Do You Truly Love Acting?

I know I don’t need to tell a single person just how difficult this career path is. I, and other experts, have discussed at length how truly thorny the field is—how the competition is as tough as the Olympic Games and the future is always uncertain. I’ll save you the speech about rejection, aging, the lack of good parts, the growing size of the competition each year, and the sometimes insurmountable challenge of just getting your foot in the door to audition for a role you’re right for—let alone the issue of booking the damn role. 

The First Type of Actor

I’ve lived for years in Los Angeles, a city which is so oversaturated with actors, that when you meet someone between the ages of 18 and 50 with good teeth, you just assume they are an actor. You don’t even ask anymore. Here’s what I’ve observed: There are essentially two kinds of actors. The first kind of actor truly, truly loves the craft and process of acting. This is the actor who has made untold sacrifices to come to Los Angeles. They’ve left behind their family and friends, have made peace with living hand to mouth and the fact that they’re probably not going to follow the standard milestones of life (marriage, kids, buying a house) in any cohesive timeline. 

These are the actors who will do theater to audiences of seven, who will go out for every audition they’re called in for—even for short films that pay nothing and are being directed by inept film students, and even for characters they find badly written or out of their age range. They’ll read for parts requiring Icelandic accents and fencing skills, and they will try their damnedest. They’ll accept one-line roles in Web series and will thank the director genuinely for the opportunity. 

They do all these things with sincerity and eagerness from the bottom of their hearts because of the love of the craft. The pure desire to act shoots out of every cell and nerve-ending. 

These are the actors who are going to make it, if they so choose. Sure, only a fraction of them will probably enjoy any big success, but the bulk of them, if they stick with it, will figure out a way to use acting to support themselves, and will be able to forge a lifelong career in some fashion. For some, this might mean doing commercials and industrials and booking a couple of guest star roles a year. For others, this might mean teaching acting to support the theater company they created. And still, others might run a successful blog on acting and be able to monetize it, while still having the time to go on auditions and pursue passion projects. 

The point is, for these actors, their sheer love of acting will always be their guide—even when the career feels shitty, even when they haven’t booked a job in two years, and even when they walk into an audition waiting room and see eight other actors that resemble them so acutely, their great Aunt Irma wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. With a foundation of real love, they will all eventually figure it out. 

The Second Type of Actor

The second kind of actor is just playing the lottery, and this is the type of actor that L.A. is just teeming with. This type of actor is way more common than the first kind and they are often the reason why this business is as hard as it is. They contribute to an oversupplied and overcrowded playing field, essentially making the field more competitive than it needs to be. 

These are the actors who don’t truly enjoy the challenge of acting. These are the ones who will say things like, “I can’t afford to be in an acting class right now.” These are the ones who don’t audition for small parts because they have it stuck in their heads that they’re going to be stars. Showcasing themselves is their only concern, and ensemble efforts are also rejected. Money and fame are always the most important goals, and they trump every other aspect of the process. 

Coincidentally, this is often the type of actor who is extremely attractive and married to the idea of playing the leading man or leading lady. This is the type of actor who is often content to just live in the bubble of L.A. and would never even consider going anywhere else. Being comfortable is a priority, and this actor drives to auditions from the comfort of his or her air conditioned car.

The good news with these actors, who are rolling the dice that they’re going to have a star on the walk of fame, is that they don’t have much staying power. These are the actors who generally pack up and start studying for the LSATs after a couple years of hardship in L.A. Unfortunately, there seem to be droves of actors ready and willing to replace them who are constantly moving into town. 

Thus, I invite you to really consider which type of actor you are. If you’re the former, congratulations and welcome to the ranks of the strong. If you’re the latter, how about you do every one a favor and start figuring out what truly makes you happy?

This article was originally posted on Backstage

Why You Need To Ensure Your Reps Know You

One of my clients, an edgy young woman who resembled a darker version of Avril Lavigne, was once repped by an agency in Los Angeles, who consistently sent her out for the wrong roles. In a single year, she went out for around 30+ roles in the “young mom” category. Nothing could have been more off-base for this actor. In all fairness to her agency, they submitted her for these roles, because she had one headshot online which made her look like a young mom, ready to pack some school lunches. The agency would submit with that picture (which was very good and popped successfully from the thousands of other submissions), my client would get called in for the young mom role, would grudgingly go to the audition dressed and prepared to read for a young mom; the casting office would sense how ill-fitting she was for the part, and she wouldn’t book it. This cycle would repeat for months—for a year exactly, until the agency dropped her because she almost never booked. 

Now, unfortunately, this is a common tale for actors all over the country. If your reps are consistently sending you out on the wrong roles and projects, you need to take responsibility for this as well. I’ve mentioned in previous articles how I deplore “niche” or “type” when discussing actors and their careers. Those terms are mostly used by industry charlatans looking to steal actor’s watches and sell them back to them in the form of trashy “career counseling.” They only serve to box an actor’s individuality into someone else’s stale notion of type. At the same time, you still need to be able to verbalize the parts that you are right for, and you need to be able to verbalize this to your representatives so that they know how to submit you.

Thus, just because we don’t believe in boxing you into a “niche” or “type,” that doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily be able to get your representatives on board with this, or that we’ll even be able to get them to fathom the idea that you are more than a type. 

It’s important that everyone on your team have a clear understanding of your singularity as an actor—the thing that nobody does better than you! For example, my friend and colleague, manager TJ Stein (owner of Stein Entertainment Group), sets the bar high when it comes to knowing their talent. TJ brings all of his clients into the office multiple times throughout the year to present work for the entire team. The goal is to prevent the team from becoming desensitized, and to prevent them from putting their clients in neat, confining, and ultimately, career-stunting boxes. Thus, clients are brought in throughout the year to perform scenes to showcase their work in the most varied possible mannerso that their reps are constantly aware of how they are growing and developing as artists. 

Unfortunately, not every agency is as responsible as this one. That’s OK. If you’re not being submitted for the roles that you’re absolutely right for, you need to do the following:

1. Make sure your headshots online aptly capture this singularity of yours, and correct them accordingly if necessary. While actors generally have the hardest job in town, being an agent or manager is no picnic either. It’s in your best interest to sympathize with their struggles, and to give them the best tools possible to get you in the door. And this starts with having recent, fresh, quality headshots up online that they can use to submit you appropriately for those parts that you’re right for. 

2. Put yourself on tape throughout the year. Not for a part, but as a creative means of staying in touch with your reps. Select a scene you love that showcases you in the best possible way, or in a new possible way, and put it on tape. You know that friend that’s always asking you for agent/manager referrals? Get her to play opposite you as a way for your reps to see her face and abilities.

Seeing you excel in a new way can give your reps the confidence to submit you for a larger number of parts that you’re right for, and that you do best. Just as no one has a sh*t-eating grin quite like Jack Nicholson, there’s something singularthat you convey, that no other actor can touch. It’s your job to make sure your reps understand what this is, and be able to act on it. 

This article was originally posted on Backstage

5 Ways To Stay Sharp When The Industry Slows Down

The last two years have been the busiest for actors in recent memory. That being said, it’s not busy for everyone all the time. There are some known stretches of industry downtime and some unexpected pockets where everything grinds to a sudden halt and leaves us wondering if we’ll ever work again. How we deal with those periods of inactivity is directly related to our ability to stay ahead of the game when the industry picks up.

1. Make a list of your “sweet spot” projects.Now is the time to make a short-list of those “Sweet-Spot“ (hyperlink to: http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/how-find-your-acting-sweet-spot/) projects—the one’s you feel you would be perfect for! This is the first question I ask my career coaching clients during a session. Imagine your agent, manager, or best friend handed you a pen and paper and asked you to come up with a list of current television shows and films (directors and production teams) you feel you’d be perfect for. This process requires a lot of fun and imagination. It asks you to really get clear about your long-term and short-term acting and career goals. One of my extremely talented clients confessed she always dreamed about being an elf or fairy in a Peter Jackson film. That’s the kind of fun you can have with this exercise.

Creating this list gives you a reason to sit down with your agent or manager to show them what they didn’t know you’d also be perfect for—not that you should ever need a reason to meet with your reps! Developing this type of list can help you and your agents/managers get on the same page, and it can better convey to them where your head is at and vice-versa. It can also assist you in refocusing on important goals and developing fresh ones, while brainstorming innovative strategies for achieving them. I’m not endorsing that you do something crazy that will get you arrested, like throwing a hot dog at Tiger Woods, but now is a perfect time for dreaming up some daring, out-of-the-box strategies for gaining the attention of industry members.

2. Take that well-deserved vacation. Taking a mini-break from all things industry-related can be the recharge needed to keep you at your best for the start of a new casting season. Leaving Los Angeles can help you get a dose of much needed perspective—the kind that can only come from spending time with people who don’t have headshots and have no problem telling you their age. Spending time with people outside of the industry can help ground you and also give you time to miss the gleeful freak show that is Los Angeles. And in the end, you’ll find that you’ll start to feel wistful for L.A. and for the people who understand what you mean when you say, “they need me for ADR” or “I had to read cold” rather than greeting such statements with a quizzical look.

A common fear among actors is, “What if my agent calls with a big audition when I leave town?” That was a valid concern a few years ago, but due to the prevalence of taped auditions, that excuse is no longer valid. Every other private coaching session with my clients is an audition taping session. All you need is a quality video camera (found on every new smartphone), decent lighting and an Internet connection.

3. Stay in class. Staying in a quality (hyperlink to: http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/6-red-flags-when-auditing-acting-classes/) acting class during slow spells will keep you sharp for your next major audition which, oftentimes, comes without warning. Now is the perfect time to have a love affair with your craft all over again. It offers a great time to audit like crazy (heck, have several love affairs), or to really throw yourself into scene-work or audition work like a madman. If money is tight right now, throw together your own scene study class with like-minded actors. The slow summer is the time to sharpen the knife of your craft until it becomes a razorblade. So that when things do get going again, you can charge out of the gate swinging.

4. Educate yourself. Oh, so you never saw “Apocalypse Now”? What about “Annie Hall”? Never caught the first season of “Lost”? The slow season offers an ideal opportunity to educate yourself. As a serious member of this industry, you have to have seen the timeless films which shaped filmmaking and the values of this business, along with important shows that continue to influence writers, producers, and networks at large. Just as doctors and other clinicians absolutely have to keep up-to-date on the latest research for their fields, actors too must have a solid foundation by seeing the work and artistry which have influenced and continues to influence this business. If you want to work or continue to work in this industry, you must take the time to be knowledgeable about it.

5. Grow some humility. We can all agree that there’s nothing more repulsive to be around than a self-absorbed actor. People also don’t want to work with a self-absorbed actor. Quiet times in the industry are your opportunity for you to stop thinking about yourself and to start thinking about others. These experiences—like visiting nursing homes, reading to kids, giving out toiletry-packs to the homeless—can help humanize you more, and give you a broader viewpoint from which to see the world. These experiences are all crucial to building your craft. Furthermore, it can help you understand that while this industry is cutthroat, you did choose this life, and there are a lot of people who have it a lot worse than you do.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

How To Handle Bullying As An Actor

When we think of bullying, images of school cafeterias and angry jocks generally come to mind. However, it’s important to acknowledge that bullying occurs in show business all the time. Bullying often arises from a mixture of envy and insecurity along with a pathological need to be noticed. And all of these reasons essentially overlap into this – self-loathing directed outwards. My readers have no doubt seen this in acting classes when the teacher mocks or ridicules a student’s scene. Some of you have experienced this at auditions when a casting director will put down or roll their eyes at your work. Others of you have experienced this at showcases when prospective agents or managers will condescend or dismissively wave away your work. And still others of you have experienced this on set when an angry director proclaims your last take was “horrible” in front of a full cast and crew. These are all examples of an attempt to marginalize the actor.

None of these examples are terribly different from a high school jock knocking down an openly gay student in the hallway. The jock envies the courage of the openly gay student.

And the industry professionals in the examples above with their safe careers and paychecks, all envy the courage of the actor.

Essentially, the bully targets you for what you represent—often the qualities he will never have. Just as some say, “imitation is the highest form of flattery,” so is bullying, as it comes quite often from a place of pathological jealousy.

As you continue along this path as brave actors, you will continue to be exposed to scrutiny, criticism, and mockery. Many times, you’ll experience these things not because you’ve done anything at all to warrant it. Often it will be simply because you’re being you and a particular bully becomes jealous and acts out maliciously. Some of my celebrity clients have Facebook pages, blogs, and other forms of social media devoted to hating and ridiculing them. Bullying on the Internet can feel somewhat more formidable as it seems to present a greater sense of permanence than a bitter remark made in passing.

This phenomenon evokes the words of Erica Albright, played by the gifted Rooney Mara, in “The Social Network”: “The Internet's not written in pencil, Mark, it's written in ink.” But still, that’s nothing to be afraid of. Bask in the glow of the bully’s resentment and know they’re resenting you for your authenticity. They’re envying your bravery to be different, and they’re lashing out at you for all that you are and all that they lack. This negativity and the many forms it takes is the culmination of their envy and it’s actually a huge pat on the back.

As Albright aptly asserts in “The Social Network,” “You write your snide bullshit from a dark room because that's what the angry do nowadays.” And while this is true, even so, it doesn’t matter. Reasonable people who believe in fairness and truth will continue to persist. We sensible people know that if you accuse someone of being a fucking faggot, a fat bitch, or a shitty actor, that doesn’t make it true. And the greatest peace you’ll ever have is knowing that in your heart. It gives you instant clarity as you find out fast what you’re made of and who your real friends are.

There are indeed times in life when you’ll want to jump into the boxing ring with these bullies, but only on very rare occasions should you. These times are so rare because swinging back can put you at risk of getting thrown from your game. While this might sound frustrating to some, as it is in the same school of thought of “taking the high road,” the best way to swing back is to do so with your work. Swing back with your passion and joy of engaging in creative work. Swing back by being a developed artist.

Staying out of the boxing ring with these bullies is the best form of action because the bulk of them simply aren’t worthy opponents.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

6 Red Flags When Auditing Acting Classes

I encourage all actors to audit classes when shopping for a new teacher. It’s a lot like dating. When looking for a new acting teacher, you’re looking for a new partner (just not a romantic one). Few people in the dating scene strike gold right away—part of the reason for this, they’ll tell you, is because of all the freaks and egomaniacs out there. The same is true for acting teachers; there are just as many freaks and egomaniacs who make acting class their own personal springboard for feeling important or for not doing the hard work a teacher needs to do.

If you were sitting across from a first date who did any of the following things—described in chilling detail his/her childhood of sexual abuse, said “there’s plenty of room in my apartment for you to move in,” or asked you not to order the soup, simply because they don’t want to watch you eat it—you would run so far and so fast for your life (I hope).

Why? Because they’re red flags. And as experienced daters, you’ve learned to spot them quickly. It should be the same when you’re auditing acting classes.

Below are some common red flags that far too many actors miss during the auditing process.

Red Flag #1: The teacher never delivers any critique to students.

This is a common symptom of the “warm and fuzzy womb” class, a class which acts like a giant womb and feeds off students need to feel pleasant and snug when class is over. Acting class is now like acting camp, and the teacher is more like a camp counselor – s/he is more concerned about being liked and making people feel good than about real work occurring. Other times, the teacher doesn’t have the skills to address and fix what wasn’t working in the scene.

Why to avoid: It’s a gooey love fest with no work being accomplished, and thus, no room for growth to occur.

Red Flag #2: The teacher condescends to the actors and/or their work.

This is a common red flag for abuse-based classes, where the teacher isn’t really interested in teaching (not deep down) and is actually just using the actors as a way to feel better about her/himself. This is common when the teacher is a failed actor.

Why to Avoid: Do you want to improve as an actor or do you want to be mocked?

Red Flag #3: The teacher’s “technique” orbits mainly around expecting actors to dredge up past pain and trauma.

This is yet another common trait of abuse-based classes: it no longer becomes about acting, but about who can dredge up the most pain.

Why to Avoid: You’re an artist looking for an acting teacher not a shrink. This one-dimensional technique is going to foster one-dimensional acting.

Red Flag #4: The teacher invites the class to critique another actor's work directly to that actor.

It was drilled into me from my early days at NYU that students should NEVER be allowed to directly critique other members of class after they presented work – that's the teacher’s job. A student can safely comment or make an observation as long as it’s directed at and to the teacher, not another student. Actors don’t directly critique (both positive and negative) other actors on a film set. Why would you do it in acting class? The reason you don’t directly offer critique to a fellow actor is the possibility your comment may shut them down to you when working.

Why to Avoid: If the teacher is allowing this s/he doesn’t understand the damage such critiquing can do or s/he doesn’t care.

Red Flag #5: The teacher doesn’t know everyone’s name.

This is common in over-crowded scene-study classes where the celebrity teacher (Madame 0oh-la-la) likes to pack the actors in to the room’s capacity. The mentality is that Madame Ooh-la-la is so important, she won’t learn your name until you’ve proven yourself and your work worthy of her knowing your name.

Why to Avoid: You’re paying off her mortgage with your monthly class fee. She should know your name.

Red Flag #6: The class is over-crowded.

This is of course related to Red Flag #5, and is so common that far too many actors miss it. An overcrowded class does not mean you’re getting a great teacher that helps push actors to the next levels of their ability. It usually means you’re getting a teacher who is too cheap or clueless to open up other sections of the class so that it’s not so damn crowded all the time.

Why to Avoid: Overcrowded classes means everyone suffers and their ability to work is stunted.

Is it about them or you?!

Does the teacher make it about their Ooh La-La acting method or technique or do they make it about you? Is it your goal in class to please the teacher or for you to feel empowered in the scene and reach your “booked-role potential”?

The Best Of All Worlds: Ultimately, I believe every actor must be the creator of their own technique. A “good” teacher and class must value and reward the strength and uniqueness of an actor’s personality, not some doctrine. The teacher must be able to, in a supportive manner, address the elements that weren’t working in the scene and help the actor(s) find a fix during the working session––before the actor(s) sit back down.

I describe my classes as “Private Coaching in a Class Setting.” Classes are small enough for actors to coach one-on-one with me until they come through something and have a way of doing the piece that’s on the tips of their fingers, ready to bring into an audition or on-set the next day.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

How To Prepare To Be An Awards Presenter

Unless you’ve ever presented, received or been nominated for an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, or Emmy, it's hard to imagine the amount of pressure on these performers.

The pressure might seem odd, as the role has been booked and the excellent performance recorded. It seems like the bulk of the work has been done. All the performer has to do is show up on awards night, act natural, and try not to hit the champagne too hard, right? Wrong.

In addition to coaching actors for their film and television roles, I also coach presenters for all the major award ceremonies, and believe me when I tell you that awards presentations can be truly terrifying—even for the most seasoned actor or musician. As one of the celebrity clients I coached said regarding her Grammy presentation speech, “I’m a bit embarrassed I need help with this, but there are millions of people watching and I need to be myself…Help!”

One of the first reasons for extreme anxiety is the sheer volume of viewers for these award shows. Another reason for nerves has to do with the pervasiveness of the Internet, an often unkind entity. Who can forget Natalie Portman’s snort/laugh during her Golden Globes acceptance speech and the fodder for days and days of fun that gave the online playground? My clients truly believe – and rightly so, I feel – that if they make one false move, they can do irreparable damage to their careers. 

The final reason for nerves orbits around the fact that when presenting at awards, there is no “character” or mask to inhabit. It’s just you, unmasked and live, in front of these hoards of viewers. This can really freak an actor out—particularly the ones that enjoy or seek refuge in playing characters.

It has always been my firm belief that the personality of the actor is nine-tenths of the performance. Due to over training and excess “technique,” actors have been trained to believe they’re not interesting enough as themselves, so they must construct a whole façade to hide behind. This buries an actor’s humanity. I believe the ultimate goal of the performer is to reflect the audience’s humanity back at them.

When a presenter is scared, there’s a tendency to start trashing the script and not speaking the speech as the writers put forth. Or there’s a tendency to stand around woodenly (ahem, James Franco). This only makes the presenter look petty and weak.

When coaching for awards presentations, I help the presenter bring their lit-up and empowered selves to the podium. I call it finding the “hook” of the speech. A “hook” is the performer’s light-up right before they make the speech. Something they can activate on the tips of their fingers before they walk on stage. It could be a specific attitude, a funny, dark or sexy image, a piece of music, etc. Anything will do as long as it doesn’t force them to “feel something.”  It must be activated in seconds. Perhaps the most genuine (and extreme) example of this is when Roberto Benigni, director of "Life is Beautiful," accepted his Oscar in 1999 by dancing across some seatbacks.

Think of past awards ceremonies and the speakers who really shook the room when they presented. What did they do? They affected the greatest change while making their speech. The most memorable speeches that you can recall are probably by the ones where the presenter was able to radiate their true selves outwards in a seemingly effortless manner. I still remember Meryl Streep’s speech from the 2012 Oscars. It was honest, unexpected, self deprecating, and gracious. It completely won me over. She started from a genuine place, of authentic humor: “Oh my god. Oh c’mon. Alright. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you. When they called my name I’d had this feeling I could hear half of America going ‘oh no… oh c’mon…why… her…again?’ But whatever.” Then she ended in an even sincerer place—highlighting the friendships this business has given her and the joy of making movies with her friends. That kind of authenticity is apparent to every viewer and it allows the performer to give the audience yet another gift—a glimpse at their real self.

This article was originally posted on Backstage