I Quit!

I quit!   I am over acting, and I never want to do this again.

Every actor that is anything in the world of actors has had this thought.  This can be a tough world, and I cannot tell you how often getting out of the industry all together crosses ones mind.  Those who make it aren't always the best of the actors at the time.  They may not be booking because they are the best for the part.  Some actors make it because they never quit. They were no longer a new face. They were the option that is deserving or that casting knows they can count on.  If this industry truly doesn't make you happy anymore, then quit; and do what makes you happy.  If you feel frustrated, sometimes a break is in order; but if you have a passion for what you do and it makes you happy, then don't give up.  Tough, hard, and disappointment can be things you learn from.  Sometimes you need to clear the mind and the focus.  Sometimes you need to just be.  Just sit there.  Often when frustration sits in, I choose to take a day to myself. Do something "brainless", shut up that brain, and stop letting your thoughts run your life.  You are the observer of those thoughts; and that gives you the right to ignore them.  Understand that attachment to things or your career can hurt you. Work hard, focus, and plan on achieving; but don't form so much attachment to an outcome that it breaks you if you do not achieve it.  Happiness should not rely on anything but you.  Breathe.

Are you a good liar?

Know this...  Being a good liar does not always mean you are a good actor.  Being a good actor means you can make anything the truth.  Over all, it is important that we, the audience, believe you.  We have to watch your body language, your natural human behavior, and see if it matches the human being that you are suppose to be.  Humans have an innate ability to pay attention to human behavior.  If you do something like lie or fake it on screen, it takes us out of the story because we feel cheated.    You didn't tell the truth.

NOW HERE IS THE KEY!!!  How you make the script the truth is not that important.  There is no one way to learn that.  We have to find out what it is that works for you.  What helps you make believe freely?

A visit by Glenn Morshower and talk on BEING PRESENT and Self worth.

In class tonight we had a wonderful guest speaker Mr. Glenn Morshower.  A man with more credits than he needs as an actor, and even more credit as a human being.  Glenn and I had never met but when we shook hands the first time I felt a familiarity.  I felt a comfort, an ease.   As I watched him met everyone he was present at all times.  His observation to the room and his awareness of everyone in the room was wonderful to watch.  We always say, "Man, I am so bad with remembering names," but in reality we aren't really listening.  We are either wondering what's for dinner, or how we are going to introduce ourselves.  His focus was so strong that he could probably name every student in my class before I can.

A Being state, we hear that all the time.  Being present doesn't come easy for many actors.  Now let me follow that by saying being present doesn't come easy for many human beings.  The reality of what we live in our every day modern society has caused many people to shut down so that their instrument isn't as capable of being present.  I don't mean in acting, I mean in just you, a regular everyday human being.  We don't take the time and use our observation to notice the colors, the sounds, the smells, the textures, the taste of the life we live.
Coffee drinkers, when is the last time you sat back and actually smelled your coffee?  I mean really enjoyed that sent that first drew you in.   Practice.  Start using your sences.  Get off your phone and listen to the world, talk to the person checking out your groceries, or go to dinner just to taste the dessert menu.  When you can find yourself being completely present in your everyday life, then it will be much easier to be present while working as an actor.
If you ever get the chance to listen to Glenn Morshower speak, take it.  Even if it is just an introduction, because he will meet you with the same respect he would greet the president.  Glenn and I share many philosophies, but one that I thought was wonderful was his reference to Auditions.  Which may seem like a jump in subject to you, but I completely link his "respect" to his advice for auditioning.  I will leave it to him to tell you his mind frame, and trust me it's worth it.   However, here is my version.  We do not have to seek approval to do something that we already know we are capable of.  As human beings we are all given the same amount of self worth and if you do not consider yourself an equal neither will anyone else.  Change that mind frame and no one can ever look down to see you.  Your objective as an actor may be "I want to book this job", but your action should never be to beg or plead for that job.  We, and producers want to work with people that are on our level, or above us.  No one wants to work with those who we have to pull along with us.  That slows us down.  Again, we are all given the same self worth when we are born.  You are all worth every bit as much as those producers, casting directors, and directors.  Respect them, but do not think they are any better than you are.  You can't play the game if you aren't on the same field.

If you would like to see and hear more about Mr. Glenn Morshower you can check out his website.
www.glennmorshower.com  You can also send me an email or leave a message here on my blog and he will be doing a seminar in New Orleans soon.

NO ONE CAN SELL YOU A DREAM.

In a career where there is no such thing as a guarantee, you must be strong-willed, focused, and willing to possibly FIRE your friends and/or family.  My acting coach told me this when I first started his classes.  He also told me, "You cannot sleep your way to the top; but you may be able to fuck your way to a good middle."  What I am saying is: you need support, not someone pulling you down, slowing you down, or telling you that you will never make it.

The entertainment industry has many roads that may lead to getting a foot in the door; but in the long run, you have to get started now.  If you have an uncle that has the last name of Cameron, as in James Cameron, then maybe you can take advantage of that.  If you are like the rest of us and do not have any relatives at the top of the ladder, then you better get ready to work and I mean work hard.   This industry is a job - %100 work.  You are basically starting your own business; so you have to know "who" you are and how to market yourself.

First thing to know about acting!!!  GET A JOB!  I don't mean an acting job - I mean get a job that can pay your bills and keep food on the table.  You don't need to party like a rock star - you need to drive a hooptie, if need be, so that you can afford your training and gas to get back and forth to auditions.  This industry is not glamorous unless you are Brad Pitt.  Otherwise you are not making a lot of money; and you need to know how to save it.  You don't need to like your job; but if you want your career to be acting, then you have to pay to play right now.  I call acting my habit, like a drug habit, because I had to keep a regular job to pay for acting class and keep myself afloat between acting jobs.  Eight years is considered an overnight success; so if you are in a rush, then strive to be a burger flipper at McDonald's and it won't take as long to reach your dreams.  No one is going to give you anything; and if you are waiting around to get discovered, then just quit now.  I am not here to discourage you, but to give you the honest truth about this industry. 

Extra work - it isn't a bad gig.  If you are a green (new) actor, then do some extra work and learn what happens on set.  Learn the roles of everyone and what their job entails.  Pay attention to the lead actors, and see how they handle themselves.  Hopefully you are watching a professional who isn't an asshole.  After you have done it a while or when you start auditioning for real acting roles (speaking parts), then you may need to get out of extra work!  You don't want to meet a director on set as an extra, then go in for an audition for them the following week.  It's ok every now and then if you need to catch up on some bills; but overall, in a perfect world, get out of extra work.  There is no job that is not good enough.  You need money; and you need to know how and where to spend your money.  You also need to know how to do your homework before you spend any of your money on photos, acting coaches, etc.  NO ONE CAN SELL YOU A DREAM.  NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU A STAR.  NO ONE GETS DISCOVERED.  If it were that easy, then you wouldn't want to be an actor.

Remember acting is a journey, not a destination.  Enjoy your trip!

Maybe this isn't the industry for you.

Dedication, commitment, drive, focus, and unimaginable time.  These are just a few things it takes to become a working actor.  I know many people dream of becoming an actor and think that it is what they should do for a living.  I am not here to bust your bubble or ruin your dreams.  I think if that is your passion than you should follow it.  However, I am here to give the hard honest truth.  If this article makes you want to work harder and put all your time to your career then I have done my job.  If it frustrates you and makes you not want to do this career anymore, then I have done my job.

When I first started acting I was in class 5 to 6 days a week, every day I was reading scripts, and working on my articulation and working on my imagination and focus.  This is a career that is a 24/7 job.  You need to learn to enjoy your time alone and the time you will be spending working on character work, reading scripts, studying the things that your character's lives are about, etc.  There is tons of work to be done before you even look at a scene.  The last thing you should worry about is learning your lines!  Have you ever noticed when you do auditions or scenes that it sounds like you have the same rhythm every time you do your scene?  That is because you learned the scene for the lines and you never worked on the character and objective that the character is after in that scene.  Almost every time you do a scene it should come out a little different.  The actor or actress your working with can change the tone in his or her voice which could change the way you perceive something.   You should truly be talking and listening, not worrying about what your next line is.

Long story short.  Dedication, if you don't have it then get out of this industry.  If you don't have enough respect for your career to put your time in every day or to be in class, "present" every time class is in session then this is probably not the career for you..   If you are waiting to be discovered, get out of this industry, if you think doing extra work everyday is going to get you where you want to be in the acting world then follow another dream.

What does Living in the moment even mean?? What does that even mean?

Acting is what we call "creating real life in imaginary circumstances." When we say that, we mean that you must now understand what your life would be like if you grew up in the same circumstances of your character (life, love, beliefs, etc, etc, etc, list could go on forever if you focus on the details ... and you should). After understanding that, you should try to live at this point in time. The CURRENT. Living in the moment. Living in the circumstances that have been given to you by the script for each scene. Each scene being nothing more than a person living their life at that point and time. You should not have to act. You do not have to worry about anyone getting you on the sound system. Your job is not to make sure the light is hitting you right. You are not suppose to be acting at all. Because with a close up of a camera we can see if you are trying to act, or if you are just living and searching for that objective ... that thing you need or want. Stop worrying about learning your lines so much until you have understood what it is you want. If you sound like a broken record every time you re-do the scene with the same rhythm, the same pauses and stops; then you are not living in the moment, you are just re-enacting the scene you have directed in your head. Guess what? You are not the director; and that is not your job! Don't make emotional choices, and plot out your future. The future should always be able to be forgotten like you never read the script. The lines should come from you talking and listening to the other actor while you are in search of this need you have... So, stop acting. Acting will only get you to the stage. That is not where all actors want to go.

So, what does living in the moment even mean? Living in the moment is being able to forget all of the work and dedication you should have put into learning this character so that you do not have to think about being anyone else. You should live just like you are living now. While you read this, there was no acting. You were just reading at a computer or reading on the toilet. Whatever it is you do with your time is not my bag. The point is that you were not thinking of anything that is coming next in life because we should not know it.