All Grown Up

It’s a rough day when you’ve been away from a teacher whose opinion you know can help you, and you go back knowing you have work to do. I’ve been fortunate to have a couple of auditions a week and haven’t booked. I knew there were reasons that I couldn’t see, so I went looking for them in the eye of my teacher. My teacher is subtle, kind, and extremely accurate.

Everyone in the industry has an opinion. Therefore, you have to find the voices or people who resonate with you and/or offer you information that rings true and accurately. Opinions can break you if you get the wrong ones, but they can help make you if you get the right ones.

Today I found out some tough things. I’ve forgotten to play and I’ve grown up. I’ve lost some of my child-like qualities by taking my daily responsibilities and myself too seriously. Actors need child-like qualities. They are an important part of our work and our creativity. I’ve also created the bad habit of playing it safe in my work. The antidote will be to sign up for improv and to figure out how to play again. The latter will take a minute, but I will do it.

I am also a bit rusty because I took a break from class over the holidays and didn’t go back. I’m back. I’ve been auditioning regularly, but that’s not the same as improving your craft. An actor needs to practice just like musicians and other entertainers to grow and to keep improving. An actor must act. This actor will be working on improv and performing live on stage in early June.

Also, I’m in the thin class of actors and my teacher asked me if I work out. It was a subtle and gentle suggestion that I need to get in better shape. In fact, it was so subtle that it didn’t register until this evening when I was sitting quietly doing nothing. Subtlety is a form of kindness. If a suggestion is made with subtlety, then at some point, the suggestion will sink in. The truth is that I have been going to the gym 2-3 times per week for the last couple of months, but I have also recently developed a penchant for nightly chocolate chip cookies…and it shows. I cut the caffeine out earlier this year. Now, I want to cut out the sugar. Once I give up the sugar and work out more frequently, then I’ll be in great shape again.

Here are some suggestions for actors: 1) get in shape –it builds confidence; 2) take classes when you’re not working and sometimes even when you are; and 3) play - play courageously. These are important qualities toward being hired. As my teacher said, “People like to hire people with confidence.” Being prepared builds confidence.

I didn’t learn anything new today, but I remember what I forgot.

Thought for the day: Ever notice that improv and improv-ing are inseparable?

Residuals - check the facts

When you start receiving residuals, check the facts. A very quick and simple way to make sure that you've received all your money is to look at 2 boxes on each check attachment, Year-to-Date Totals Gross Earnings and Gross Earnings. You should be able to take the Year-to-Date Totals Gross Earnings from your second to last check and add the Gross Earnings of the last check to get the Year-to-Date Totals Gross Earnings for the last check.

Or more easily stated, take the last check's Gross Earnings and add it to the check you received before it. Look at the Year-to-Date-Totals Gross Earnings. This should give you the same number as last check's Year-to-Date-Totals Gross Earnings. Basically, the Year-to-Date-Totals Gross Earnings keeps a total and the Gross Earnings show you what you earned with the last check received (i.e. or most recent check).

I learned this when I received a check for Gross Earnings of $141.90 for a callback I'd had last year that took well over an hour to complete. If it had been lost in the mail, I might never have known, because last year I received residuals all year long and never added the numbers to make sure I received everything. I just blindly trusted my agent. Here's the thing, your agent might not know a check was missed either. So, it's your job to make sure all your money has come to you. You'll be taxed as if it has, therefore, you owe it to yourself to check the facts!

To make sure you get your money, always sign in and out at auditions. SAG checks these sheets and if you've been at an audition for over an hour, then you are to be paid for the hour plus any additional time as well. Additionally, keep track of your auditions so you know when you're owed money, you can ask for it. If you don't keep track, you may get lucky and 6 or 9 or 12 months later an hourly check with a $75 late fee might show up in your mailbox. It could happen if you.

Select the Wardrobe that is Right for You

This is advice that works for me and is something you may want to consider. After 15 years of auditioning and mostly booking commercially, I realized that wearing what's right for me is better than wearing something that is not.

What I mean is that we, as actors, often get caught up what to wear to auditions. The truth is there is no right answer for all of us. The other truth is the blanket statement is to get as close to what they're asking for as you can and then forget about it and focus on your audition.

A few years ago, I went was sent out for a Hardee's commercial and the request was to wear you Sunday dress. I laughed because it was summertime, so to me that meant shorts and t-shirt or a bathing suit. But then I asked my agent and she said,"Oh, they mean Sunday dresses. The kind people wear to church." I found that funny, and it tickled me because I didn't really have anything like that. I mostly wore mini-skirts and suits, but no dresses because dresses rarely fit me right. So, I decided I'd go in a black mini-skirt, blue sweater and black pumps. When I showed up, the assistant sort of looked at me funny and so did some of the actresses who were all in dresses. So, there I was in the wrong outfit. Funniest of all was that I booked the commercial. So, you just never know.

Last spring, I wore casual clothes that I really enjoyed and booked the Wells Fargo commercial that is still airing. But the same sweater I was wearing for it, I wore to an audition yesterday and the camera guy told me that he didn't recommend that I ever wear that sweater again. It's red and it vibrates. He showed me how I looked on camera. It makes me look quite a bit heavier than I actually am in real life. Good grief. I told him I wore it often to auditions, but now that I've actually seen how it looks on camera, I know he's right. So, might I have booked if I had worn other sweaters to those auditions? Who knows. I'm not interested in going backwards, but I will find more appropriate clothing going forward.

And I've worn exactly as they've asked and been cast and not cast. So, it's all guesswork. But I do know one thing, if you're not comfortable then you are much less likely to get cast. So wear what's right for you, get as close to the wardrobe suggested and put it on. Then forget it. They can always change your clothes, but they're not likely to give you a second chance.

And wear the most comfortable clothes that make you feel great, because you'll perform your best if you do.