|
For the past three years, Toni has written a column on acting for the Tolucan
Times in Toluca Lake, California. Always the teacher, she has answered dozens of
questions from readers about everything associated with breaking into the
entertainment industry. If you’re looking for honest career advice or you’d like
to have your question answered by Toni, email her at
attell@attell.com.
Dear Toni,
Almost a year ago, I made the decision to pack up my car and make my way from
Missouri to California. Within the past year, I have teamed up with an agent;
have been taking acting classes focusing on character development, repetition,
scene study, and auditioning. I’ve just started the actual auditioning process.
I have also been working on the production side, learning all I can.
What different ways can I work on becoming a member of SAG? What are some ways
to stick out of the crowd (in a good way!)? Is there anything else I should do
that I may have overlooked?
Genesis Mayo
Dear Genesis,
First of all, I would suggest that you start auditioning for commercials. SAG
will allow you to do one commercial without being in SAG. On your second
commercial, you will be considered a “must-join.” If you save your money from
the first commercial, you will then have the financial ability to join SAG.
Another way is to become a stuntwoman. You can make a lot of money doing stunts
and it is a great way to standout positively. My last suggestion is to continue
your training and don’t let yourself get bored. The big job may be right around
the corner and you want to be prepared.
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
I moved here from Dallas and I’m interested in doing film work but am not sure
this is a good medium for me considering my age. I am in the 30-35 year old age
range. With all the reality shows out there, is there a good chance for someone
my age to get back into the business in LA? I have had a lot of training. Also,
I have anxiety when I audition and am not sure what to do about it.
Nicole Vaughn
Dear Nicole,
You are actually in a good age range. Danny Aiello did not get started until he
was over 40, and look at how successful he has become and all the varied
characters he plays. Lucille Ball was in her late 30s when the I Love Lucy
first aired. It is never too late.
I think all performers, writers, directors, producers suffer from anxiety
whenever they have to produce or perform. This emotion is common in all artistic
people and it is attached to ego. It is ego that gets in our way and it can make
us scared and anxious. However if used properly, the ego can cause an adrenalin
boost, and the result is usually terrific work. I have this saying. “If you can
breathe through fear… the other side is genius!”
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
I have done many auditions for commercials and theatricals. How many auditions
does it usually take to actually get a part?
Adelaide Crockett, Age 10
Dear Adelaide:
“How many auditions does it usually take to get a part?” sounds like a setup to
a joke. But the truth of the matter is the answer is simple…as many as it takes!
I know that sounds weird to you but please do not get impatient at 10 years old
and think that there is a formula: like you go to a hundred commercials and then
you get the job. It is very different for each person and you just must be very
patient and feel very lucky every time you are called to audition because you
probably beat out a lot of other people who were not even called at all. So have
fun at 10 years old, don’t stress and just know that you are a special little
girl.
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
I started to study acting about seven years ago as a teenager, but had to take a
break to help out with my family’s business. I took a break for five years, but
I still look the same, except that I have added tattoos. I have what they call a
full sleeve on my left arm. What do you think about tattoos and do you think
having these tattoos will affect my chances of getting work?
Jesse Fortney
Dear Jesse,
I actually do not see how the tattoos can affect your working as an actor. It
seems a trend now for every young person to have a tattoo somewhere on his or
her body. Having a whole arm tattooed is a little different, but I guess it
expresses the artistic spirit of the person wearing it. I assume you have picked
out all the symbols on your arm for various reasons. You might call yourself a
storyteller. You have just told your story, not in book form or by voice, but by
the pictures inked forever on your arm.
My advice to you is if you are auditioning as a conservative young man, then
cover up the tattoos. If your audition is for a more artistic, “out there youth,
or rebellious young man,” then wear your full sleeve for everyone to see. Just
make sure you do not upstage yourself with your arm. We have a saying in the
business “don’t wear lots of jewelry and big earrings if you are a woman. Do not
wear outrageous colors, stripped shirts, and jerseys with words, emblems or caps
backwards over your face, if you are a man”. These things draw the eye of the
director and producer to the images you are wearing rather than to your face,
where you want them to look.
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
I have been working as an actor in regional and Community Theater for almost ten
years. I have acted in more than 100 productions and would like to broaden into
film, television and voice-over work. I am looking for direction on how to make
a transition from stage work to other mediums. How can I make the best use of my
stage experience as a positive asset despite my lack of film experience.
Ryan Williams
Dear Ryan:
You have certainly paid your dues. I have noticed that actors sometimes get put
into categories. These categories range from day players to guest stars, and
comics to character actors. They also include stage actors or screen actors. It
is easy for actors to unconsciously put themselves into some of these categories
or the business automatically labels them.
It sounds like you have the right training to take the next step and parlay
your work to the screen. However, screen acting is not the same as stage acting.
You have to remember that with stage acting, the actor is communicating with a
live audience, so the actor immediately feels the energy that is passed back and
forth between the actor and the audience. With film and television it is more
like an electrical current between the actor and the camera unless it is a
three-camera comedy that is being taped in front of a live audience.
With your background, I would suggest you start sending your picture and
resume to sitcoms, because they are shot in front of live audiences. Soap operas
would be another venue you might submit to -- they need the type of repertory
acting you do, because it fits perfectly into their format. With all your
experience you should be a great candidate.
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
My son is 10 years old and has been starting to get work in commercials and TV.
Our experience on sets so far has been wonderful, but I am always concerned
about my son’s welfare and best interests. I don't want to be demanding and
obnoxious but I'm concerned about the stories I hear about "stage moms" and
certainly don't want to be in that group. What tips or suggestions do you have
for parents of child actors?
Cheryl Jones
Dear Cheryl,
You sound like a very sensitive mother and I would say that you should never
listen to what other parents say on a set. This can actually be a bit
intimidating to a new mother in the business. I think it is totally proper for
you to ask for things that are relevant to your son’s safety, health and
comfort- this does not make you a “stage mom.” I would advise you to always
escort your son to the set, set breaks and even the bathroom. This does not make
you a paranoid mom--it makes you a focused mother.
It’s a business and you deserve to be treated with dignity and appreciated
for your efforts in the development of your son’s career. To minimize any
problems going forward, you should keep your son disciplined by having him
attend acting classes and other industry-related activities as well as teaching
him to be courteous to everyone on the set.
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
I am an American actress, originally from Virginia and I’ve just moved to Los
Angeles from London where I went to drama school. I am an American, but I speak
fluent Spanish and I have perfected a charming British accent as well. How do I
go about getting the best manager and agent for myself, taking into
consideration, what I have to offer?
Christina Edland
Dear Christina,
You sound extremely talented. I admire actors who can speak different languages.
I cannot imagine you having any problem with Showbiz in Hollywood. It sounds
like you have the chops and the techniques necessary for the new types of movies
that love to use character performers as well as leading actors – this is the
category I would put you in.
To get a manager pick up a booklet of managers in Los Angeles from Breakdown
Services or Samuel French. Send them your headshots along with a letter
containing a brief description of yourself and your qualifications.
Once you find a good manager, let the manager find you a good agent. I have
discovered that certain managers and agents have their preferences for whom they
work with. If the agent and manager already have a history of working together
then you have a great team.
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
I am a twenty-one year old student at UCLA’S School of Film and Television. I am
an actress and a writer currently in the process of completing my first feature
length dramatic script. What is the best way for an ethnic actress to sign with
a talent agency and break into dramatic acting?
Crystal Smith
Dear Crystal,
I tell my students from USC and UCLA all the time that whether they know it or
not they are the next stars. You are in one of the top schools in the nation and
many agents are on the watch for clients like you. Remember that you are
special. You are trained and have been selected from many applicants just to get
in to these school programs.
Begin to treat acting the same way you would treat starting a new business.
Let the agents know that you are educated not only as an actor but as a
businessperson as well. Talk to some of your teachers at UCLA and ask them for
their help in introducing you to industry leaders. Your teachers are
professionals already working in the business and would probably be more than
happy and proud to introduce you to their colleagues. Look at the television
shows you are right for and write the head of casting, or the producers. Ask if
you can come on the set to watch. Let them know you are from UCLA. You will be
surprised to find how well received you will be and that people want to help a
woman with moxy.
Most of all remember that you are special. Act that way and people will
respond positively to you and respect you. If you are confident, then the
professionals will feel confident about taking you into their agency.
^ Back to Top
Dear Toni,
I feel that in this business everyone gives me mixed messages. You are too thin,
you’re too short, you’re funny but not all-American looking funny, and so on and
so on. My question is “Who do I listen to?”
Sari Alan
Dear Sari,
When I first came to Hollywood from San Francisco, I remember performing
stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store and my manager saying to me afterwards,
“Don’t make your lips look so big, it’s distracting.” It is laughable now, but
at the time I remember struggling to make my lips not look so big. I tell you
this because this town often finds fault with the genuine part of us, the part
that is often the driving force in out talent, causing us to change something,
which is special and doesn’t need changing at all.
This doesn’t only occur with actors; I hear horror stories all the time about
how a simple, beautiful movie concept gets so torn apart that what was
originally written is not what appears as the final product. We have a lot of
experts with a lot of ideas telling artists what works and what doesn’t. Here is
my truth…do what feels right for you in your heart. Perform from your soul and
have a great time doing it and don’t look back and say the “I shoulda, woulda,
couldas!”
Know that you are special and do not let anyone take that away from you. If
you let them, they will. Then you will have to wear a t-shirt that says “Generic
Actress.” It may take you longer and the road may not be easy, but as my friend
Ted Lange always says, “If this is your dream and you stick in there you will
eventually make it.”
^ Back to Top
If you’re looking for honest career advice or you’d like to have your
question answered by Toni, email her at
attell@attell.com.
|