burned myself with a few casting directors as a result of it. Don’t crash, you will get busted and not even know it. It’s not worth the risk to your reputation.

When I get back to my car, I relax and process the whole thing for five minutes before starting it up to leave. I treat myself to something nice if I have the time. A decent lunch, some coffee, or just chill out in a relaxing spot for a little bit. It takes the edge off, and reduces stress a little. Then I head home, and try not to dwell on the audition, as tempting as it may be. What if I had done this? Or if I did that? Or, I should have done it this way…let it go. There’s nothing we can do about it, and beating myself up for a bad choice doesn’t help. Maybe it wasn’t a bad choice after all? Sometimes I think it was…and then I get a callback.

I try to keep things in perspective. There is no way to really predict what you are going to be asked to do in most any audition. Every one of these auditions is different. Even after auditioning for 1000’s of these, I can say that with confidence they are never the same. I can’t advise very much on the actual “acting” part for you. You need to find a good, and reputable commercial and/or acting teacher to get as much acting training as possible. Keep in mind that auditioning for commercials is an art form in itself. Film and theater training don’t help us much here.

All we can do is be as prepared as possible, know our material, be confident, ready to improvise, and make changes on the fly if we need to.

I hope some of this helps you out a little. If you would like to read the balance of this chapter, and the rest of my recently published 240 page book, titled, "An Actor's Face, Audition, Casting Advice, And Anecdotes From A Working Actor". It's available for $5 at the Amazon Kindle book store.

It is filled with lots of practical advice, casting, and auditioning tips for working actors who want to book more work. Also for actors who are making the big move to NYC, or LA, to pursue their dream as an actor, as well as for people who are thinking about breaking into acting.

At the end of the day, earning a living as an actor boils down to one thing: winning the job. I give you info about increasing your odds, and putting yourself in the best possible position to get hired.

I earned a living for 2 decades as an actor, and I share it all in there with you. From ways to audition better by being more prepared, to gathering information that will help you get the edge on the competition, and book more jobs. I discuss common sense ways to acquire the best possible tools at the lowest possible costs. Things like how to have the most effective headshots, resumes, websites, and optimizing everything else including your online presence. I share low cost ways to get experience, and training. I mix in a few of my personal acting, and casting anecdotes. I priced this book low, because I would rather you have the extra money for things like good headshots.

For more information, visit my site, ShannonRatigan.com

Actor Social Networking & Having An Online Presence

2010-06-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Is the internet going to get you discovered? Probably not. Will it help increase your odds of being seen? Yes it will, and looking ahead, it is the future. You don’t need to be a visionary to see that. I noticed the online casting and actor directory sites started appearing around 1998. There are a couple that were there at the beginning where an actor could create a free profile, add headshots, credits, etc. And happily, some of them still do offer that service which is pretty cool since most of us are broke. They are in business to make money, so they offer different upgrades, or levels, tiers of service. Things like adding your demo reels, getting agent, and casting director labels, more photos, casting notices, these types of things. As of now, June 2010, I think it will still be awhile longer before they can really make a difference in your career. But the search engines are making this more of a viable thing. As an actor, you need to figure out how to increase your odds of getting found, and market yourself as much as you can. That’s the intent of my blog post here.

Think about it for a minute. You’re a casting director who has 4 days to cast 5 roles for a feature film, or a commercial. Agents submit photos, they call in actors they like for the roles and have them audition. I don’t think anything will ever replace you having to audition. An online demo reel may get you in the door, or help you to land a good agent, but don’t expect it to get you a gig. I mean seriously, do you think many casting directors hire people after seeing their reels, or go looking for them? Most of them just don’t have the time to go searching through endless casting and actor websites. Out of 1000’s of auditions in Hollywood, I had two directors ask to see it before they would audition me. For me, the demo reel was necessary to get a good agent with.

The odds that a few agents or castings directors are right now searching places like YouTube, MySpace, FaceBook, MeetUp, Yahoo Groups and Tweeting to find that new face, or fill a role is possible, but the reality is that it’s very slim. It takes 5 minutes just to find and see the first 10 seconds of a given actor’s reel. It could take hours just to see 25 actor profiles. They really don’t have the time for that, unless they happen to be looking, and stumble upon you and are intrigued by something. That part is up to you. Make yourself as marketable as possible within a few seconds. As an actor, you are offering a product…you. Your agent gets 10%, so you need to do 90% of the work. Marketing yourself online certainly can’t hurt.

Now we live in a world of instant gratification in videos and social networking. Casting has always been that way. Most people who see a profile, or click on a video move on in seconds if they aren’t grabbed instantly by it. So that’s your goal. Increase the odds that somebody will find you in a search, and watch your demo. So here’s a few tips to get found by searches, agents, and casting director’s. Maybe they will consider you, and watch some of your demo reel.

I’m seeing more and more actors, comedians, and performers creating online profiles, and also getting on the bigger social networking sites because they can see that it’s the future. (or at least we hope it will be.) If you’re not a “name” actor, there’s a couple little rules of thumb you can do to increase the odds that people will find you. Some of you may know most of this that follows, but please bear with me for those who may not.

Keywords. It’s obvious, but it’s a key element. If you have a MySpace profile, (I think MySpace will make a comeback.), or a FaceBook, etc. Rather than just putting your name down only, add the word “Actor” after it. So if your name is Mildred Flapsaddle, make it Milderd Flapsaddle – Actor. If somebody is looking for an actor, you will likely turn up earlier in a search that way.

The same thing with your video demo, it’s even more important to include the word “Actor” or "Acting" in the video title. Adding the words “Demo Reel” is a good idea also, because that’s really what you want people to find…samples of your work. Some directors and casting directors might go to YouTube or MySpace type sites to look for actor reels. Those are keywords they might search for to narrow things down a little. You can add “tags” to your videos also, be sure to do that. Some examples of good keywords are: actor, acting, film, TV, commercial, comedian, improvisation, movie, demo, reel, your city, and etc. This will make it easier to find you ahead of many others. If you don’t have a reel of your work, try and create one for yourself. Do a scene, monologue, clip from a play, a comedy sketch, or something. Just try and make it as good as possible. You don’t want to look like an amateur out there. Replace it when you get some “reel” credits.

I think YouTube, and MySpace are great for actors, and performers, because you can put your demo reel up there free on both sites. You can pimp your profile out a little, add headshots, job photos, even add a blog with job stories. Be creative, you are an artist after all, and it shows some personality. There is a lot of other video sites you can upload your demo reel to, do a search for them. Keep an eye out for video or social sites that might have the potential to be growing in popularity. Once you have the video up, you can link and share them on other sites like FB, Twitter, etc. Many of the actor websites charge you to have your demo on there, so this is an economical way to do it. I guess if you have the money to pay for that, it might help with some of the more prominent actor websites. Prices vary a lot. I think under 10 bucks a month sounds reasonable if they offer you a decent looking functional actor profile.

This following is just my opinion. I like 2 actor websites that have been there pretty much from the beginning of the online actor websites. NowCasting.com and ActorsAccess.com As of today, (June 2010) they both still offer a free actor profile, if you register with them. It is a bottom level tier, but it is free. You can add a couple of headshots, some credits, partial resume, and contact info. These are some ways to have at least a basic actor’s website. I know there is a number of other sites out there like those, but these are 2 that I know of, and they have been around for 10+ years. Keep in mind, that they offer upgrades for a nominal fee. They are, after all, a business, and in business to make money.

If you are a SAG member, there is also the Academy Players Directory, and the Internet Movie Data Base. (You can set up a webpage for yourself if you have some credits listed on IMDb.) These do charge a fee, but it pays to advertise if you can afford it, and it can’t hurt to be in their searchable databases. I think many industry people use these much more than they did in the 1990’s.

You just need to be careful what actor sites you choose, because there are a lot of scammers out there looking to take advantage of actors trying to break into the business. Be sure to research anyone you are spending hard earned money on. It’s easy to get other actor’s opinions now, do a search, or ask questions on the actor newsgroups in your area.

Don’t forget about the more prominent photo sharing sites like Picassa, and Flickr. You can put your headshots out there. Yet another way to be found. Again, add a short blurb to each photo, as well as relevant keywords in the titles, and of course add the tags. I think as a general rule of thumb, that with these sites, the social networking and so forth, is that once you post something on the web, consider that everyone will be able to see it. Even though you might have the privacy settings the way you want them, I think it’s best to assume that anyone will be able to see anything that you post anywhere, anytime. We do want to get discovered, but it’s something to keep in mind.

You might want the general search engines to find you as well. On the ones like Google, you can set up a personal profile. I wouldn’t put too much personal information out there, or on any of the social networking sites. But you can make it an actor profile. You can add a Picassa photo gallery, a bio, a Blogspot blog, a YouTube video, even a link to your personal actor website. (Which I hope that you have. There’s no excuse not to have something basic out now.) This increases the odds that you might be found in a search. Just remember to add that word, “Actor”, or Singer, Dancer, Comedian, etc. if it applies.

So back to the social networking sites for a moment. You have to do exactly that, network, and add contacts. With sites like FaceBook, MySpace, Ning, and the growing numbers of other ones out there, it’s important to build up your friends, contacts, and industry related friends as quickly as possible. The more you add, the more effective it will be. As an experiment, try putting the word actor, or casting in the social site’s search box and see who pops up. That’s where you want to be, in the first 100 results. So add friends, join the acting groups, and the actor – acting related pages. On your status profile try to put useful, interesting, or helpful material out there if you can.

If you post uninteresting stuff just to look busy it turns some people off. And it’s even worse if you post too often. I think a once a week posting is plenty, unless something exciting is going on. If you start posting crap out there 3 times a day, you might start losing friends. Most people don’t care if you took the family to “zombie world, and have a new pimple on your butt”. Be serious about it. Talk about an audition experience or something, a new job photo, a casting you heard about that you aren’t right for, but someone else might be right for. Post whatever you can think of that is helpful, or interesting. Think about why you would like to look at someone else’s page. This will keep people wanting to come back an visit your site. If you offer something worthwhile, that’s the key to getting traffic to your profile, your page, and getting them to come back. Maybe it will even lead to a job, or a good opportunity. I hope it does. Best of luck!

My Favorite Film Directors & Breaking In To Acting

2009-04-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

Please check out my actor demo reel on YouTube to the right. You might get a few laughs, especially the pie in the face at the end. Having grown up watching the 3 Stooges I always wanted to do that, (and get paid for it to boot!).

When I think back to my most memorable experiences with film directors, those were the ones that asked us to get involved with the creative process. I mean, most of the time directors tell us what they want from the shot, we do it as quickly as possible so they can move on to the next shot. That's fine, that's our role really, is to do what we are told to do. Fine no problem. Most of the time I found myself just playing myself, and imagining I was in various situations, so the acting part was fun. What's hard is getting hired, and convincing someone to take a risk on you.

I had the honor of working with Mel Brooks on one of his last films as a bum. (Okay, as a homeless person) He not only treated us all with respect and compassion, but he paid everyone in the cast double scale without even our agents asking for it. Trust me, that doesn't happen very much. Anyway, when I worked with him, he came up to me and said, "Do you have any input or creative ideas for this scene?" We all love to be involved with the creative process if we are allowed to. I offered up a few suggestions, we tried a few out and used them. What an honor it was to work with this man. I have the deepest amount of respect for Mel Brooks. Some of his work is classic to me.

The other director that really stands out in my mind, was Peter Weir. We are out there on the set, it's total chaos, and he says, "Do you have any ideas for this scene?" Again I got to be a real part of the creative process. Many of these film directors will just yell and bark at you because they are obviously under a lot of stress. So we keep our mouths shut, do our lines, and do what they want for the scene. The ones that involved me in the creativity, are the ones I have the fondest memories of working with. Peter Weir was cool like that.

When it comes to television, I worked for Jay Leno for 8 seasons. He has to be one of the hardest working men in show business. On the days that I had an 8 AM call time, his car would already be parked outside the studio, (He drove what seemed like a different vehicle every day, and all of them valuable collectors cars. From Plymouth GTX convertibles to Bentley's. The list was endless.)

Anyway, he would stay there all day in his blue jeans, working on the comedy bits, taping segments, production, guests, rehearsals, etc. then the show would tape live for 2 hours at 5PM. A few more hours of post production, and then I guess he would try and wind down, go home, and come back the next day and do it all over again. This happened every day I worked there for the 8 years I was on the show. This man worked about as hard as I have ever seen anyone work in show business.

Again he was one of these guys that asked us for our input on the comedy segments. Ideas, suggestions, etc. We could even suggest ideas for future comedy bits with the writers. I loved working on that show, and have a lot of respect for the entire staff of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

I landed that gig, by just doing a mass mail out of head shots and resumes to all the AFTRA TV shows. Scott the talent coordinator just called me up one day, and said, "Would you mind being slimed by a Thanksgiving turkey spam float?" Sure no problem. That's how I got on the show, no agent was even involved. So you can get work on your own. Just sitting around waiting for your agent to call is not enough.

Times have changed a lot since the 80's. It was hard to get in to the union, you had to be hired for a speaking role first. So it was a catch 22. Now all you need is 3 union extra jobs and the fee to join. (Just don't do it too soon before you build up enough credits.) The other thing was that it was hard to figure out how to break in to the biz. All we could do was check out books in the library on the subject, do extra jobs, talk to other actors, do work for free to get tape for your demo reel, and try to build up that resume. That part hasn't changed very much, you still have to work your way up, and pay your dues. You do need to do some homework, and learn all about the biz that you can.

Now you can find lists of union and non-union agents and casting directors on the web, information on what you need to break in, and all sorts of other resources to help you. There is incredible news groups on acting sites like Google groups, Usenet, Ning, and Yahoo groups. You can ask answers to questions and get a nice average of responses to help make up your mind on something. With today's technology with a little work, you can whip up a good website, produce your own demo reel, a voice over tape, get a friend who is a professional photographer and do some digital head shots all on your own. You can crop and tweak them however you need to. You can even market yourself a lot easier now on the web with social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, MeetUp, etc. Lots of actors have them now, plus many have acting community groups on there.

I see a lot of online casting sites out there, and some that haven't been updated in 5 years. hmmm. And some others for a nominal fee claim they will get you in front of the entire world! And little Billy can be discovered! (Don't get me started on the Hollywood Moms thing. Some of those kids I'd see wanted to be there at auditions, and a lot of them really didn't. It bothered me how some of the parents would force their kids into this industry. Constant rejection is hard enough on an adult.)

The day before back in the day, we had to hire professional photographers, and to get 3 rolls of film and the negatives was a bargain at $300. Then you had to get 100 - 500 prints made. All of that stuff cost us a lot. I don't think the online casting has truly arrived yet, but it will soon. Most of it is still done the old fashioned way, with 8x10 head shots submitted by agents to casting directors. It can't hurt though to submit for online castings on your own, especially if you are trying to build up credits. Because you can't take on the big time in NYC or LA, unless you have the tools to compete with the very best in the world. To be honest, I only ever really used my demo reel to get an agent with. (But you do need that!) Only 2 directors in 14 years ever asked me to see it. They still want you to audition, most of them don't have the time to look at actor demo reels.

The problem getting agents or even auditions at the non-union level, is there is some scammers out there, who just want to get a fee for "registering" you as a client. And build up a big list of clients. Many of the online casting sites are mostly questionable at best to me. I think they are the future though. And even if you are starting out, and can only maybe get a non-union agent, be wary of anyone that asks you to use their photographer, or charges a registration fee of over $45. Many of them are legit, but some made a living by just registering as many clients as they could. $45 was my limit when I started out. (I'm sure it's gone up like everything else!)

There's even some agents that will recommend that you take acting classes with a particular acting coach. You might want to think twice about that agent. Heck these days, you don't have to rely on guess work, or the opinion of one actor, on a good acting teacher, you can Google them up see what's up. Search your area and the words "acting" and " teacher" and see what is around you. Talk to as many actors in your area as you can find. Lastly, I never took a class where the teacher wouldn't let me audit a class first to see if it was right for me. If you can't audit a class first, something's wrong. If you are starting out, or even experienced, you need to be constantly working your instrument. I did community theatre when I couldn't afford it just to stay sharp. I still believe the best way to learn, is to do. Get as much live improvisation experience as possible.

Try to find agents that represent union, and non union talent and register with them. Try to get local commercials, industrial films, print work, whatever you can. These places that claim to offer you the chance to get discovered, and seen by some major show or casting person? In my opinion, there is no real shortcuts like that. Wait until you see the fee for that service.

Im my opinion, you shouldn't have to pay at all, or very little to get a non-union agent, or it's time to move on to the next one. Figure 10-15% commission on a booking. 10% if it's union. They make money if you book jobs. Put your money into good head shots, and building up credits for your resume. That is your business card, and you need to market yourself like any other product. Local theatre, whatever you can find that you can get experience or videotape on. I did a lot of jobs for free to get credits. That's part of what you have to do. You can't pay your way into a job, that's unrealistic. You have to work your way up the same way everyone else does. You don't need to pay a lot to play.

Try to figure it like this, the agent will get you 10% of the auditions, so you need to go out and get the other 90% on your own. Now there is trade papers, production sheets, and numerous free online sites like Craig's List that post many auditions for acting jobs. Just be wary of any that want a fee up front. Do some research about breaking in to the biz online. Buy a book or two and have a good understanding what you are getting into. Plus you need to "act" like you know what's up by talking the talk. Think about integrating any of your other skills into acting, as well as on their own. Can you do voice overs, are you a singer, a writer, play an instrument, speak different languages, stand up comedy, public speaking, an entertainer? Any unusual talents can help you to get by, as well as look good on your resume, and even get you hired. I put horseback riding on my resume as an afterthought, and it led to 2 very nice bookings.

A little about print or modeling work.

I did quite a bit of modeling, or character print work strange as it may seem. You have to be very careful with the contracts you sign. This stuff is almost always non-union so they can do what ever they like on contracts with you. I learned the hard way to carefully read the model release form I sign before a gig.

My advice, or opinion is, when you see the release form, you will likely see some words that need to be changed. For example, “Your image can be used for any purpose and through any media what so ever throughout the universe”. LoL. Look it over and be careful not to sign it without marking those words out. Be sure to write exactly what your agent said the ad will be used for. If it’s newspaper only, magazine only, brochure, whatever. Watch for the maximum period of use as well. Then you can initial it, and sign it at the bottom. You have to be careful, and protect yourself, otherwise you might find yourself on a billboard with no pay for it.

It’s hard to remember all the time, because you are tired and pumped up before, as well as after a gig.

Sometimes we tend to forget the business side of this industry. I have friends who have lost thousands of dollars because they did not make the right changes to a model release form. I did it myself a few times, before I wised up. I’m hoping you will learn from the things I did wrong early on. The modeling field can be very vague regarding pay and contracts. The talent is the first place they look to cut costs. The norm was 20% commission to the agent. In acting and modeling sometimes the agents would charge you a commission on top of the commission you were paying them, so you need to double check the pay stubs.

If you are getting paid for just a newspaper or magazine ad, and later you see it on a billboard, or some company internet site, by making these changes, you have a better chance of getting additional pay, (which you are entitled to) for appearing somewhere else. Your agent will get the additional pay as well. If the photographer won't let you change the release form, then ask them to speak with your agent. It's best not to negotiate with the photographer. If your agent does tell you not to make the changes, then oh well...

I hope some of this helps you along if you are in to acting as a career. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. I believe as artists we should all try to be supportive and help each other along. I wrote a bit more below, read on if you like. If any of this helps you, please visit any of the sponsors to the right that might interest you. Thanks.

Commercial Auditions & Working On Star Trek

2008-05-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

I worked as a character actor / musician in Hollywood for 14 years. A few times, I got to combine the two. Most of my income was from commercials. It was just the area I excelled at. I was seen as a commercial character "type" by most of the casting directors. The SAG average for booking a commercial is like 1 in 83 auditions. That's a little tough on you over time, and it really frustrated a lot of my actor friends. Many of them hated commercial auditions, because most of the time, you have no idea what they want from you. (sometimes neither did they) And you have a 60 second audition after a 2 hour drive, to show them, and convince them you are the "one" out of like 200 other character guys. Improvisation skills were very important with this kind of work. I think that helped me the most. Doing open "mic's" at comedy clubs helped a lot with my comic timing. It was free training.

Then 2 or 3 guys would get a callback out of this mob. That's always interesting in the casting waiting room sitting there looking at each other, thinking one of us is getting this job. The other one isn't. Then you are in an audition room with like 20 people looking at you standing on the mark. You've got the Ad agency people, a few from the production company, the director, casting director, etc. It's hard to be relaxed in this audition situation, building up self confidence was key. They are spending millions on their baby, and they want to be sure you are experienced, and good. On the other hand, sometimes it's just a look they want.

Being able to not play it safe, and take risks seemed to be the way to go. They either love you, or hate you that way. When you can help them bring their concept to life, or suggesting things they may not have thought of - that got me hired a few times. I would always ask for a second chance audition, by saying I'd like to show you another take on this, or do it a different way. It almost always works. If you ask can I do it again? They just say no. I would always suggest that I had a second character for the audition. (But it had to be completely different.)

If you get cast as a principal player in a commercial, and you appear in it, regardless of if you have a speaking part or not, (unlike in films or TV) you still get the big residuals, and can literally live off one spot for years, if it is Class A national, and runs for a few cycles of use. (13 weeks is a cycle) That pays very well. If they really like the spot, the maximum period of use is 18 months, and after that your agent usually renegotiates with them for a higher rate. Yum. For cable TV they just give you a buy out.

Of course on the other hand, a spot can run 2 weeks and that's it, or not at all. I had a few that ran 4 years, and a few that ran a week, or never aired at all. So I never got excited until I actually saw it on TV for a period of time. Once in a while on the set if the director was friendly, I would ask what influenced him to hire me? And I would get the strangest answers...we liked your neck. LoL What?

The real acting in that industry was is in just getting hired. The actual job was like a reward. That part I found challenging and fun. But there is major ups and downs working professionally as an actor. The feeling of euphoria when you get a big job is hard to describe. There is nothing like the rush of walking out on live TV in front of a studio audience, (and 20 million people watching) There is like this wall of energy that hits you. Whoosh! On the other hand, being up for a big role that's just between you and someone else and they choose him, after like 2 callbacks was equally devastating. You just had to get back up off your butt and go after the next one. Sometimes it wasn't easy. But you will get your share if you can hang in there.

That long 11 month commercial strike they had back in 1999, was pretty devastating for some of us. And the heck of it is, we didn't really even gain much of anything from it. Except wiping out our savings we had saved up for slow, or hard times. Rather than elect a SAG president as was always done in the past, the membership elected a group of actors calling themselves, "The Performers Alliance" as the president. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but when the commercials contract came up for renegotiation, it slogged on for almost a year and that prolonged strike hurt a lot of us who were just trying to earn a living doing what we loved to do. Thankfully they elected an individual as the SAG president after that. Unfortunately it was to little to late for a lot of us, many of us left LA as a result.

I never really made it big as an actor, but I was very blessed to be able to work a lot, and managed to make a living doing what I really loved to do. Just to get work in this industry is a miracle in itself. I was very fortunate to be able to earn a living for as long as I did. If you've got this dream, I say go for it. It could be possible if you are willing work hard at it. You can't just sit there, and wait for your agent to call you. You have to check the trade papers, market and promote yourself like any other product is advertised.

It was time consuming and expensive, but I did mail outs to all the casting directors about four times a year. There was like 150 commercial casting directors alone, and about 250 film and TV casting directors. So I would pick 100 of them for a mail out every four months, and work down the list. Did it produce a lot of jobs over the years? No. Did it produce a few really good jobs? Yes. So in my humble opinion, it's worth the expense. Then you have the production companies, TV shows, films in preproduction, Ad agencies, game shows, and on and on. (Those reality shows came later, but I probably would have auditioned for those.) It's not a bad idea to get a postcard headshot done, and do a follow up mail out a month later. Or just use those for mail outs. I found that sending a full size headshot, resume, and 2 paragraph cover letter worked the best. One casting director told me postcards make great coasters.

If you have this dream, don't regret that you didn't try to be an actor. Even if they all say you can't make it. And a lot of them did. It made me all the more determined. If I could offer any advice it would be to go for it if you can, and then you won't always have to wonder...What If I didn't go for it?

So the short story is, off I went to Hollywood with a suitcase full of junk and $2000. Yeah, to be honest, I was a little scared. I had done some regional work, but this was the Big leagues. You compete with the best in the world for roles in anything on TV, Films, even Commercials. They say that Hollywood has an actor on every street corner. They were right. It took about a year, before I landed a big job. I thought I might never get one. I had like 30 call backs for roles, but just couldn't land the big one...and I was starting to doubt myself. "Man, am I ever going to get a job in this town?" I thought.

Most actors who go out to Hollywood to be an actor, last a year or so, and go back to Paduka. "Is that going to happen to me?" But finally it happened, and I then went on to make a pretty decent living doing really stupid stuff and making people laugh. I don't mind looking stupid if it brings a little joy into someone's life. I was surprised how many actors had a real problem with looking dumb, or doing some job that might be bad for their "image", or hurt their ego.

I realized right away I could make a living if I didn't have any hang ups about people laughing at me. Once the casting directors found out that I had no problem looking silly, I started to get a lot of work. That's probably my best piece of advice for someone heading out to chase their dream. One thing that was odd, even though I played lots of different characters, people start to recognize you on the street when you have 3 or 4 commercials running like 20 times a day. I do miss that a little now and then. I think I've seen that guy...somewhere...

90% of the work I did was comedy, but I did get to do a little bit of drama. For me it was rare, Hollywood saw me as a character comedy guy, and that was pretty much it. This town pretty much chooses who you are, you just have to recognize it right away, be able to accept it, and go with it. Many actors would fight that, and as a result they would struggle work wise. Some would only want to do drama in features, etc. Me, I didn't care...you want me to be slimed? No problem. $600 to dump a 55 gal. barrel of green (food color) oatmeal & corn syrup on my head? I'm okay with that.

Working On Star Trek

I did get to play a Romulan officer 3 times on Star Trek The Next Generation. "The Mind's Eye", "The Chase"and "Timescape". I had the character names: Tarus, Tharket, and Realm. I later ended up seeing my characters on 3 sets of playing cards, in games, publicity photos, and a bunch of other stuff. That was cool. I didn't get paid for That!...But it was cool.

Its kind of funny, I get more credit for working on the show some 15 years later that I did at the time. Publicity photos of me are on a bunch of Trekie websites, and I get a kick out of that. If you search on Star Trek and my name you can check it out.

Working on that show was like a childhood dream come true. I grew up reading Science Fiction, and watched all the original Star Trek episodes as a kid, and I used to pretend I was on The Enterprise. I never imagined I would actually be on the bridge someday, beaming in and out, and blasting the good guys with phasers. I couldn't help but think to myself now and then on the set..."and I'm getting paid for this?" (Dude, I think I might have paid them. I think most people would. Especially those guys at those conventions.) Even though I was only a special ability player on the episodes I worked on (no lines, no residuals, or screen credits) It basically means you have scenes where you interact with the stars of the show. It's the area between an extra and a principal player. The pay rate with overtime, & meal penalties would average $600 for the day, and usually it was 3 days of the week for an episode. So it was pretty good pay for back in the day. (Heck, it's decent even now!)

There's a picture of me to the right from Star Trek in my Romulan get-up. The typical job was like this...A 4 am call time on the set, then 3 hour make up session in a chair, air brushed, Gluing rubber face "appliances" on you, wigs, etc. then zip you off to wardrobe. Then something the PA's called a non descript meal. We got no actual time to eat it, because by then it was off to the set. So we joked about it and a "ND meal" actually ment no dang meal! The costume was one piece, which was a little bit of a problem. It had to be removed from the back by someone else. How embarrassing was that trying to take a leak? That uniform was like a straight jacket. I had to have someone help unzip it from behind. Now I know how the ladies must feel in a nightgown.

So the work day was like 14 hours sometimes. (lots of golden OT time) The actual acting work time starts 8am - 10pm. Then after the fun part of playing a Romulan, At like 10pm it was 2 more hours of getting all that make up and medical glue off of you. Man, after 10 hours of wearing that stuff on your entire face, you want it off...badly. For days after, I was always picking pieces of it out of my hair. I didn't care. I felt kind of bad for the basic extras. They had to go through all the same make up process, and long work day for under $100. Some of them would refer to the studio as Planet Hell. LoL That still cracks me up.

The head make up artist/designer once told me the make up job on me was over $5000 worth, and that numerous celebrities would come in on Halloween to have him specially do it for them. Little did they know, it was a 3 hour mudpack in a chair. Ha! Mike would always joke with me about my nose. It needs no appliance (foam rubber crap they glue on you), or add ons, It's perfect looking just as it is. He always had a new "big nose" joke for me every episode I worked on. Hey, whatever helps you get hired! One time I was on the set while they were setting up the lighting for a shot, and Riker says to me: "Hey they did a really great job on your nose!" I was like, dude...they didn't do anything to it...it's mine. We both had a good laugh.

I really appreciated the make up crew getting me out of there as quickly as they possibly could. They were like tattoo artists. Really skilled at what they did, air brushing layer after layer of make up on you. But getting all that crap off you, was a bitch!

Anyway...Welcome to My "Space" - Live Long...and Prosper...
Don't make me use the cloaking device...

Starving Actor Funny Audition & Casting Stories

2008-05-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm a little superstitious. I'll do something before a call back, and then if I get the job, I tend to make that a habit. Usually it's something to do with clothes, or the route driven. But on the way to this audition, I stopped by my favorite java joint, The Coffee Bean. I liked it better than Starbucks. I was just running over my lines for a callback on a big feature film. I was right outside Culver Studios leaning up against a telephone pole enjoying my pricey gourmet coffee. Perhaps I should have been more aware of my surroundings and the costume I was wearing.

Sometimes I like to leave from home in costume, as it helps me to feel more like the character I am playing for some reason. So here I was dressed as a homeless guy with all the trimmings, leaning up there all dirty and scraggly looking. Some big wig executive walked by, and I guess I was so convincing looking in my bum get up, that he dropped a handful of change into my near full coffee bean coffee cup! And just strolled on by. Hey!!! Needless to say I was a little stunned. What could I say? I had to laugh. Then I realized a $5 cup of coffee was just sacrificed for 65 cents. But later on, I managed to get the job. So now when I audition for a bum I get the coffee and try to panhandle a little bit beforehand. I figure it's good practice for my retirement.

I got to a callback on a commercial for a major brand of tennis shoes. And to my delight the director said, "You have the job, but you must be able to fit into this size eight pair of shoes. They are specially made by the ad agency." Well, I wear a size eleven shoe so naturally I said, "I can do it no problem." I crammed those things onto my over sized feet. Man I've got to tell you, it hurt like the dickens. But that's how badly some of us want this. It can be very hard to get work sometimes, it's not like a regular job. So they have me going for hours doing sit-ups and calisthenics as they photographed the bottom of my stupid feet while looking up at me. Ironically this worked real well because it was so painful it looked like I really was a workout pro. For me just going to 7-11 is a workout. To truly add insult to injury they called me at home that night. They had lost the shoes and wanted to know if I had taken them. What? Believe me I never wanted to see those stupid sneakers ever again.

My first year out in Hollywood my agent calls and asks if I could drive a semi tractor trailer. I shouldn't have done this, but I was so anxious for work back then that I said, "Yes!" I hung up the phone and dashed out to the nearest truck stop and bribed this truck driver to give me a crash course. (hopefully not literally) He showed me the trucker technique and terminology. I managed to bluff my way through the auditions, callbacks, and got the job. You asked for it bub. I was pretty nervous the day of the shoot, since I really had no clue how to drive the darn thing. Fortunately for me, the real acting came when they explained that this was a brand new truck and the dealership would prefer it if their own man could do the moving shots. "Aw gee, that's too bad. I was looking forward to destroying it. You only want me for the close ups?" Nuts.

After a few reasonably productive years in Los Angeles, I'd had lots of commercial auditions, but only a few readings for features. Then one day there it was in the trade paper. "MALE PRINCIPAL ROLE, MUST PLAY A TV." Well, now I'm from a very small town in the Midwest and only recently learned that TV means transvestite, not television! So, I looked in the mirror and asked, "So Dude, are you willing to do anything for Union scale?" Pause..."YES!"..."Do you want it THIS bad? "Yeah I think so"

Well, I bit off more than I could chew. I approached my girlfriend, curious about her reaction to the idea. Her enthusiasm for dressing and making me up was a bit of a surprise (after she stopped laughing her ass off). Then all of a sudden, I'm in her black, sheer evening gown, black pumps, socks in a bra, and all the trimmings. After a long drive to the audition trying not to be seen in heavy traffic on the 101, I got there but I needed to use the bathroom. But, wait a minute, which one? I didn't want any guys to see me like that, but I didn't have the nerve to use the ladies room. So I decided to wait it out! Smart move Sherlock.

During the audition I died like the straight dog that I am. I just couldn't relax and get into it in that get-up. My reading sucked, and when I was asked, I didn't know the difference between transsexual and transvestite. (I guess I don't get out much!) So I slinked out of there, and slumped out the door feeling pretty defeated. To make things even worse, my smart-alec girlfriend had the camera at the car door, and snapped a few photos of me. Aw come on man! And to this day she uses them (very effectively) to get her own way. I ended up marrying her. What choice did I have. And no, I'm not posting that picture here. Ever. Anywhere. Forget it!

This story is one of hers. And it gives you an idea why I married her. I've played a variety of homeless guys over the years. I get all the glamour roles. But in this one particular feature film the make up gang really did a fine number on me. They greased up my hair with hot oil, made up my teeth to look as if I hadn't brushed them in years, then put a nice thick layer of dirt and grime on my skin and the tattered clothes I was wearing. I got them to snap a photo of me to show my new persona to her when I got home.

It happened that she was going back to her home town for the 20th high school reunion. Now, the school she went to was quite a bit on the snobbish side. She was the poor kid in class. And, she pretty much knew in advance how the conversations would go. Starting with "Oh, you're married. What does YOUR husband do?" She was quite correct and when she responded that I was an actor, they wanted to know what I looked like. So, then she pulls out that picture of me as a bum. The silence was intense as her socially correct former classmates racked their brains for an appropriate response. Most gratifying of all was the fact that those few she had made friends with in high school caught on to the joke.

On a typical day of concocting hair-brained schemes to try and get work, I heard on my favorite FM radio morning show they were having a Valentines Day mass wedding ceremony for 45 couples. They explained they needed a wedding day band for the event. In school I played percussion in the school marching band, orchestra, and later worked with the Philharmonic Symphony for a few years. (Then I went to Florida for a vacation and stubbed my toe on "Miami Vice") (But that's another story) Anyway, I felt uniquely qualified for the job.

But at that time I had no musical equipment, heck, I sold it all to get out to LA. But when I heard the musicians to be used would be paid $300 each to play at this mass wedding, I started scrambling around the house looking for some kind of instrument that I could audition with. People were auditioning over the phone with the strangest instruments and being hired! Some guy with a bunch of power drills, another with arm farts, and other oddities that didn't belong in a band. So, I thought about it a little and lined up a row of 12 water glasses to the diatonic scale, each corresponding to musical notes. Then I called into the show and auditioned by playing "Here Comes the Bride" on my glass xylophone. That was easy enough, having played timpani and the chimes in the past. Then the DJ says, "Come on man, Impress us" Somehow I managed to clang out "Stairway To Heaven" on my water glasses. It was really funny, and hey hired me on the spot. Cool. I knew all those music lessons would pay off some day.

I'm pretty proud of my track record of having never missed, or been late for an audition. You have to, or you're toast. Last year I came pretty close. I was driving on the 101 freeway from the valley to Westside Casting. All of a sudden Blam! A blow out in 4 lanes with everybody hauling 70 mph in the fast lane in heavy traffic. Probably the only time it wasn't a stop and go 20 mile an hour experience. Good 'ol LA traffic. I gripped the wheel and held it steady, but nobody would let me pull in front of them to get over to the shoulder! This was pretty freaky, semi's blowing by me, the car lumbering like a boat. Finally, a kind motorist saw my predicament and slowed so I could get over. (In LA? Oh come now!).

After my heart stopped pounding, I regained my composure and sized up the situation. Okay, a flat I can handle that and still make the audition. (I always leave an hour early, just in case.) I had recently gotten a new used car, and to my amazement there was locking hub caps. Whoever heard of such a thing! And of course no key in the glove compartment. I had no choice but to try and pry that thing off there with the tire iron, but it was just hanging there not letting me get to the rim. So I just drove on the shoulder to the next exit, with that stupid thing flopping around smacking the ground as I hobbled along. I got to a ramp finally, and started limping down the road looking for a gas station or anything I thought could help out. There was none in sight. It seemed like I was driving forever, and here's this hub cap smacking against the pavement with each revolution of the tire. Finally it just gave out and went wildly spinning out ahead of me. Looked like a dumb episode of Cops. Thank you.

At last, I can change the tire and get on my way. But, in the process I ended up all covered with grime and grease. Of course I've got no rags or anything. I had planned it pretty well, allowing plenty of extra time for traffic. I had just enough time left to beat it to the audition. I got there looking pretty messed up, figuring I was toast. But to my amazement the part was for a janitor! I just looked a little heavy on the make up, right? What an adventure. I got a callback, and the job. It was for Big Red gum, and ran 4 years.

Sometimes you just never know when you will get a break. It never seems to happen the way I think it will. I've had directors literally scream at me at a callback, and figure there's no way I got this one. And then I get hired. Huh? Perhaps some of them just want to see how well I deal with pressure. The opposite is true as well. Sometimes I feel like man I nailed it, and then nothing. Go figure. Like I mentioned, I started doing stand up comedy mainly to sharpen my comic timing, and deal with the unexpected. I got to the point where I was pretty respectable. I liked to write a new routine each week. It's pretty risky, sometimes I'd tear it up. Other times I'd bomb. I just felt like doing the same routine over and over was boring.

So, this one night there was this big comedian contest with a big prize. A guest star role on a sit-com. Man that's a sweet prize. I did my best, but I just wasn't on that night. I was a little out gunned also. I knew I hadn't done well, and I was feeling pretty awful as I left the club. A popular TV show was auditioning comedians outside the club for something. Some guy who had seen me in the comedy club saw me, and followed me to my car and asked me to audition. I really didn't feel like it, I felt like $hit.. But I was flattered I was even asked to do so. So I shook it off and did my thing. The policy of this particular show was to tape you, and if the producers liked it and used it, you get scale. (If you were union) If not, you got to be on TV, get a salad shooter & some press on nails. Of course people will do just about anything to get on TV for free now! I'll be doggoned, because they had me on during three seasons of episodes. It was America's Funniest people.

I worked on the Gong Show a few times also. These kinds of shows were advertised in the trade papers like Dramalouge, and Backstage that you could audition for without an agent once a week. You just write up your own sketch, or routine, and audition. You could do 2 different bits. It was a great way to supplement our income. I would run into a lot of character actors over and over at these, and it was kind of funny. We would have these crazy normal conversations waiting to audition, "Wha'd you come up with this week Charlie?" "I'm Jaque Cou-strap this week." LoL He played the piano and sang a parody song with a jock strap over his face. The unknown comic was my favorite. He even sat in the audition room with that bag over his head.

Obviously, this was not your normal kind of job. When you were hired for the Gong Show, you would hang in this huge lunchroom size waiting room with all these bizarre people. They would shoot 5 episodes on a Friday, so the room was packed with 100's these crazy people! All rehearsing their routines, it was mass madness on a grand scale. Like on Idol or something. If you drew the last episode you sat there for hours. I felt bad for some of these people, because some of them really thought this was going to be their big break and that they would get "discovered" only to be Gonged big time. Some of them were really devastated when it happened. Most of us "regulars" just wanted to get on the show, do something funny, and get gonged. Then crack a funny joke with the host. My best line was when he said to me, "Well, the panel gonged you." (Weird AL got me that time) I quipped back, "That's okay, I've seen better panels on the interior of my Chevy van."

Again, we got scale if you were union. If not, another salad shooter. I loved working on that show. Weird AL hooked me up later with Jeff Foxworthy to be the redneck in his show. How cool was that?

You just never know whose life may intersect with yours on a given day in this business...
So there I was, a full body make up Grey Zombie. My entire body painted with make up, (except for the parts with the loin cloth over them) and then airbrushed with more make up over that. Complete with dark blue bruises, veins sticking out, a bloody arm, all my hair glued straight up in the air, colored grey white. And to top it off facial appliances that kept my face in practically one expression...Ha!

I was at the Hollywood Center Studios where I took a bathroom break after like 7 hours on the set of Exorcist 3. I'm standing there at the studio urinal, and who walks in but (the late great) George Burns. Apparently he had one of his offices there at the time, and was working late that night. So here I am taking a leak with George Burns...after the longest moment he sized me up and true to his straight man persona said to me in the straightest of voices, "So...you come here often?" I had to have a snappy comeback! This is George Burns! I just instinctively said, "Yes...but you're not grey enough" and he busted up laughing. We had a good laugh together. That was a moment I'll always cherish. I really admired him, I practically grew up listening to him on Burns and Allen. I'm still a big fan of Old Time Radio shows like Jack Benny. A dream come true...to do a standup joke with George Burns...I just never figured it would happen in the crapper. (and no, there was No toe tapping involved!)

Hey, have you got an Unusual or Funny Casting Story to tell? Please share you casting adventures with me (us) in the comments.