It's a funny old game acting and it has to be said that on the whole the people involved in this industry can be strange folk. Now this isn't particular to LA. I remember back at home when an actor friend of mine insisted on doing warm up exercises in my living room before meeting my friends for a night of drinking. Whatever it takes I suppose, but still!
The Scot was lucky enough to work on a TV job recently with Daniel Day Lewis. Oh hang on a minute, no he didn't.......... He played a doctor on a TV show and this guy's character thought the doctor was sleeping with his wife. So for the whole day (including over lunch) this bloke shouted profanities at my poor friend and repeatedly told him he was going to kill him. It was very intense, certainly not necessary and didn't really add to anyone's performance (or enjoyment of his sandwich for that matter!)
Auditions are no better. I had an audition a few weeks ago for the role of a policewoman. I may have said that I had my own uniform (what can I say, auditions were sparse for a few weeks, I was desperate!) So when I received an email saying I needed to dress appropriately I stressed for days about it, clearly not to the point of buying or renting the uniform but I was worried. Luckily I didn't look too out of place in the waiting room probably because I turned up early at the time when all the gym instructors were called. Obviously I wasn't trying to be a shirtless 20 something Zac Efron look alike. When a policeman did turn up to partner me in my audition scene (yes an actual policeman) he ignored the script, completely improvised the whole thing, read the casting director his miranda rights and pretended to hand cuff him. I'm not sure that a uniform would actually have helped my performance!
I guess the rule is expect the unexpected. Especially when they don't ask you to prepare anything. I've auditioned for a silent movie with a brilliant script (!) and thought I would prefer to do that than the silent movie only to be told it had already been done, by Mary Tyler Moore in 'Ordinary People'! My favourite (ok worst) audition was probably for an outdoor horror fest where I had to not only act like a zombie but dance (professionally) like one too. You can imagine what I was up against in that room. Oh and The Scot went for an audition and had to read for the role of a cat! I would have given the rest of my savings to see that.
Oh and another rule is that just when you think things can't get any more bizarre, they do but more of that next time. I'm off to practise playing Operation in case I get that call for 'Grey's Anatomy', you just never know!
*I let the Scot name this blog! This was the best of a bad bunch (all involving cats for some reason)
The Scot was lucky enough to work on a TV job recently with Daniel Day Lewis. Oh hang on a minute, no he didn't.......... He played a doctor on a TV show and this guy's character thought the doctor was sleeping with his wife. So for the whole day (including over lunch) this bloke shouted profanities at my poor friend and repeatedly told him he was going to kill him. It was very intense, certainly not necessary and didn't really add to anyone's performance (or enjoyment of his sandwich for that matter!)
Auditions are no better. I had an audition a few weeks ago for the role of a policewoman. I may have said that I had my own uniform (what can I say, auditions were sparse for a few weeks, I was desperate!) So when I received an email saying I needed to dress appropriately I stressed for days about it, clearly not to the point of buying or renting the uniform but I was worried. Luckily I didn't look too out of place in the waiting room probably because I turned up early at the time when all the gym instructors were called. Obviously I wasn't trying to be a shirtless 20 something Zac Efron look alike. When a policeman did turn up to partner me in my audition scene (yes an actual policeman) he ignored the script, completely improvised the whole thing, read the casting director his miranda rights and pretended to hand cuff him. I'm not sure that a uniform would actually have helped my performance!
I guess the rule is expect the unexpected. Especially when they don't ask you to prepare anything. I've auditioned for a silent movie with a brilliant script (!) and thought I would prefer to do that than the silent movie only to be told it had already been done, by Mary Tyler Moore in 'Ordinary People'! My favourite (ok worst) audition was probably for an outdoor horror fest where I had to not only act like a zombie but dance (professionally) like one too. You can imagine what I was up against in that room. Oh and The Scot went for an audition and had to read for the role of a cat! I would have given the rest of my savings to see that.
Oh and another rule is that just when you think things can't get any more bizarre, they do but more of that next time. I'm off to practise playing Operation in case I get that call for 'Grey's Anatomy', you just never know!
*I let the Scot name this blog! This was the best of a bad bunch (all involving cats for some reason)
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