debor009

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...

The Goblin Baby , Shoshana Rosenbaum's supernatural short, premiered to a full house on September 27th at RiRa's in Georgetown. Michael Gabel , Oriana Oppice and I were among the cast who attended. Well done, Shoshana! On to the film festivals! (L to R) Actor Michael Gabel, actress Kathryn Browning, writer/director Shoshana Rosenbaum (and son), actress Oriana Oppice, and production staff Robin Noonan-Price and Victoria Buksbazen.

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...

Rae C. Wright , my good friend and a fabulous actress, opens tomorrow night as Hannah Pitt in Angels in America at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, Connecticut.  You can read the write-up in the New York Times here. I first saw Rae three years ago in Juliet Lashinsky-Revene's deeply moving short film Keys. Wallet. Phone.  When the lights came up in the theatre, I couldn't move. Rae's performance had been so gut-wrenching. She has a face like the great Lesley Manville . It shows every emotion. Directed by Sean Harris, #AngelsinAmerica runs through October 19. See it if you get the chance. Rae C. Wright as Hannah Pitt and Jim Shankman as Roy Cohn rehearsing Angels in America, which opens tomorrow night at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, CT.

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...