Should Actors Have Tattoos?

Unless it’s a face tattoo, having tattoos or not having tattoos has zero bearing on your success potential as an actor, as they can easily be masked by makeup or wardrobe. The way you present yourself, both on set and in the audition room, should always be an attempt to magnify your inner beauty and charisma, not distract from it. When auditioning, with regards to appearance, you must present a clean canvas so as not to distract from what is most important: your personality and your inspired acting choices. Ultimately, you must decide to either showcase or hide your tattoos. 

For some actors like Lena Dunham, tattoos are a part of their singularity—what makes them an original and sets them apart from the crowd.

Your personality is your secret weapon—your most valuable asset as an actor. Tattoos or no tattoos, your personality should always be the brightest light emanating from your work. Finally, ask yourself this: How many Oscar or Emmy-winning performances have you seen where an actor’s personal tattoos were on display? Very few.

Read my article here for tips on how to win the role using your personality. 

This article was originally posted on Backstage

The First Thing Every Brand New Actor Should Do

The first thing every new actor should do is to assess whether you truly love acting. Ask yourself if you have a passion for the process of breaking down text and constructing a character, or whether you’re just doing it to win some kind of perverse lottery.

I have many clients who truly love the craft and process of acting. These are actors who will perform to audiences of six, and will accept one-line roles in student projects and thank the director genuinely for the opportunity.

Then, there are actors who refuse to audition for small parts because they have it stuck in their heads that being a star is their top priority. Grandstanding is their only concern. Money and fame are always the most important goals for these types, and it trumps everything else for them.

If you’re new to acting, I invite you to thoughtfully consider which type of actor you are, and examine whether or not you truly love acting before throwing yourself into the thorny field of this industry.

Read more to see which category you fall into: here.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

5 Red Flags When Selecting a Kids & Teens Class

Kids and teens have natural and intuitive abilities when it comes to acting. Overtraining, the wrong kind of training, or abusive techniques can destroy a young performer's delicate acting sensibilities. It can wreck their chances of a career and can drastically stunt and undermine God-given talents.

Can you imagine what might have happened to the fragile but flourishing abilities of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composing his first symphony at age eight, had he been met with eye-rolling and criticism which sought to steer his natural talents in the direction of the more rote symphonies of the era?

Or consider little Shirley Temple—who danced and dimpled her way into the hearts of Americans during the Great Depression—she definitely didn’t have some acting coach around that squelched her singular personality. This freedom allowed her to eventually spread her wings and take on meatier roles like “The Little Princess,” later in her youth.

The tragedy (and no, I’m not being overdramatic here) is that by the time so many kids come to our studio, they’ve had their prodigious talents trampled upon and undermined by so-called industry ‘gurus.’ These gurus try to mold them into being what they think might be marketable now, without any thought to the child’s natural and often blessed instincts. It’s gotten to the point where if I meet a kid who hasn’t received any formal training, I want to make an offering of thanks to the gods.  

I’ve been working with child and teen actors for years to help them launch their careers, and doing so in a careful/strategic manner that allows their precious gifts to thrive. So the next time you’re shopping for a potential class for your talented young person, make certain the teacher meets the bulk of these criteria:

1. The teacher encourages their natural physicality. Too often, I see kids who work with coaches who train them in the most dehumanizing fashion. These teachers regard their young actors as if they’re trained monkeys at a zoo, checking their natural instincts, and telling them what physical gestures to do, line-by line, like sad circus animals. Such ‘instruction’ is unacceptable and if you ever witness it, it is your duty to call the teacher out on it.

2. The teacher lets their imagination run free. The imagination of young kids and teens is still intact and largely unfettered. Many adult clients are trying to get back to that purer, more concentrated level of imagination that kids and teens have naturally. You can either stifle that imagination, or let kids go with it! The best teachers use the young actor’s imagination as a tool for advancement.

3. The teacher makes use of the natural abilities of young actors. Kids who gravitate towards acting generally come with all these innate gifts and respond to the character and the craft as a whole with a high level of intuition. The teacher needs to have enough sense to notice and help these young actors hone these gifts.

4. The teacher makes the class fun. Let adult actors wallow in their own misery and whip themselves into the bread and water existence of ‘serious acting.’ If an acting coach can’t figure out how to make a class fun for kids and teens, they need to start pursuing another career. And no, it should not be all fluff—useful pillars of technique do need to be covered, but it has to be done in an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable manner for the young mind.

5. The teacher doesn’t give kids the answers all the time. A really good teacher isn’t going to spoon-feed kids everything they need to learn, but will guide kids to their own breakthroughs. It’s beneficial for kids to struggle—a little bit, within reason—that’s how they grow the most, and a good teacher will make sure they discover these more elusive answers on their own.

Many of the raw talents that young actors bring to class are so innate and subconscious, they’re functions that are akin to breathing. We’re all born knowing how to breathe—this doesn’t need to be taught. Incompetent teachers will clumsily reteach something to young actors—something that these actors already do perfectly well—forcing them to overthink the most natural of instincts, causing them to suffocate and choke.

At our studio, we help kids and teens to launch their careers—on their own terms—and empower them to be the creators of their own acting techniques. Every student leaves every class having experienced an undeniable acting breakthrough and transformation.

Register here for our Kids & Teens "Audition Success" Class (limited spaces available).

This article was originally posted on Backstage

Race and the Realities of Showbiz

“Oh. She’s Hispanic.” A client of mine looked down at her phone, her face tinged with no slight amount of bitterness. My client had been on hold for a supporting role in a Brie Larsen film. She had been in frequent contact with her reps, who at that point didn’t know any more than she did about where casting was going with the role. She had been constantly checking the film’s IMDbPro page, watching as production attached more actors to various roles. The character she was on hold for had been blank for days—until now. My client is a pretty sassy Caucasian actor. The woman who ultimately booked the role was a pretty, sassy Hispanic actress.

Another client, who is half Japanese and half German, is regularly called into auditions seeking “mixed ethnicity” actors, only to discover—at the casting office—they’re really looking for half black and half white. When she’s called in for white roles, she’s often labeled as “too exotic.” And, when called in for Asian roles, she gets the note that she’s “not Asian enough.”

As an acting coach, I hear all of it. Caucasian actors complaining about how ethnic or mixed ethnicity actors are so highly desired that they can often leap frog to the front of the line, securing better agents and managers, cool network diversity showcases etc. The ethnic actors that I coach complain that there are fewer series regular roles available to them, and how they tire of going out for stock characters. Hispanic actresses are tired of going out for nannies and cleaning ladies. Hispanic actors are tired of going out for gang members. Asian actors are tired of reading for math geniuses, doctors, computer whizzes, and fresh off the boat non-English-speaking un-couth strangers. Will Smith remains the only black actor to save the world.

Do ethnic actors have an advantage over white actors? Yes and no.

Do white actors have an advantage over ethnic actors? Yes and no.

As recent events have shown, race is a highly charged subject in America. Period. It’s equally as charged in show business. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t and shouldn’t discuss it. 

Let’s speak frankly. This business isn’t fair. Anyone who contests that needs to wake up, pack up and move to Vermont and open a candy shop. Sometimes the part goes to the actor banging one of the producers. Sometimes the part goes to the girl whose mom went to summer camp with the writer’s sister. Sometimes the part goes to the actor whose agent plays golf with the director. Sometimes the part goes to the actor with the most Twitter followers. And sometimes, the part goes to the most talented actor. The point is that depending on one’s perspective, the playing field can look skewed for some and not for others.

It’s the same with race. Does the part sometimes go to the actor who’s ethnic simply because the producers think the cast looks too damn white, and they need to add a token Asian or black guy? Yes. Sometimes that happens. Are other ethnicities—not just African Americans under represented in film? Absolutely.

What’s truly disturbing is the fact that we keep reaching the point where we’re making these last minute afterthought casting decisions. Why weren’t all ethnicities considered and treated equally from the very beginning? Why racism is alive and well and at a boiling point, is because we keep treating the symptoms of it, rather than the root cause—ignorance.

The reality is, it’s hard to pinpoint who has the advantage in the business; it's so goddamn hard. When you point at an ethnicity that is not your own and you say, “they have an easier time than me” really you’re just absolving yourself from a certain amount of responsibility for your own destiny.

Race relations in America are worse than ever, despite slavery having existed for over 200 years. Segregation in the south was a real thing just 50 years ago or so. How far have we moved forward or backwards? Seems like it should be a lot further. The skewed playing field of ethnicity in show business is a reflection of our damaged race relations in America and our attempts to fix them.

Take it upon yourself to make it in part your mission to be among the generation of conscious and compassionate artists that help to abandon stereotypes and to expand the current limitations put upon all ethnic groups. As always, you’re accountable and responsible for creating your own success. It’s never enough to only be a great actor without also being a decent human being. At our studio, we believe in helping the actor to discover their best self, while simultaneously helping them to reach Oscar potential.

How Do Actors Find Agents?

If you want top-notch representation you must stop pursuing them, as the most effective agents and managers in the industry are the ones that will find you. How? By you putting something exciting on the table: building credits on your own, knowing the right way to pitch yourself for every role you’re right for, creating original content and getting as many eyeballs on it as you can, building and maintaining relationships with writers, directors, and producers (the ones that actually cast you), and having a clear grip on your branding (not to be confused with niche/type—the lowbrow version of this).

Check out my article on this topic, “Why You Should Stop Looking for Representation.”

At the end of the day, agent/manager relationships are a lot like dating—desperation and overeagerness can be quite unattractive. The most exciting and rewarding partnerships are those in which both parties are equally interested and excited about what the other is contributing.

This article was originally posted on Backstage

10 Proven Ways To Book Your Taped Audition

The entertainment industry is 24/7 and is becoming increasingly global. More actors are working their ability to be local hires and getting on planes to fulfill their bookings. With this increased globalization of the acting industry, comes a seismic shift in the casting process. Think about what the change from paper headshots to digital headshots did for the industry. Well, a massively similar change has occurred in the fact that more and more offices are asking actors to self-tape their auditions and email them in. Every other private coaching session I run is an audition on tape.

This is a big win for actors in that it means you can compete for parts that aren’t cast or shot in your city of residence. Taped auditions are also a walking-talking dream for actors in that they offer the actor a greater level of control.

So with this new opportunity, let’s load the dice in your favor and make sure you deliver the best self-taped audition you are capable of producing.

1. Sight and Sound.

This is basic stuff, but so many actors still let this one slide. You need to be well-lit and clearly audible. These are non-negotiable. Your performance does not stand much of a chance unless these two elements are damn near perfect.

2. Key Equipment Items.

An HD digital camera with a strong microphone and a tripod. A solid color background. Natural light works well, as long as where you’re sitting/standing doesn’t cast any unflattering shadows on your face or create a blown out image. Lighting is an art in and of itself. Since many actors will be shooting this in their homes, please try and conceal elements of your life out of the frame: i.e. meowing cats, magic bullet blenders, discarded legwarmers, etc.

Always test the sound and image quality before you do a read: make sure you can be heard easily and look reasonably flattering in your selected garments, so that casting professionals don’t click away. You want to present a clean canvas, like your going out on an exciting date but not trying to over impress.

3. Acting.

Have a look at my recent article: “4 Tips for Making a Winning Audition Choice!” 

4. Hold on to that Script.

You absolutely must know your lines inside and out. You can’t be nailing your audition and thinking about your next line at the same time. This is an absolute and deserves no further discussion. EVEN SO, you must keep those sides in your hand even though you’re not looking at them: this demonstrates that you are malleable, and not married to your current read, and that the audition you are presenting here is indeed a work in progress which will only get better and better.

5. Don’t Slate.

Unless you were given express instructions to slate, slating is actually a rookie mistake, though an understandable one.

My A-List clients refuse to slate self-taped auditions (and yes...audition tapes are still requested from this level of actor). Their argument: they irrefutably reject the herd mentality, and preconceived, mindset that all auditions must be preceded by a slate. Conclusion: If it doesn’t say to slate, then don’t slate.

6. Instructions are golden.

For all the opportunity and control that self-taping allows actors, the instructions attached to these auditions are often a long list of seemingly anal-retentive demands from the casting office. Some of these demands come attached with threats that if even one bit of minutiae is missed, the entire audition will be tossed in the garbage. Even though it’s annoying, you need to read these instructions several times slowly, and make sure you’ve met all requirements before you submit your tape. It would be a dear shame if your brilliant audition wasn’t even considered because a casting office required you to be sitting down while you were recorded, and you happened to be standing.

7. Your reader.

Your reader should be seated to the right or left of the camera, as close to you as possible, while still being off-camera. Don’t worry if in the scene you’re talking to a male, but your reader is female. I’ve never seen that affect the success of an actor booking off a given tape.

8. Frame it.

You need to plant yourself in the center of the frame with the lower portion of the frame at your mid-chest and the top of the frame just above the top of your head.

9. Sit or Stand.

The camera is not the main event here. You are. Don’t bring any attention to the camera by moving it around, or you run the danger of distracting production or casting from watching your tape. Thus, make a decision to sit or stand throughout the entire scene and stick to it so the camera can remain fixed.

10. Shoot every scene individually.

Unless given specific instructions, record every scene individually: this gives you time to hone and get each scene right—and make brave and fun choices—so that you feel good about it, and feel like you’ve shot your best performance. You can always cut the scenes together later.

Shooting scenes separately means all awkward transitions between scenes that happen during in-person auditions are gone! You can go from asking your best friend why he killed your goldfish to negotiating the price of bananas in Egypt without a hitch!

I help my clients book their taped auditions by coaching them to their winning performances, so they’re featured at their best, ready to send to casting or reps.

Revel in the ability to compete for roles on your own terms. But make sure you do it right!