Acting- The Looks

I think of casting directors and agents as girls. Girls don't like seeing pimple faces or fat Joes, nor do they like broken nails or skinny Petes. When I walk into an audition, I know in the back of my mind that there is a great chance of me not getting the part just because of my blemishes. It doesn't matter how well I act, or how friendly I am, if the people I'm auditioning for don't want to bother putting make up on me, or don't want to photoshop my face, they simply won't hire me.

          Now, I only recently found out what my trigger is, and only certain ointments work on my face for so long before they somehow stop working, so for me, its kinda hard getting work. Its not easy, but its the truth. If you don't have the look that people are looking for, its going to be harder and harder for you to get work.

Memories- Junior Year

          I know I should probably save this for a Throwback Thursday, but I just suddenly got the urge to actually blog for the fun of it. I began thinking of my Junior year. As my classmates know, our Junior year at school was the year that we performed the most. From the 9-11 skit, all the way to the Little Mermaid, we went through a lot. A lot of good times, a lot of fun, and also a little bit of wanting to tear each other's throats out. I will probably never forget my Junior year because it was just so fun and so different. I want to thank my classmates for making it such a good year.
          By the looks of things, its not over yet, we have done everything we did last year, so I wouldn't be surprised if we were asked to do another play at the end of the year. If not, we always have FACCS!

Goodnight, everybody.

The Business- Some People...

          I remember that I once went on an audition for Nike. The casting director was a short, chubby man who seemed to be no younger than 38. I did as he asked with a calm demeanor, I went through all the different motions and acts that he wanted and I thought that I had done great. When the audition was done and he had gotten all the footage he needed, he handed me my headshot and resume back. This had never happened to me before and I had no clue what was going on, none of the other boys that left the audition room had their papers with them. It was then that the man smiled at me and said, "Here, if you'd rather recycle."
          If you didn't catch it, the man was telling me that he was just going to throw my papers out and not even consider me for the job. This is a common occurrence to some actors, luckily, that was the first-and hopefully only-time that has ever happened to me. i have heard stories of people walking into the audition room with a smile on their face and the best attitude ever, they give the casting director their papers and walk to the stage. When they are on the stage,. they see the director look at the headshot and resume, look at them, and then throw their papers out before the actor even had a chance.
          As an actor, you have to deal with people. You have to deal with some people in the waiting room that want you to fail and will therefore say anything to try to discourage you. If that wasn't bad enough, sometimes you have to deal with the casting director that may be having a bad day, doesn't like you, or is just plain mean. If you're like me, you would stay calm, smile, say "Thank you" and walk out. You'd save the depression for when you get in the car.
         The thing is, when people see that you're weak, when they see you cry, when they see you get angry, they remember you. They remember your face, they remember your resume, they find out who represents you, where you live and what you had for breakfast. If you make a big enough impression, you become black listed. When you become black listed, you'd be lucky if you got a job as a janitor in a theatre or movie set.
          The Bible says turn the other cheek. And you had better.

Throwback Thursday- Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. has been in a multitude of movies including: the Iron Man series, The Avengers, Due Date, Gothika, Tropics Thunder, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and A Scanner Darkly... Just to name a few.
          Robert Downey Jr was brought into the business by his father, Robert Downey. He began at age 5. His journey has been a little more than rough. He was put away for substance abuse and came out vowing to never go near drugs again. After this, he went on to earn a Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting in a series, miniseries or television film.
          From 1992 to 2011, Downey she earned an astounding 20 awards. He was nominated for an even more breath taking 57 in 1992 to 2012.
          If a male actor doesn't look up to Robert Downey Jr as inspiration, he hasn't done much research or doesn't really know all too much about the people that have fought hard to be where they are now.

Researched from Wikipedia.

Acting- A Gift From God

If you havnt been able to tell, I don't act for money or fame like a bunch of other people. Those things are, to me, a very VERY nice addition. I act because it is what brings joy into my life. I feel the same way that a surgeon that just completed a heart surgery does, or how a mother does when she sees her child sleeping soundly at night. Acting isn't just a thing, its what makes me.
          I feel that God has given me this gift. He gave me this gift to bring me happiness. When I act, I feel so envigorated, so happy that I can't explain it. When I act, I know that that is why I'm here, acting is what I was meant to do.
          I can't just accept this gift freely now, can I? No. So I made a vow to God that I will use this gift to his advantage, I will NOT be like other actors- Tom Cruise. Ahem* I will not reject God for the glory of the flesh or of man, I will praise him instead. If someone you know and loves gives you a car for no reason but to benefit you, you would repay them, right? That's how I feel with God. My acting is like a brand new, shiney 2012 Corvette Stingray. And God is who I'm going to pay back for it.

Performing, The Thrills

Ask any real actor what the greatest feeling they have ever experienced is and they will say "Performing"... Or something like that. The thrill an actor such as myself feel is better than a shot of adrenaline. Even when I think of going out on stage or in front of a camera, my blood fills with heat and courses through my veins, heating my body. It's a shame that not even that is an accurate description of what I feel and think.
          When I first performed in Willy Winka for my first FACCS competition, I felt this feeling that just gave me such a high, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. My mind draws a blank trying to describe the rush I feel. It's like jumping out if a plane with BO parachute, giving myself a shot of adrenaline, and kissing a beautiful girl all at once. I'm amazed my heart doesn't explode when I feel it.
          This feeling is only slightly comparable to watching awards shows. I imagine myself walking on stage, grabbing that little naked gold guy and lifting my arms up in triumph.

I'm going to cut this post short before I have a heart attack.