Another HBO show!

Hey fellow actors! Can't believe it's been ten months since I last posted. The time seems to fly, and we're almost into a new year!

I've been mostly writing and have had a number of short stories published. But this blog isn't about writing, so why am I telling you that? Well, when the auditions (and roles) slow down -- and they always do -- we need some other creative outlet. It can be anything that allows you to have more control over when and how much you express your creativity.

Maybe it's stand-up comedy, or writing some sketches for you and your friends to shoot and post on YouTube. Maybe it's painting, or poetry. Doesn't matter as long as your creative juices get to flow whenever you want.

So, about this HBO show that I mentioned in the title of this post. Well, as usual, I can't disclose the name, or who's in it (other than me), because it's just starting production (I'm in the pilot). I'll post some stuff about it when it drops on the network. But here's the thing. A couple of months ago I auditioned for a role on this show. And after a few weeks I forgot about it and moved on. Just another audition.

Then out of the blue, my agent called and said they wanted me for another part, in the same show, and could I be on set the next day? Well, sure I could. We shot for 13-14 hours. Then the director said they wanted to add another scene with me, and could I come back the next day? Again -- sure I could. That's a great reason to do our best even if we don't think the role might be perfect for us. And why we want to make interesting choices in our auditions -- we never know what other role we might be considered for.

It was a fun shoot, on location, and it's the fourth show I've done for HBO. I've had co-star, guest star, and recurring roles with them, so it's beginning to feel a bit like home. Now, if they'd just hire me for a regular gig!

In the meantime, here's my view from inside the truck I was driving in a scene.

As for commercials -- I asked my agent why auditions had been slow for most of this year, and he informed me that the majority of commercials being shot in Los Angeles right now are non-union. That's a drag. But for some reason, I've had three commercial auditions in the past two weeks.

That's what I mean about how this business can be busy, then slow, then busy, etc. And to keep our sanity, we need to do some creative work that we have control over.

Cheers,

Michael

The Actor's Guide To Auditioning

More about ADR, Dubbing, Looping, and Voice Over

Hello dear readers,

Last week I wrote about my ADR recording session. Since then I've been asked to define what those terms (ADR, looping, voice-over, and dubbing) really mean. Sometimes we use these words to mean things they don't cover. In fact, I've seen a few show-biz websites that have slightly incorrect definitions for these terms.

So, let's take a look at how they are defined by SAG-AFTRA.

All of the terms involve the use of an actor's voice. Sometimes one actor at a time, and sometimes (as we'll see with looping) more than one actor at a time.

ADR stands for Automatic Dialogue Replacement. The original dialogue may need to be replaced if there was any kind of problem with the recording of the actor's voice on the set - such as a passing airplane, wind, crickets, etc., or the actor's voice was too low. Yes, the person recording the sound can raise the level, but that raises all the other background noises as well.

At the post-production facility, the actor will watch the scene that needs ADR and will have to match his lip movements exactly. That means the actor has to do the dialogue at the same pace as they did it on the set. If the scene involves another actor, the one doing the recording will hear the other actor's lines in their headphones.

Voice over is used for narration or in animated films. In an animated film, the character's lip movements will often be drawn after the actor does his lines - this makes it much easier on actors because they don't have to match lip movements on the animated characters.

Looping is used for things like background voices. For example, if a crowd of background actors need to be shouting, as a group, "Go team!" or "Grab that guy!" then a few actors will be brought in to the post-sound studio to record that "wild dialogue."

Dubbing is used mainly for creating dialogue in a different language than the film was originally recorded. So, if a film was shot in Italy and the actors spoke Italian, and now the producers want to release it in the United States in English, they'd dub it. Actors consider this the most difficult of the voice jobs, because you have to act a role that you haven't performed before. You have to capture the mood and emotion of the original actor, as well as the pacing. Dubbing used to be done a lot more than it is today. Thirty or forty years ago very few English speakers were used to reading subtitles on films. Nowadays audiences that go to see foreign films usually expect to see the film with the actors speaking the original language, with subtitles in English (or whatever language of the viewing country is).

There's one more type of recording that falls into the category of "pick up" scenes, and it's part of what I did in my last recording session. I recorded an entirely new scene - one that I hadn't shot on the set. It was a phone call. The other actor - the one who made the call - was shot on film, calling me, during the original shoot. But I wasn't recorded on the set. In the post-sound studio, I watched, and heard, the other actor speak, then I did my lines in between theirs, so it sounded like a natural phone call.

So, how come this isn't simply called "voice-over" since you only hear my voice - you never see me? It's called a new scene, because it's a brand new scene. It doesn't matter that it's only my voice - it's still a brand new scene for me. It falls under the general category of "pick up" scenes, where a new scene is done after the main production of a film or TV show has wrapped.

Hope that gives you an idea of the difference between these voice categories as they are defined by SAG-AFTRA.

As always, drop me a line if you have a question. And thanks for reading.

Cheers,


Michael

Let's talk about ADR, Looping, and Dubbing.

Hello!

Today I'm going to talk about ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement), also sometimes incorrectly referred to as looping or dubbing. 

For a film or TV show, ADR is often done because the original dialogue wasn't clear or there's some sound that we could hear in the background. For example, if the shoot is on location, there may be a bird, or a distant plane, or the wind in the trees -- it could be anything that interferes with a clear, crisp dialogue soundtrack. It could even be the fact that the actor was mumbling too much.

The reason I'm using ADR as a subject today is because I have an ADR session in a few days. It's for a TV show that I worked on 10 months ago!

I'm not allowed to reveal which show - but it's on Netflix, and it's on this screen shot:

I've got to get into the same character with the same emotions as I had on the set when I was working with the other actors. Except this time I'll be alone on a sound stage with just the sound crew and the director. They'll play the scene on a big screen and I'll have to match my original lines to the movement of my lips on the screen.

So, besides the technical requirements of matching the dialogue, how does the actor reconnect with their character from months ago? Well, for me it means pulling out my sides (dialogue) from the shoot -- which is why we should always save our scripts or sides after the shoot is done (and have a place where we put them so that we can find them if needed).

I'll study the scene(s) again and picture the scene as we shot it. I'll remember how I responded to the other actor(s) and hear their lines as well as my own. And if possible, I'll try to have the same body language as I had when I did the original scene.

One last thing - unless directed to change your reading by the director, you'll want to do the role (and the emotion) the same way you did it on the set. Don't come in with a whole new (better?) way of doing the dialogue. For all my ADR sessions so far, the director has not changed my way of doing the dialogue -- they've always wanted it the same way as I originally did it.

PS - See my next post for more on my recording session.

As always, if you have any questions about ADR work, or anything else, drop me an email.

Cheers,

Michael

You want me to do what!!? When does a physical action become a stunt?

A couple of years ago I booked a nice role on a fairly big feature film. After we had shot for about six hours on the first night, and done most of my dialogue, the director walked up to me and introduced me to the stunt co-coordinator. Why was I meeting the stunt guy I wondered. I had not been notified about doing any stunts when I auditioned for the role, nor had my agent been told about any when he negotiated the contract.

This happens a lot - especially on films. The director or writer gets an idea to add a small stunt for your character during the shoot. Not a big, dangerous stunt like driving a car through a ring of fire, or jumping off a four-story building onto an air bag. I'm talking about things like jumping into a cold lake, running a sprint, or doing a somersault.

We actors hate to look like a wimp on a set. With the crew standing around, it's difficult to say "No" to the director. Especially when he or she applies pressure - "You can do this." "It'll look great!" "Come on - be team member, we won't let anything happen to you."

First, even the simplest of stunts should be done under the watchful eye of a stunt coordinator. He's the one who can tell if something could go wrong (unless of course he's really new to the job).

Too many inexperienced directors, especially on low-budget films, have no idea what the difference is between a big, obviously dangerous stunt, and one that seems mild, but on which you could get hurt performing. In fact, because professional stunt performers are hired to do the big stunts, it's usually on the small ones that we actors get hurt. Cuts, sprains, pinched nerves, muscle tears, lung damage (from smoke and dust), etc. are some of the things that can cause short or long-term health problems.

So, how should an actor handle it when he or she is asked, while shooting, to do something physical that isn't in the original script?

First, you need to have a clear understanding of what they want you to do. Sometimes they'll start small, and then ask you to do it faster, longer, higher, etc. If you agree to do it, but it starts becoming too much for you - say "That's it, no more."

Next, you need to have an honest idea of what you're physically in shape to do.

Lastly, you have to have the confidence to stand up for yourself. On many films and TV shows, you will be the only one to do that. I've seen actors get hurt - actually bleeding - and the director says "You okay for one more take?"

Last thought - be extra careful if the director springs this new stunt or physical action on you on the last day of shooting. If he thinks you might get hurt and not be able to work for a while, he may do this physical action at the end of your scenes, so that if you do get hurt, it won't interfere with the film's schedule. Does that sound like the director is a real a**hole? Yeah, but not necessarily intentionally - often he just wants to get whatever ideas he thinks are "cool" onto the film or video.

NOTE: This same issue comes up with nudity. It gets thrown at you on the set. Ultimately, we have to protect ourselves. That means reading our contracts, getting enough sleep, water, food, etc., and saying "No" when something doesn't feel right.

And what about the stunt I was asked to do on that film a few years ago? After talking it over with the stunt coordinator, I felt I could do it with no problems. However, I declined the stunt coordinator's help, so that I would be in control of the stunt - how hard I fell - instead of having him jerk me to the ground using a leash. It worked great, and I didn't get hurt. (But I still was not happy that it was sprung on me at the last minute.)

Cheers,

Michael

The frustration of too many directions.

Hi

It's been awhile since my last blog and it would be great to say I've been so busy acting that I haven't had time to write. But the truth is we're just getting out of the slow casting season (April - July). Finally things are picking up for major auditions. Yeah!

What I've been doing these last four months when things get slow is the same thing I advise others to do - stay busy doing creative stuff. Writing sketches, doing some improv work, reading an acting book, watching good films, updating resumes and headshots online, that kind of stuff. I've been teaching an improv class out in beautiful Malibu - and I join in on the warmups. That way I get paid to teach, and I get to keep up my improv skills.

Anyway - today's post is about the frustration off getting too many confusing and conflicting directions from a casting director (or more likely, a session director).

Okay, you have an audition - co-star role, three lines. What do you do if, when you enter the room, the CD says something like this:

"Okay, the character is angry, but not too angry, and we really want to see that he's actually vulnerable, but with an edge."

There's no way to do right by all those emotions in three lines. In fact I just recently had an audition like that. So, what did I do? I did what I thought was right for the character and picked the one direction the CD gave that jived with what I had been rehearsing. When I was done the CD said, "Okay, let's try it again and bring out the edginess a little more."

Once the CD saw my interpretation of the role, he was able to narrow down his direction a little more, which helped me on the next take.

So, in those situations, pick one or two character emotions, especially if it's a short audition, and use those. If you commit to them - and that's key - the CD will almost always do another take with you. And that's a good thing - CDs are seeing a lot of actors and they are not going to waste their time doing multiple takes with an actor they think sucks. In fact, in most cases, the more takes they do, the more interested they are in casting you. If they see something they like in your first take, they will work with you to get the role on tape that the producers want.

As always - enjoy the journey. And send your questions!


Cheers,


Michael

Making choices at an audition.

I had an audition this past week for a popular procedural show - one of those long-running crime/mystery shows. And the character I was reading for was a really intense character. But, it could have been played a couple of different ways. So, what did I do in the few days I had to rehearse it?

First I looked at the different choices and what clues I could get from the dialogue. For example, if another character asks your character - "Do you know Jeremy Jones?", and your response is, "I ain't got no knowledge of that person," you can assume that your character is not an educated person. Now, if the line is the same, but he adds, "… so just leave me alone." What does that add to the character? He's hostile? He's a loner? He doesn't like the person asking him the question? Maybe the person asking him is a cop and he doesn't like any cops.

The casting people don't want you to be asking them what they want - or what they see as the character - they want to see what you bring to the audition. If you're a beginner, you might get told what to do, but if you want to move up the ladder and get better roles, you will be expected to bring a fully realized character to the audition.

At my audition, not only was the casting director in the room, there was also the show's director, the producer, and the writer. And since this was for a TV show, they simply don't have the time to have a conversation with every actor about the character. This is why no one asked me if I had any questions. If they had given me an adjustment after my first read, then I could have asked a question to clarify the adjustment.

As actors, we aren't just puppets, we are expected - most of the time - to be creative and to make the choices ourselves. And believe in them and commit to them. There are some exceptions, mainly in commercial auditions, where the casters will usually tell us what they want from the character. Since I talk about that in another post and in my book, I won't go into it in this post.

The one thing you want to avoid in a film or TV audition is trying to play all the possibilities. You must make a choice and stick with it! Then if the caster wants to see a different take on the character, they will give you an adjustment. If, in the above example, you were a little too angry, they might say, try it again more frustrated than angry. And this is why you want to go through several possibilities when you are rehearsing, so that you can make a change if they give you an adjustment. You just don't want to try to play all your choices in the hope that they will see something in your audition, because all they will see is an actor who has not committed to a choice.

And how do we make those choices? We do it by supplying our own answers to to our questions. For example - is the character angry or frustrated? Try it both ways. Which way feels most right? Go with that. You may be wrong, but you'll be strong. And strong and wrong is far more interesting than weak and blah.

Cheers,

Michael

I booked "House of Lies" this week - the good and not so good of preparing for an audition.

Hi everyone. It's been both a fun and a crazy week since I last posted. Many auditions and a booking. I'm doing a role on "House of Lies" for Showtime next week. My scenes are with Don Cheadle, an actor I've admired since he did "Crash." 

I also had auditions for two different characters on the new Cohn Brothers film, a new Marvel series, several other TV shows, and a commercial.

Should you ask questions at the audition?

In many of the auditions, I didn't get more than the sides (a page or two) and there were a bunch of questions I had about what was going on in the scenes. Do we ask the casting director all those questions when we get to the audition? Nope. If they ask if we have any questions, what they really mean is - do we have ONE question that we really need the answer to in order to do the scene. You can almost never ask all your questions, or discuss the character's motivations, etc.

So, what do we do? Well, I'll pass on what I do. I make my own choices. How do I know if they're the right choices? Honestly? I don't always know. But I make the best choices I can with the available material: who am I?, who am I talking to?, what do I want from them?, where is the scene taking place?

What if I make the wrong choice?

If it says that I'm angry, how angry am I? Sometimes our dialogue will give you a clue, and sometimes we just have to make our own choice. And usually, if it's too strong (and it's better to be too strong than too weak), the casting director will have us do it again and take it down a bit. That's what happened in my audition for House of Lies.

I was really energetic on the first take, and although the CD thought it might work, she had me do it again a little less "enthusiastically." If you take the CD's notes, and do it the way they suggest, it shows that you can make adjustments in your performance - and that's a good thing.

So, even if you're not sure that your choice is the "perfect" one, commit to it fully. You (and I) won't always be right, and we won't get some acting jobs because of it, but being weak and indecisive in our acting choices is far worse than making a strong, incorrect choice.

Cheers,

Michael
   

Okay - I'm plugging my ebook again, but it does cover a lot of stuff about auditioning and booking the job.

The Actor's Guide to Auditioning

What I learned from "sort of" doing nudity.

I've done two nude scenes. Well, sort of. The first time was in an indie film about 20 years ago. I say "sort of" because in the script it said that I was in bed with my girlfriend and that I was to jump out of bed when my wife caught us together and run into the bathroom to hide.

The first time I heard that I would be naked was when I got to the set that morning, but like many actors, I bit the bullet and said okay. After all, it was a funny scene and I was in pretty good shape, so why not? Which doesn't mean I wasn't feeling a little nervous about the whole thing.

So, eight hours later, when it's time to shoot the scene, I get into the bed with the actress playing my girlfriend, and remove my robe under the covers (I figured there's no reason to be running around naked any more than I had to). The camera rolls and the director calls "action!" My "wife" runs into the room with a shotgun and I leap out of bed and head for the bathroom. The director yells cut (no circumcision jokes, here) and informs me that they changed the scene so that I'll be wearing underwear. It would have been real nice if someone had told me about this change. I'm a little pissed off, but I get into my underwear and we shoot the scene again a few times.

The second time I was "sorta naked" was doing a sketch on a late night television show a few years ago. Again, nobody told me when I got the gig that I would be doing this, because they (the writers) only thought of it during the shoot. At first I said "no" but the producers convinced me to do it with two things - I would be wearing a "sock" (which is basically a special sock-like thing that goes over a man's private parts), and they would give me a large bonus (yes, that's "bonus"). So, I did the scene and it turned out really funny.

Okay, so what did I learn from these two experiences? Well, in the first one - a non- union indie, I learned that we actors are on our own (no union rules here), but that I should have asked if I could do the scene in my underwear when I was first told about it since I had not agreed to do a nude scene when I was hired. But I was new to professional acting and was intimidated. I didn't realize I had the power to say "no," especially since I had already shot a lot of my scenes and they sure as hell wouldn't have fired me and reshot every scene I was in.

As for a union project, like the TV sketch, they were in violation of the contract. SAG-AFTRA rules state that you must be informed BEFORE agreeing to do a project, that there will be nudity involved in your role. Again, this scene was the last one after several days of shooting, so I could have said no. And if it had been full nudity, I would have - but with the "sock" and yes, the extra money, I was cool with it.

If you don't feel comfortable doing something - and you haven't agreed to do it when you were hired (and that includes stunts, as well), then don't do it. However, if you agreed to do nudity when you were hired, and then changed your mind - the producers do have a right to be upset - and even fire you.

We actors need to feel proud of our work, so keep that in mind whenever you are faced with a tough decision before or after you're hired.

Cheers,

Michael   

Do you like your roles?

Well another week, another audition. A new Comedy Central show and another weird character. This seems to be my calling - to play weird, offbeat, or grungy roles. which is cool - they are the roles that are often remembered. I'm not knocking actors who play the straight roles like doctors, lawyers, etc., or the roles that give important information - called exposition roles. These are important parts because they give us information that we need in order to advance the story. But I like the more offbeat stuff - like playing the Baker on Eagleheart, or my latest role of The Undertaker on Westworld.

Here's a link if you want to see a scene with me as The Baker:

Eagleheart - The Baker

We actors sometimes have to make a choice in our careers between who we see ourselves as, and who others - especially casting directors, agents, directors, and producers - see us as. Are you the funny guy who gets cast as the angry guy? Maybe you see yourself as a leading young lady, but keep getting called in to play the nerdy best friend.

So what do you do? Well, you can try and change the way people see you by doing the type of theatre roles that are more how you see yourself, and making your own videos where you play the type of characters you see yourself as and hope that others will come around and see you as that as well.

Or you can be happy that you are being called in and cast and are able to support yourself as a performer. I write and play songs, but no one's paying me to do that. However, the money I make doing my "weird" roles allows me to spend time on my songs. But I'm also lucky because I really like performing most of the roles in which I'm cast.

You can always do your own stuff on the side. For example, if you're the funny guy who is cast in dramatic roles, go to comedy clubs and do stand-up. Charlize Theron, known for her dramatic roles, has been doing comedy sketches on Funny or Die to show her comedic side. Will that get her cast in a comedy film? Maybe, maybe not, but at least she gets to express her funny side.

There's enough to deal with in our acting careers without being unhappy with the type of parts we get to play. You have choices and ways to fulfill your inner spirit. So embrace the paid work and give it your all, and then go do some unpaid work that feeds your soul. 

Cheers,

Michael   

Heat, dust and horse shit

I was standing in the middle of a hot, dusty, dirt street. All around me crew members were going about their jobs setting up the next shot. My shot. My scene. And I took in every second, as they adjusted the huge lights, set up three cameras to shoot the scene, got horses into place, informed the background actors where they would be standing or walking, etc. An AD said that I could go sit in a chair off to the side while they did all this setting up, but I wanted to drink in every moment of watching this fantasy come to life. Especially since I had spent a good deal of the day in my trailer, waiting.

I wish I could share pictures, but as on many sets, taking pictures is forbidden (except by the publicity people). And I understand - they want to keep an air of mystery about the project until it's released in theaters or shown on TV.

Now that my time working on Westworld is finished, I'm back to working on my own projects and auditioning. I know I've talked about this before, but it's so important to keep being creative in between our paid acting jobs.

Of course I'm hoping there will be a few more acting jobs before the end of the year. I just had an audition for "Parks and Recreation," but didn't get it. That's a part of our business - dealing with rejection - doing our best and then not getting the role is definitely not the fun part of this business, but it's something we all must deal with.

After two weeks of being a "working actor," it's a drag to go back to looking for work. One of the many things I love about this business is that when I'm working I forget about almost everything else in my life - laundry, bills, bad dates, and all the mundane errands that we usually have to do. We even get our meals on the set - especially if we're working 12-14 hours a day on a big-budget project.

It's that all-consuming aspect to acting that allows us to get deeply into the role. And the role doesn't have to be some deep, dark, intense character - we can even be consumed by funny characters. Of course not every character or role is going to fill us with passion. But as I noted in the first paragraph, sometimes just being a part of a great production is enough to fill us with good vibes.

Cheers,

Michael   

What's my motivation?

Well, my acting on the HBO show "Westworld" is done. And even though it was hot and dusty, and there was a lot of "down-time," I will miss the other actors I met, as well as the crew. And speaking of the crew members - it can be of real benefit for us actors to get to know the names of the crew members and treat them nice. When there's a problem, or something you need - like a bottle of water when you're on set, or someone to do a last minute check of your wardrobe, the A.D.s, and wardrobe and makeup people will be there for you.

Depending on the size of the crew, and how much time you are spending on the set, it's not always possible to get to know everyone - even the key crew members - like the D.P., the first A.D., the script supervisor, or even the director! These people are usually very busy and rarely have time to hang out and chat like we actors can often do.

In fact one of the biggest surprises an actor gets their first couple of times on a professional set is how little contact we might have with the director. I learned why the first time I was on a big film set and then a commercial set.

I, of course, asked the director - what do you want me to do? And by that I meant, my character - what kind of emotion and reactions, etc. And the director said, "Do what you did at the audition. It was great - that's why we hired you." It blew me away that the director didn't want to discuss the role and "get into" the essence of the emotional arc, and all that actor-type stuff.

What about the stars? Well, they usually meet with the director before they are hired and that is when they have a discussion about the story and the role. Maybe. Unless you are doing something you are known for, like physical comedy. Then the director is mostly going to trust you to do what you already know how to do, and he will mostly be concerned with the action stuff.

This doesn't mean he or she is a bad director - it's just that most films, many TV shows, and even some commercials, are very complex and there are so many details the director needs to focus on, he just doesn't have the time to discuss every scene with every actor. 

Note: The director on my last project came over, introduced himself and shook my hand. Nice guy - but very busy.

And what about where to move for the camera? That's mostly the job of the first A.D., who has already discussed this with the director, and knows what the director wants. "The first" (as he's called) is usually the one to call "standby," (which means get ready everyone), "background," (this means the background actors should start moving), and "action!" (Which means the principal actors start doing their thing.) Then at the end, the director will say "cut" to the first, who then yells, "Cut!"

In fact, the set I was just on was so big and complex, with so many actors (both background and principal), that the first A.D. had to use a microphone attached to a bullhorn, in order for everyone to hear him call the cues.

So, what does all this mean to us actors? It means that although we may occasionally be on a set where we get to discuss the details of our role with the director, most of the time we need to be prepared to bring what we did in the audition to the set. And that often means making our own choices about things like motivation and character arcs.

There's an old Hollywood joke that goes:
Actor (to the director): What's my motivation?
Director: Your paycheck. 

Cheers,

Michael   

What are your walls?

We all have certain walls that get in the way and block us from growing as performers. Maybe we're afraid of letting our angry side out. Or maybe we're shy about appearing to be weak, or we don't want people to think that we're really stupid, or a cry-baby, etc.

The more honestly we act and the closer we are to our own dark side, the more some people will think that that is the way we really are. So we will often hold back – we don't want people to think we're really like that, right? But then we aren't doing our job as actors.

Would you rather people thought you were a bad actor, or that they thought maybe you really are a racist or a slut, or a weak, sniveling coward?

I dealt with this issue when I was starting out. I thought of myself as really cool. You know – I rode a motorcycle, had long hair, and keep it all together. In class, I always held back on my emotions. Then I was doing a scene and my teacher said to do it again and really open up and connect with the other actor. I did and it worked. After class I asked her why her direction helped me so much. She said, “You were waiting for someone to say it was okay to be emotional.” That advice was the best I ever got from a teacher.

Sometime later I got a great part in a play, but the part was of a somewhat dumb, super silly, goofball. So, I had a choice – turn the part down; do the part, but play it cool and not do a good job; or throw myself into it and go for it – which is what I did. And yes, there were people who didn't know me and thought that character was me. They expected that when they met me after the show that I would “entertain” them with my silliness. And they were disappointed when they realized I wasn't my character. But so what? I got great reviews, and more importantly, finally broke though that wall. Now I have fun whenever I get to do a role that is outside my comfort zone.

It does take work. And awareness of our walls. But if we work through them, the payoff can open us up to all kinds of wonderful opportunities.

Late news flash!!! My agent called while I was writing this post and I booked a role on the new Westworld pilot for HBO. Love getting paid to play – even if the character is not always “cool.”

Cheers,

Michael  

What do casting directors look for?

This is probably the number one question that film, TV and commercial actors ask (or at least wonder about). And although I've touched on it before, it's worth visiting it again.

Bottom line: The CD wants you to bring honesty to the role. How do we best do this? By bringing as much of ourselves as we can to the role. Doesn't matter if it's a comedy or a drama. The more of ourselves we bring, the less we have to "act."

But hey, we're actors - aren't we suppose to act? Well, yes and no. Unless we're playing ourselves, we're always going to be doing some acting, but pretending is never as strong as real, sincere emotion that comes from our heart. When you see someone act who really moves you, don't you feel like that actor must really feel that way about whatever it is they are reacting to?

Haven't you seen an actor doing a scene where he is supposed to be angry (or sad or scared, or another strong emotion) and you just don't buy it? Even if the acting isn't bad, you just feel like it's not "real"? And how about when you almost feel that the actor is really angry (or sad, etc.)?

That's usually because he (or she) is tapping into the angry part of themselves. They find that part of them that holds the "angry" emotions, and they let it out.

We all have those different emotions in us: anger, lust, sadness, fear, silliness, etc. The best actors find those emotions and allow the rest of us to see them. That's what holds back a lot of actors, because most of us have been raised to not show emotions - especially the undesirable ones like lust or anger. But in order to really make others feel what we're feeling, we must be willing to tap into those real parts of ourselves and show them to others.

That brings us to the "acting" stuff. Acting is really about using a real emotion (not acting) in a situation were you wouldn't feel that way (acting). For example, maybe you can really feel anger at people who hurt animals, but the scene calls for you to feel anger at your sister. You make the anger real, and act the part that it's toward your sister.

And this is one of the main things that casting directors (and directors) look for at an audition (and in a performance).

Ask me about other things a CD looks for - I'll be glad to help any way I can.

Cheers,

Michael