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My brother put me on to this this terrific new show on Netflix.  Oh, rats! I'm traveling! I didn't renew my Netflix account! Renew it, he said. I did. The show is The Kominsky Method , from creator Chuck Lorre and starring Alan Arkin as Norman, a newly widowed Hollywood agent, and Michael Douglas as Sandy Kominsky, a once-famous actor now making his living as an acting coach. Some of the show takes place in Kominsky's acting class and the banter between the two principals is clever and funny. Watch for appearances by Danny DeVito , Ann-Margret , Elliott Gould , and more. Check it out:

I'm a firm believer in learning something from those who are successful at doing it. ("Those who can, do," as the saying goes.) Actor autobiographies are tremendous resources of information on how an actor achieved success, as are the many bon mots that turn up in actor interviews posted online. Very often, or so it seems to me, the breakthrough occurred not with some change in technique but with a simple change in the actor's way of thinking, as multiple Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston demonstrates in this slyly recorded snippet posted on YouTube. Going into an audition to "do" a job rather than "get" a job can take a lot of pressure off of your performance and enable you to "let it go" when you finish the audition. By the way, motivational coach/speaker Evan Carmichael posts the "Top 10 rules for Success" for various actors, which always have some positive takeaway. Here's what he posted for Cranston. It's well wort...

Note: I published this in October 2011, but I think the points are still valid so I'm reprinting it to move it up in the queue. Best workshop I ever attended.  Hearing a drama coach tell you to have “the courage to take risks” and “make strong choices” – especially when spoken in the same breath as phrases like “create stunning, three-dimensional characterizations” – can be intimidating for an actor.  And much to the chagrin of many drama coaches I’m sure, “take risks” is too often interpreted as a directive to reach down inside yourself and pull out someone totally different from who you are. In short, to “act.” That’s not it. Not according to  Geoffrey Soffer , casting director for  Ugly Betty  and  The Beautiful Life , who grew up in the business. I took notes during a workshop I took with him a week ago. The following is what I wrote down. Some of it I knew, some I suspected, and some was a complete surprise. Film and television directors cast personali...

I'm one of those who thinks that to succeed as an actor you have to live, breathe, and love film. You should swoon over lighting and close-ups. Marvel at the honesty in a moment's expression. After awhile you'll get a feel for what makes a scene work and, if it doesn't, why. I just finished reading author/screenwriter William Goldman's wonderful book Which Lie Did I Tell? , which is a sequel to his equally wonderful Adventures in the Screen Trade . If you want a behind-the-scenes look at how Hollywood works, from the screenwriter's perspective, these two are a great place to start. Move on to Hollywood biographies and autobiographies. Budd Schulberg's Moving Pictures (and his novel What Makes Sammy Run? ) Michael Caine's What's It All About? Alec Guiness's Blessings in Disguise . Michael Korda's Charmed Lives . So many others. Inspiring stories of struggle and providence and luck. I've read that Bette Midler is a collector of Hollyw...

Actor story #1: Early in the filming of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining , Kubrick stops star Jack Nicholson in the middle of a scene, saying "No, this isn't working." "What do you mean?" says Nicholson. "You said you wanted it to be realistic." "Well...yes. But it isn't interesting." Nicholson made it interesting! Actor story #2: From Alan Arkin's  wonderful autobiography An Improvised Life . Arkin relates how early his acting career he hit a wall. Nothing was working. He gets an offer out of the blue to join Second City in Chicago and decides to go, feeling he'd failed as an actor. Two years later he's back in New York and again submitting for roles. Only this time he thinks to himself, To heck with this! I'm tired of trying to figure out what casting wants. I'm just going to give them the most interesting version of me. Take it or leave it. And he starts booking roles. I've been thinkin...

Okay, you’re in Los Angeles and looking for representation, that key factor in getting a shot at roles in top-of-the-line film, television, commercials, etc. Thousands of LA actors are looking for agents, and even among union actors fewer than half reportedly have one. People in this business will tell you it’s hard to get an agent – especially a union-approved agent – and it is. That shouldn’t deter you. Many factors enter into an agent’s decision to represent you, including your age and type (and how often those come up in casting), as well as acting talent and experience. Don’t second-guess the agent, or yourself. A terrific resource on the LA actor’s experience is An Agent Tells All by Tony Martinez, a long-time pro in the Los Angeles market. You can get it in hard copy or for Kindle and I recommend it highly. It makes sense and Chapters 7 and 8 speak specifically to this issue of getting an agent. You’ll find much more information there, including how to handle the all-important ...

In Los Angeles and still transitioning, but what an exciting time! This morning I was scanning YouTube over breakfast and came across the Small Market Actor channel and some wonderful advice on how to respond to the dreaded "Tell me about yourself" question that often crops up in an audition. I wrote about this topic a couple of years ago, but this is so concise I'll let Kurt tell you himself.

Moving back to Los Angeles after working in the East for several years. Most of the past few months have been spent wrapping up projects, sorting and getting rid of things, packing up what's left, and saying good-bye to all my actress friends that I've been lunching with once a month. (Good luck, Girls! Come and see me!) Now I have just four weeks to rework my reels, find a place to stay, catch up with friends in the business in L.A., and get a local agent. More on all those topics in the coming weeks. Anxious. Excited. Exhausted. But I've got it all together now. (I think.)

Actresses have been complaining for years about the lack of roles (and meaningful roles) for women, but one really positive thing that has come about as a result is that more actresses are not only opting out of Hollywood and finding great roles in Europe ( Kristen Scott Thomas , for one) but many are also starting to produce/write/direct their own films. One of these is Greta Gerwig , an actress that I just loved in the quirky 2015 film Mistress America , which she starred in and wrote. This year she took a turn as writer/director of Lady Bird , which has set a new record as the most well-reviewed film of all time at the online movie site rottentomatoes.com . This is a story that will reveal more and more each time you watch it. The performances are wonderful, especially Laurie Metcalf.  Here's the trailer:

Our local actors group had an online discussion recently of ways to gather your clips together for your demo reel, a topic I’ve touched on before and worth repeating as young filmmakers especially frequently seem to have something “better to do” than get clips out to their cast. If the film or TV project you appeared in is somewhere online, there are online services that can get the clip for you. Actors have used ripit.me or clipgrab.org, which has a program for both Mac and Windows. Expect to pay a small fee however. If the project is posted to YouTube, you can easily download the whole thing to your desktop by simply replacing the “www.” in the url with “ss” (without the dot). This will redirect you to Savefrom.net, where you can click on "download video in browser" (look on the lower right third of the screen) and select the video quality you prefer. Done in less than a minute and free. If the film/TV project itself isn’t posted to YouTube, see if you can at least find the...

An actor friend sent me an interview clip of comedienne Phyllis Diller recently where she mentions Claude Bristol's 1948 book The Magic of Believing . Miller said the book had completely changed her life by giving a suburban housewife and mother of five the courage and determination to try stand-up comedy, which is no easy road for anyone. Here is an audio synopsis of the book from YouTube. It's a little "woo-woo" perhaps, like books on Nostrodamus, but I also found it interesting. I grew up hearing my father talk about the "power of positive thinking" and it also reminds me that those who succeed in this business aren't necessarily the ones who are most talented but those with the most desire. As author/screenwriter William Goldman put it, you have to want success more than anything in the world. Here Bristol seems to be saying that wanting something, and having the confidence and unshakable belief that you will get it, makes it happen. Call it God, c...

One of the things I’ve been bumping up against in the past year, with great frustration, is being called to audition for a role that seems the polar opposite of the roles I’m usually cast to play (i.e. senator, judge, executive, strong women). Blue-haired granny is the one I see most frequently – small, plump, caring, no strong identity, sometimes comical. It's like when you get older you become a ghost; just the faintest impression of a person. The only apparent fit for these roles is the age range. I’m not plump. I don’t have gray hair. I'm 5 ft. 8 inches tall. Nothing in my posted head shots or reels gives me any clue as to what the casting director might have been thinking of in asking me to audition. Blue-haired Granny? Nah. I’ve discussed this with actor friends and the responses have ranged from the limited vision of American film and TV (if you’re a certain age, you’re a blue-haired granny) to the possibility that I’m “above market” in the southeast, where many of these...

I love watching old movies and television shows and every now and then I see an actor or actress that is such a standout I wonder what other roles they did and where their career went. Actress Darlene Parks This happened last night as I was watching a two-part episode of the old Barney Miller series titled "Wojo's Girl," with Darlene Parks in the title role. Parks was a willowy blonde who was pretty bordering on gorgeous. She had great comic timing (you can see a touch of Judy Holliday ) and her chemistry with Max Gail (who is still acting at 74) was perfect. (Watch her face in Part 2 when Gail asks her why she "started hooking.") Most important, she had a face that had that special something that makes a star; she was not interchangeable, she was memorable. But Darlene Parks, after this wonderful episode, had just one more role, and then she disappeared. What happened? Did she die tragically? Did she get discouraged and quit? Did she change her name and cont...

Packing and preparing to change residences. Much to do. Will resurface in a couple of weeks when I can finally take a deep breath and focus on auditions again.

Taking a quick break from doing my taxes (ugh) to give a hearty thumbs up to Ceyda Torun's charming and heartwarming documentary Kedi , which is now making the rounds of art house theaters nationwide. For centuries Istanbul has harbored thousands of street cats. They are fed and cared for by the people of the city - and look remarkably healthy! - and yet they belong to no one. The film profiles the cats of Istanbul and the people whose lives are touched and sometimes changed by them. It is a magical film. Well worth seeing. You can read a review here and an article on how the film was made here . Really, I loved it. Go see this film!

I’ve been off the grid for the past couple of months trying to figure out how to move to Los Angeles in 2018 without breaking the bank. For two years my husband and I have been making periodic trips out to LA to check out neighborhoods, apartments, acting classes, travel distances to the studios, and the feasibility of getting to auditions by driving the grid and staying off the freeways. (As Bette Davis famously said, “Take Fountain.”) We really thought we could make it work, but the more research we did the less it seemed feasible. Paramount Pictures where Gloria Swanson makes her entrance in Sunset Boulevard . Single actors may join forces with a roommate or two and romanticize the Bohemian life, but husbands frown on additional bodies in the home and I’ve reached a point in life where dirt and junkies are just…well…dirt and junkies. Last August we flew out to LA to check out apartments in a few neighborhoods we’d identified as pleasant, reasonably safe, and within easy commute to t...

We’d never thought of creating a base in southern Nevada, or of splitting the year between two (or more) locations, but the minute we got home I was online and looking into it. The distance (about 300 miles depending on the route) was about the same as from my current location to New York, so even when I wasn’t physically in Los Angeles I could still make it to scheduled call times and classes, and there was still the option of uploading audition tapes. Taxes? Nevada has no state income tax, check. Apartment costs? A two-bedroom in Las Vegas can be had for around $1,000 a month. In some of the small towns to the south, like Laughlin , it drops to $550. So rent for a whole year in Nevada is roughly equal to the cost of one or two months in Los Angeles, which eases the pain of paying rent for a year when we may be away for long periods of time. Pets? We didn’t see any massive up-front pet fees, but breed and number limits are in place in some places, but not all. Location? The desert is...

The more we thought about getting an apartment in Nevada, and taking our own mobile accommodations to Los Angeles for that prime part of the year for auditions, the more it seemed like a good idea. My husband will be polishing his three draft novels - and developing new ones - so he can work anywhere. We would be out of the desert during that part of the year when it's ridiculously hot. We could park ourselves in different locations, from beach to mountains. If neighbors nearby got noisy or unpleasant, we could move. Plus we could stay mobile for location filming and take our pets with us. We're Westerners by birth. No limits, Baby! But what kind of mobile accommodations were going to feel most comfortable and at the same time be the most mobile? We found out that with more and more employment being do-able online a lot of working-age people are ditching the 9-5 routine and opting for a place-to-place life on the road, so researching RVs and what is involved was easy (search RV...

My husband and I finally went to see the local movie theater's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" event, which has been running every Saturday night at midnight since 2003. If you haven't seen Jim Sharman's 1975 film, it's a high camp take on old horror/scifi movies with a brilliant Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, the Transylvanian Transvestite Mad Scientist. Curry plays it for all it's worth (the film launched him into starring roles) and Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick (early in their careers) also star. But in watching local "cast members" playing along with the film at the front of the theater, I was struck by just how difficult it is to be truly "naughty" anymore in an age when there are serious (and seemingly endless) discussions about such topics as a man's right to wear a dress into the ladies' restroom. When the film came out I can see where the action on screen would have elicited a lot of nervous giggles. But today t...

I have to tell you that all this talk lately about reaching out to women in film, creating special programs, help, etc rankles a bit. Maybe because it sounds just a bit patronizing and self-congratulatory....like helping disadvantaged children. (Or maybe I'm just having one of those mornings) In any case, women have been heavily involved in producing, directing, writing, and editing films since films were first invented as an art form. Every week their work hits the theaters; it just doesn't get the marketing it deserves typically. Kind of like The Hurt Locker (6 Oscars: Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Editing, Sound/mixing and editing) vs. Avatar (3 Oscars: Cinematography, Visual Effects, Art Direction). Here's what women filmmakers have opening this week in theaters: The Red Pill , directed and co-produced by Cassie Jaye ; 13th , directed and co-written by Ava DuVernay ; Newtown , directed by Kim A. Snyder and produced by Maria Cuomo Cole ; and 37 , written and direct...