debor009

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...

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...

Actor friend Michael Shiflett , who played my husband last month in Andrew Evans' short film, Anna and Thomas, plays the Vietnam vet in this video.  I had to share it as it's a lovely, understated performance. Michael often plays tough guys, but when a tough guy dials it down it can be so moving....

Lucky Money Toad Another Year and, no, not the Mike Leigh kind I hope, although it was probably the most profound film of 2010.  Actually I was thinking about that film the other day and how – despite the synopsis – it was really about Lesley Manville’s character, Mary. Another year older. Another year alone. Another year of desperately looking for Mr. Ideal (and with her options becoming less and less ideal.) Profound, and heartbreaking. For an actor, however, the arrival of another year is about staying positive. On New Year’s Day we rush to read our astrology forecast, seek out messages in fortune cookies, tarot cards, runes, hold onto our lucky numbers, lucky jewelry, lucky audition outfits, lucky Chinese Money Toads….anything to keep our energy up and our attitude optimistic. Because no profession brings more rejection and uncertainty than acting. It takes, on average, about 10 years of hard slogging to support yourself as an actor.   Sure, some are seemingly ov...

Arlan Godthaab, Vampire Hunter A Los Angeles actor friend, Arlan Godthaab , posted photos yesterday on Facebook from "I Had a Bloody Good Time at House Harker," a horror-comedy now shooting in snowy Wisconsin, with a cast that includes Jacob Givens , Derek Haugen , Noel Carroll , and Keely Gelineau. These were interesting shots that not only made me want to learn more about the film but also got me thinking about how actors and production companies use social media to publicize their product. His is one way, and it’s a good one. Yet most production companies, even the big ones, don’t yet get social media. Filmmakers trying to break into the business have enough on their plate just trying to figure out funding, casting, logistics, lighting, shooting, and editing. Marketing is rarely in the budget, so they don’t even think about it. They should. They have a whole team on set that can help get the word out about their production, but often the best most young filmmakers can d...

Acting is an ongoing education, not only in studying great actors in film and on stage but also in formal classes. We're always working on our craft. A little play I was in last month won its one-act competition, with nice comments from the judges about my performance. It was the first time on stage that I was free of stress about my lines and about performing in front of an audience. It was enjoyable....exhilarating. Now is the time to pump up my stage work with a class that pushes me back out of my comfort zone. I've been surveying local actors on which programs are likely to be the most challenging.  Here's what I'm hearing.... The Shakespeare Theatre Company : Accessible. Classes of 5-6 sessions. Great for the classics (and what actor doesn't need a firm foundation in the classics?). Learn at your own pace. Enunciate! Enunciate! The Studio Theatre Conservatory :  Demanding. Not for the faint-hearted, or the thin-skinned. A full 3-year program, which they encoura...

Actors draw inspiration from many sources, including the fine acting to be found in silent films and old radio shows.   I’m a huge, huge fan of the radio drama, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar , which aired from 1949 to 1962.   It's the story of an insurance investigator, but one that rivals any private detective from Sam Spade to Lew Archer. I was in Nevada and Arizona a couple of weeks ago and stopped by the Lake Mojave Resort near Bullhead City, Arizona, because it was the location for several YTJD episodes, including “The Mojave Red Matter” and “The Red Mystery.” Sixty years ago when it took 10 hours and $153.00 to fly non-stop from New York to Las Vegas, getting to the Lake Mojave Resort sounds like a trek to an exotic place.   Here’s an excerpt from “The Red Mystery” that mentions the resort: “…the awesome beauty of the clear night sky over the desert with its billions of stars twinkling in the black sky above is something I’ll never tire of.   The stars seem clos...

Flying out to Nevada I took along the book Making Movies by the late and great director Sidney Lumet ( Dog Day Afternoon , Murder on the Orient Express , Network , The Pawnbroker , Serpico , 12 Angry Men , Running on Empty , and on and on through 73 films and TV episodes). What a find! As actors we tend to see just one part of the elephant and can only guess about the rest. This book takes you through the entire movie-making process and explains the considerations at each step: concept, funding, writing, locations, editing, lighting, sound, directing, acting, post-production, audience previews, and marketing. Why does a film need star casting? On what take is an actor likely to be giving the director their best? What is the preview process like? Why does a director choose to do a particular film? How has the film-making process changed over time?  And does it now make sense?  Not always.  Not even to Sidney Lumet. But this book illuminates a lot of the whats and whys th...

Every year or two an up-and-coming actor needs new headshots, and since my hair had gone from almost black to ash blonde (Hey, blonde is the new gray, Baby!) mine were overdue. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that the point to headshot photography is to show what I will look like when I walk in the door to audition. Well of course, you say? Try convincing the photographer! I've had inexpensive family photographers and really expensive New York photographers. I've been flat-lighted to the point where my face looks like two eyes and a mouth on a white sheet of paper. I've been photoshopped to the point where I look like I'm made of plastic. Every actor has had this experience and the odd thing is that (1) the photographer thinks that you want it that way and (2) his or her ego is such that they can't release a photo without making you "pretty." But the result is that whenever I see a breakdown posted, half the time the casting director now ask...

Actors often disagree over the direction a career should take. Some feel that an actor should take any job offered, as long as it pays and it’s not pornography, because you never know where a job might lead. Others set rules about the kinds of roles they will accept, especially if the job has a potentially negative impact on their career long-term.  Stephanie Courtney TV commercials can be a lucrative specialty area; just ask Stephanie Courtney , who had a series of small parts in film and television before landing the role of “Flo,” the spokesperson for Progressive Insurance.  She’s making a fortune with that gig and she’s everywhere! But acting in commercials is very different from acting in film. Because they don’t roll credits at the end, commercials present the audience with a kind of reality that blurs the line between actor and role. It isn’t an actress playing a soccer mom there on the screen, it’s a soccer mom telling you that she uses the sponsor’s product and you s...

It's easy to feel too busy to think, but Monday mornings set the stage for the week ahead and give you a chance to regroup and consider the big picture. Monday is the day to get pumped up about acting and your decision to make this your career. Here are things to do on Monday mornings (and some you can do every morning) to keep your acting career on track. 1. Wake up early and exercise. Not a morning person? Sleep/awake cycles are not genetic, they are set by you. Partying a lot or staying up to watch late night talk shows have to be weighed in terms of the benefit to your career. If you’re not awake until noon, you won’t be prepared.   2. Eat a healthy breakfast. If you skip breakfast, your growling stomach will soon become a distraction. If you eat a sugary/starchy breakfast, you’ll be nodding off by 10 a.m. You want your brain to be alert and running on all cylinders, so go high protein and save the carbs for lunch. 3. E stablish a routine and get started early. Review your...

Photo by Firooz Zahedi Icon Actress/Dancer Julie Newmar  turned 81 on August 16th, a fact I'm sure she doesn't mind revealing as she still looks absolutely fabulous. She often gives public lectures on "How to Be a Great Beauty...Even When You're Not." Here is a sample. You'll find more on her Facebook Page. (And yes, I'm getting a 3-way mirror!) IMAGE: By seeing the inherent beauty, intelligence, mastery in others they will see it in you. This is the MIRROR you want. VOICE: Where does your sound come from? You can't be beautiful, if you don't sound beautiful. BODY: Tall or short, there is one element that defines the spirit that becomes your body and that is your spine. Lift it, give your head something to balance on, then breathe and smile. LIGHT: All the great stars know where their light is coming from, no matter where they are. We call it the key light. MAKE-UP TRICKS: One trick is - unless your eyes are the size of saucers, never, never pu...

Finding actor representation can be tough, especially if you're looking to break into a new market.   You need an agency that has an established presence and a network of relationships so they can actively market you, not just submit you for roles. Life Coach Dallas Travers has some tips that I think address the difficulties in a very pro-active way.   In a nutshell, here is her 7-Step Plan (See her original post here .): Step 1: Send an email.   This email should be no more than three sentences, and should be structured as so: Introduction. Credibility. Invitation. Links. So, an example would be, “Hi, my name is …(introduction), and I recently graduated from ….. (credibility). I’m new to the LA (NY, whatever) market and would love to meet to discuss working together (invitation). Please click the link below to see my demo reel (links).” Sign your name, and hit send ! Step 2: Send a mailing.   Five days after your initial email, mail a postcard or one-sheet, whate...

This turned up on Facebook and, as an actress, rang a bell....

As I've often said in this journal, I'm a thinking actress, not a feeling actress, and I'm always looking for shortcuts to developing a character. Brits are known for an outside in approach, for example: get the walk and the talk first and then to let the character develop from there. Actor Michael Chekhov, nephew of playwright Anton Chekhov, developed a system that can help in capturing the walk and the talk. Chekhov said all characters fell into one of three archetypes, which he called Head-, Heart-, and Groin-centered. “Head” characters seem to draw their emotional energy from the head and all of their gestures seem to come from there. They slap or tap their head, scratch their head, make sweeping farewell gestures from the head. They also sit forward in chairs and walk forward on the balls of their feet. Head characters are perceptive. Consider Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, who frequently tips his hat, touches his moustache, and nods his...