Passing on Parts

June 21st, 2011 No comments

Lately I’ve been doing something that most actors are terrified of doing. I’ve been turning down work. Before you think I’m totally nuts, hear me out.

For starters, it hasn’t been great stuff. Nothing that would do my career or wallet any favors. Generally speaking, taking a job should meet at least one of the following three criteria: (1) the material is good, (2) the experience will be good, (3) the money is good. If it’s 0 for 3 on the Should-I-Do-It Meter, move on. Don’t sell yourself out for something that’s bad, unpleasant, and doesn’t pay well. Think about it. Read more…

Pride vs. Arrogance

June 14th, 2011 No comments

Where’s the distinction between pride and arrogance? It’s one that we performers have to finesse all the time. And one that were constantly in danger of getting wrong. Read more…

Investing in Your Career

June 8th, 2011 No comments

Pass by a bulletin board in any casting office or rehearsal space and you’ll be inundated by solicitations. Get the headshot that books! Take the class that will change your life! Sign up for the successful auditions workshop! Whatever it is, it’s asking for your money. And if you’re not careful, you can go broke quickly. Read more…

The Perils of Eyeing the Competition

May 31st, 2011 1 comment

When actors are assembled before an audition, it’s a good bet a number of people are there for the same part. The impulse, of course, is to scope out the others, see if you know them, or maybe recognize them, or just get a sense of who else is in the room. It’s nearly impossible not to do… but it serves no purpose.

I’ve seen actors listen at the door, trying to pick up notes from other auditions, or boast about how they know the producers and the rest of us should go home. The intention is clear: to gain an advantage. But in truth you’re probably doing just the opposite. Read more…

Dealing With Professional Jealousy

May 24th, 2011 No comments

A friend of mine booked a pilot this season, and the show was picked up. As a good self-promoting actor, he forwarded a trailer for the show. When I watched it, I thought, “Hey that’s terrific, I’m so happy for you… you fucking bastard.”

I know I’m not the only one who feels professional envy. Another friend once told me she can’t look at the trades because it made her sick to her stomach to read about other people getting deals. Ouch. But I get it, we all do. Read more…

Show Them

May 17th, 2011 No comments

A lot of actors are fond of saying, “They should be able to see it,” in reference to their work at an audition. The point they’re trying to make, I think, is that even if the actor doesn’t exactly fit the part, that the people on the other side of the table should put on some special glasses and magically see the part appear before them. But… probably not.

It’s the actors job to give as complete a presentation as possible. There are different ideas about how far you should go – should you dress up as a policeman if you’re reading for a cop? – but generally speaking, I wouldn’t expect anybody to “see” too much that you don’t “show.” How could they? Read more…

Why Actors Should Take a Break

May 3rd, 2011 No comments
For years I never went on holiday. I was convinced of an immutable law that said that the moment I landed somewhere outside Los Angeles, New York or London the biggest gig of my life was going to present itself. In retrospect, perhaps the inverse was also true, that hanging out across the street from the studios with cell phone in hand meant that the big gig would never materialize.

As the years rolled by, I started to see the error of my strategy. (Not to mention that the years rolled by and I’d barely been north of Burbank). Operating in a state of total availability is nice in theory, but it comes at a heavy price, and ultimately does more harm than good. Read more…

Samsara, by Mötley Crüe

May 3rd, 2011 No comments

(Guest Blog for IDProject)

I’m taking a page from my friend and fellow IDP blogger Jon Rubinstein, who has a knack for seeing Buddhist linings in unlikely places, whether it be in a video for  “Shots! Shots! Shots!” or in an appearance by Chris Brown on “Good Morning America.” For days I’ve had the Mötley Crüe power chord extravaganza “Same Ol’ Situation” buzzing in my ears, and somewhere during the umpteenth listening while prowling the streets of Manhattan it finally dawned on me why. (Repetition, like rain, will eventually clear the air. Or make things muggy.)

Personal feelings about Tommy, Nikki, Vince and Mick aside, these guys are just singing about samsara, the endless wheel of suffering, plain and simple. Take away the scantily clad back-up singers and the misogynistic lyrics and you’ve got a band wailing away about how suffering never ceases, no matter how many trips around the world they take. Wherever, whenever, it’s the same ol’ situation, it’s the same ol’ ball and chain. Read more…

The Actor’s Reasonable Pursuits

April 26th, 2011 No comments

An actor friend of mine told me that one of his goals was to be in a Broadway play. I thought that sounded like a worthy pursuit, and I was impressed that he had a specific ambition. So many people have no idea what they want, outside of “to work,” or “be recognized,” aspirations so vague that they usually lead to unemployed anonymity. 

When I asked when he wanted this to happen, he said, “Now.” Again, the focus and drive were impressive, but alarms went off in my head. He’s a talented guy, and I think he could handle a run on The Great White Way, but it struck me as something better suited to a long-term goal for him. Read more…

The Ugliness of an Actors Desperation

April 19th, 2011 No comments

A wise man gave me some great advice when I was first starting out, words that I promptly ignored. “Don’t look too hungry,” he said. “If you look hungry, they’ll feed you McDonald’s. Wait for the steak.”

Desperation is a killer. It leads to unclear thinking, which leads to compromise and the de-valuing of ourselves, and eventually to poor choices in our career. “He who undervalues himself is justly undervalued by others,” wrote the literary critic William Hazlitt. Truer words were never spoken. Your career, in some measure, is what you think it should be. Read more…