You are here: Home / Actors

Actors Who Kick Ass: Gibson Frazier – Actor, writer, producer, director

July 27, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

You’ve had television and film experience, including Man of the Century (we’ll get to that) and multiple episodes of Law and Order: SVU as CSU Tech Pat Fisher.  But you continue to show up in obscure and exciting off-off-Broadway productions and downtown New York theatre—what’s the draw, for you?

I like working on new plays.  I have a tremendous affinity for films, plays, music, and art between World War I and World War II.  Talking pictures were new, Jazz was new the traditional “well-made play” was relatively new.   I think what those pieces have is not only technical skill, but also a lot of heart and an excitement about discovering what artists can do with this new vocabulary.  I think there is a similar excitement in downtown New York theatre today that I’m happy and very fortunate to be a part of.

What were your experiences like with Law and Order?  Was the process any different than what you would expect?

I have fun working on Law & Order.  Everybody’s really nice when I work there.  The pacing of hour-long television is not unlike an independent film.  Everybody’s really good at what they do and they don’t like to mess around.

The first L&O I did was an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and I remember reading in the script that my first scene took place at Port Authority bus terminal at 42nd Street and 8th Ave.  It’s one of the busiest street corners in the world, so I just assumed that they would be shooting the scene over on the side or cheat it somehow.  But I showed up on the set at 9am in the heart of rush hour, and the crew was setting up right in the thick of things.  I was surprised (and appreciated) the kind of relationship that the show has with the city.  It’s great.  And great for the New York actor.

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I always knew I wanted to do something with performance.   I started playing guitar when I was 10 hoping to be another John Lennon or David Bowie.  I went to a performing arts summer camp in the Catskills called French Woods. I played in a rock band there, but I enjoyed doing the plays so much more, so I think I just gravitated toward that.

Why did you decide to go to UCLA?  What was your experience with the UCLA theatre department?

I grew up outside of Philadelphia and went to a small prep school, so I wanted to try my hand at a bigger pond.  I wanted a big city so it was New York, Chicago, or LA. I knew I wanted to live in New York eventually, so I concentrated on Northwestern in Chicago and UCLA.  I got into both, but I had two friends (from French Woods) who were at UCLA so it seemed like a nice fit.

The program has changed so much since I was there.  When I was there, there were a lot of theatre majors, but no so many opportunities for students to act, so what resulted was a sort of positive unrest in which people were creating opportunities for themselves on campus, using unused rehearsal spaces, bathrooms, or even the benches out front.  Every area was a potential theatre and it made for an environment where creativity not only thrived, but was rewarded.

You worked out of LA after college and became a member of Los Angeles’s Buffalo Nights theatre company.

Buffalo Nights was founded from the same kind of energy that I mentioned above.   We were all kind of working and embarking on careers very soon after college, so the company gave us a chance to do the kind of theatre we wanted to do.  We were finding these crazy Polish Expressionism plays and putting our spin on it.  Despite what it may sound like, it was very unpretentious, but was good work.

You co-wrote and starred in the Independent Film Channel staple and cult favorite, Man of the Century.  So, tough guy, what made you think you could write your own feature film?

I met Adam (Abraham) shooting his graduate thesis (called Song of the Sea) for USC.  We hit it off, had a lot of the same sensibilities, and decided to write this movie.  I had never written a screenplay before, but when I look back at my high school experience, I realize I was always writing skits and sketches and little plays and things.

Adam certainly knew much more about screenplay and story structure than I did; and I had the acting experience to ensure that the characters were three dimensional; and we both had the love and knowledge of movies of the period to give the film the unique flair that I think we gave it.  It was a wonderful process.

Tell us about the steps involved in getting the movie made.

Adam and I had to make a choice early on if this was going to be a project that we were going to try to sell or if we were going to make ourselves.  We were both trying to forge careers for ourselves, so it seemed like if we wanted me to play the title character and for Adam to direct it, we would have to produce it ourselves.

It was a completely different time when we produced the film (in 1997).  It was before the get-rich-quick days of the internet-tech-.com boom; the stock market wasn’t all that hot, and four of the five nominees for best picture that year were all “independent films”.  It was actually a viable business investment at the time.

We put a packet together with information about the project and how much money it would cost and how much we would likely make and we went to every rich person that we knew.  We raised a pittance in terms of what we thought we were going to need, but adapted to make the film for what we had and shot on 35mm, black-and-white film stock in New York City in the winter of 1997.

We did post-production in LA and I went into serious, personal credit card debt, but finally the film was finished and we got into the Slamdance Film Festival, which had finally been legitimized after five years of programming good films, and that led to very good festival buzz and inclusion into other festivals.  Finally, we were able to find other investors, get out of debt, and eventually scored a distribution deal from Fine Line Features.

Is there anything you learned during the process that you would do differently today?

I think the whole process would be done differently today.  “Independent films” just aren’t made like that anymore.  Production companies with multiple investors or hedge funds or god-knows-what provide most of the financing for indies today.  And it’s not bad, it’s just different.

Adam and I had a lot of authority on Man of the Century because we were responsible for our investors’ money.  There were no battles between the creators and the producers, because we were both. But it was also lonely.  And we put our necks out there to be cut off by anybody who cared to.

Fortunately, we found a distributor, and though that had its own set of concerns and problems, we had the storybook ending for an independent film.  But as I’m putting projects together now, I’m trying to get other people involved in the early stages so that there are more people wanting the film(s) to succeed from the onset.

When did you make the move to New York, and why?

I finally made the move to New York after Man of the Century was released.  While the film has since found a life on cable and DVD, it never really got the chance to find its audience in theatres, and I was finding myself very frustrated in Los Angeles, so I decided to move back east and, basically, start all over again.

As if acting, writing, and producing weren’t enough, you also directed numerous one-person shows, including Christopher Titus’s Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, which lead to his FOX television show Titus.  You clearly believe, as we do at Actorslife.com, that creating your own work is the way to go.  What advice would you give people who are thinking about writing themselves a vehicle?

One of the things that Chris and I worked on with his show was making his story universal.  We are all individuals, and we all have our unique stories… but what in that unique story is a thread that nearly everyone in the world can identify with?

For instance, Chris’s show was about dysfunction families.  He had an unbelievable childhood.  His father was an alcoholic and his mother was mentally unstable, to put it euphemistically.  He had a childhood that very few people can relate to.  But what we tapped into, and what became the theme of the show, was that as human beings, we are survivors, and no matter what happened to us in the past, we have to let it go in order to step into the future.  So, my advice is to put yourself in the audience’s seat and ask, “How is your story going to help me transcend my life?”

Some people say that the entertainment industry prefers people to specialize in one area—be the best comic tap dancer you can be, say, and ignore your dreams to also direct Shakespeare.  What would you say to defend your more multidisciplinary, I’ll-do-what-interests-me approach?

I have no idea.  I don’t know if I can defend it.  Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe I should have become the best comic tap dancer I could be.  Damn.

What kind of representation do you work with, and what has been your experience with agents and managers over the years?

My relationship to representation has been spotty.  I have had eight agents and/or managers over the length of my brief career.  All of the jobs that I have gotten, the ones that have really transcended my career and helped me move forward, I have attained myself through my past work or creating the opportunity on my own.

And yet, for every experience like that that I have had, I know there is someone else whose agent or manager worked like hell to open a door for them.  It depends on the person.  My only advice in regards to this is that I have to be the CEO of my own career.  I can’t expect other to work as hard as I do for myself.  But if they don’t work at least 10% as hard, then I have a responsibility to my career to find someone who does.

What advice do you have for our younger readers who look at your career and say “That’s what I want to be doing?  How do I get there from here?”

The best advice ever given to me was that agents, managers, casting directors, producers, everyone in the business is lazy.  They don’t want to do anything.  So all that you can do is become the greatest, individual artist that you can be.  Eventually, if you are true to who you are and what you do, the public will respond and, all those suits will have to scramble to work with you.  That kind of blind faith in yourself and persistence.   That’s it.

Filed Under: Actors, Film/TV, Writers Tagged With: ,

VIDEO: Judy Kerr interviews Writer, Producer, Coach, Bob Fraser

July 24, 2011 By Kipley 4 Comments

Filed Under: Actors, Featured, Writers

Actor, Teacher: Jack Plotnick – Meet the Fockers, Drawn Together, Reno 911

July 20, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Jack Plotnick has spent the last decade as a working actor in Los Angeles. In film, he has appeared opposite Ben Stiller in MEET THE FOCKERS, Ian McKellen in GODS AND MONSTERS, Renee Zelwegger in DOWN WITH LOVE, and Sally Field in SAY IT ISN’T SO.

A regular on the short-lived, but highly acclaimed FOX TV show ACTION, he has had recurring roles on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ELLEN, RENO 911 and RUDE AWAKENINGS. His dramatic roles include LAS VEGAS, NYPD BLUE and DAWSON’S CREEK.

Interviewed by Matthew Rose

YOU STUDIED ACTING AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY. WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THE TRAINING YOU RECEIVED? IN YOUR OPINION, IS A COLLEGE DEGREE ESSENTIAL TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS AN ACTOR? WHY OR WHY NOT?

I definitely believe actors should get training, whether it be from a university or private classes. I like to think of actors as “artists.” We are like painters. A painter should learn “technique”. He should learn from those who came before him. He should study from the masters.

But then, when the artist’s training is complete, he should, in a sense, throw all of it away. When he is in the act of creating his art, the technique would weigh him down like chains. So many actors have a desire to “control” their performances, but creating art is something magical. While doing it, we commune with a higher power.

Many great artists describe the act of creating their art as something they’re involved in, but not in control of. They say that they don’t necessarily know what the final outcome of a piece of art will be, but instead are more interested in the process of allowing it to happen.

Bob Dylan said the following about his creative process, “I don’t even consider that I wrote it when I got done…. The song was there before me, before I came along. I just sorta came down and just sorta took it down with a pencil.”

Please don’t get me wrong. I believe that studying acting is a crucial step in an actor’s journey. But, as an artist, it’s your responsibility to find a healthy way to incorporate what you’ve learned, without letting it work against you. As an adult actor, any thought that triggers your inner “student/soldier” into action should be ignored.

Acting should be fun. And, if you have faith, it is magical.

THERE IS A PERCEPTION THAT ONCE AN ACTOR SIGNS WITH AN AGENT, HE CAN KICK BACK AND WAIT FOR THE PHONE TO RING. WHAT ARE THE ACTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES AFTER SIGNING WITH AN AGENT?
Obviously you gotta have the “chops” to be a working actor, but it’s not enough to just be talented. You have to be actively involved in your craft in order to be a successful actor. So many actors just wait around for the next audition to come. And when it doesn’t, as it is bound to do once and awhile, they can become disheartened and appear more and more desperate at auditions which assures them of even less work.

A couple of years after I moved to Los Angeles I got a call from a dear friend I went to high school with. She was a very pretty girl with a theater degree from a fantastic program, and now, she was calling me to say she was moving to Los Angeles to follow her dream to make it in film.

Once she arrived, she got settled into an apartment, and got a job waiting tables.Only a couple of months later I received another call from her. She said, “I’m leaving Los Angeles. I don’t want to be an actress anymore. It doesn’t make me happy.”

I was shocked. I replied, “Well, what have you done since you got here?”
“I’ve gone on every audition I could find in the paper,” she said.

And within a week she was gone, never to pursue acting again. So, what happened? Her words echoed in my ears: “I don’t want to be an actor anymore. It doesn’t make me happy.”

Well, of course she wasn’t happy. She hadn’t BEEN acting. She got “acting” confused with “trying to get a job.” And I guarantee you, that is not what she was put here on earth to do.

Booking jobs was something her ego was interested in. Perhaps her ego wanted to prove to her family that she had made the right choice in being an actress. Or perhaps she needed to prove it to herself. She didn’t realize that she had much more power than she was aware of. No one can keep you from doing what you love.

Do you need to have an acting job to be an actor? No. If you want to act, then act.

There are many ways to do it. You can get a group of friends together and read plays aloud in your apartment. You could even rent a space a put up a production. I have found that by doing something, you create more of it in your life. So when you go out and just “do it”, you start a ball rolling, and things begin to happen for you.

I believe that “tenacity” is what it takes to have a career as an artist. There are plenty of talented people who are not pursuing their art. But, you can’t be an artist unless you participate in your craft. When I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, we did a showcase in New York City for agents and casting directors. You might be shocked to hear that a lot of the kids who got the biggest responses from agents, one of whom even immediately landed a role on a soap opera, are no longer even acting! Therefore, it is not talent alone that decides whether you will have a career as an actor. You must also have persistence, determination, strength of purpose, and resolve.

In other words, you must have “tenacity”.

DO YOU COLLABORATE WITH A LOT OF THE SAME ACTORS, WRITERS, DIRECTORS, ETC? HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS?
My professional relationships are very important to me. Once I find someone I respect and like to work with, I try to keep that working relationship alive. However, I try not to waste my energy “rubbing elbows” with people much more successful than me.

Some actors think, “If I could just make friends with the right celebrities, start hanging out with some movie stars, then I’d be famous too.” I promise you, it rarely, if ever, works that way. It is a recipe for time wasting and trouble.

The best thing to do is to surround yourself with other artists who are at, or just above, your level. Work with them, learn from them, and grow one step at a time. There is a power in “partnership”. You don’t have to do it alone. When you join forces with other actors, their “breaks” become yours as well.

YOU ARE CONSTANTLY BUSY. MOVIES. TV. COMMERCIALS. LIVE COMEDY SHOWS. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR ACTORS TO PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE? WHAT IMPACT HAS CREATING YOUR OWN WORK HAD ON YOUR CAREER AND YOUR DEVELOPMENT AS AN ARTIST?
If you want to be a success nowadays it is so important to be proactive in your career. I can’t recommend enough to not just be an actor for hire.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I had done very well with booking jobs. My streak of good luck continued for some time, culminating with me booking a series regular role on a FOX TV show. I thought I knew what the universe’s plan was for me. In my mind, I was going to continue auditioning and getting terrific jobs. But the show was cancelled after the first season, and I went quite a long time without getting any work. I got depressed, and I mean really depressed, and moped for quite awhile.

I got so bored not working, that I finally was forced to get active. I got reconnected to my creative side and started performing more. One of the characters I used to do in my sketch show was on old washed up actress that I named “Evie”. I volunteered to host an AIDS benefit as the character. A friend and I made a short film to show at the benefit. The film came out well, so we decided to take it up a notch and film it on a nicer digital camera, and this time we enlisted the help of a TV writer friend of mine, who gave us a bunch of funny jokes. We had it professionally edited, and it came out great, was nominated for an Internet short film award, and went to some film festivals.

My TV writer friend was so thrilled with it that he decided to write a feature film starring my character, which I executive produced. The film won many awards, had a theatrical release and is now out on video by MGM. And all this because I wasn’t getting any work. If my show hadn’t been cancelled, I wouldn’t have been forced to explore the creative side of myself.

I believe I am here on earth to do more than just act, and my series being cancelled was an important step in my fulfilling my true destiny. When all is said and done, producing and starring in my own film will be one of the things in my life that I am most proud of. Much more proud than I am of having been on that TV show.

WE’RE TOLD TO PURSUE SUCCESS WITH LASER-LIKE FOCUS, TO ALWAYS BE “ON”, TO FOLLOW EVERY LEAD. AND YET ON YOUR WEBSITE (JACKPLOTNICK.COM) YOU LIST SEVERAL AFFIRMATIONS THAT BEGIN WITH RELEASING THE NEED TO GET THE JOB, THE NEED TO IMPRESS, AND TO RELEASE AND DESTROY MY NEED TO BE AN ACTOR. HOW DOES HOLDING ONTO THOSE THINGS AFFECT MY CAREER AND ME?

There is a big difference between “wanting” things and “needing” things. For instance, when it comes to auditioning, there’s a big difference between “wanting” the job and “needing” the job.

The universe wants you to want things, with all your heart, and then to do everything in your power to get it. Where people make the mistake is when they “need” it. It is important to want things.

The only way to get the brass ring is to reach out for it. The only way to achieve your goals is to have them in the first place. That is the act of “wanting”. Putting your desires out there, voicing them to the universe, has great creative power. I believe the size of your success can be attributed, in part, to the size of your desire.Thoughts are creative, and the thought of what you want starts the ball rolling in that direction.

The trick is not getting married to the exact outcome you desire.You mustn’t NEED that which you want. Some actors wrongly think, “I need this job to be happy. I need this to be complete. I need this to prove to my family I deserve to be acting.”

It is a great myth for one to think, “If I get this, THEN I’ll be happy.” It never works out that way. And why is that? Because that statement has an unspoken first half, which is, “I am not happy right now.” It says, “I am not enough. My life is not enough. Without this I am unhappy.”

You must come to a place where you are happy “as you are”, for that is an attractive energy in the universe. Nothing outside you can really make you happy. Happiness comes from within. It is a personal choice. So get good with yourself “as is”, because as they say “Wherever you are, there you are.”

It’s the same with finding a lover. If you walk around feeling like half a person, wishing you had a boyfriend/girlfriend to make you happy, that almost never gets results. People smell your desperation. Yet, don’t you find that as soon as you’re dating someone, all of a sudden all these people come out of the woodwork to flirt with you?

They sense that you don’t NEED them, and that’s attractive. You are shining from within, instead of having a needy energy that’s shooting outward at everyone. And so it is with a job.

You may want something, work hard to achieve it, and in your process achieve something even greater than your original goal. So, don’t get married to what you imagine is the result of your pursuit, just be involved in the pursuit.

DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY’RE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE ACTOR’S LIFE, MOST EVERYONE SEEMS TO DREAD AUDITIONS. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO ACTUALLY ENJOY THE PROCESS?
When I first moved to LA, the actress Megan Mulally and I had a mutual friend, and we would all hang out together on occasion. One night we were talking before a movie, and Megan was describing a friend of hers who booked jobs all the time. Practically every job this girl auditioned for, she booked. I remember an alarm went off in my head. I asked Megan what her friend’s secret was. I knew that I was about to hear something that could really help me. And Megan said:

“She doesn’t need the job.”

I instantly knew this was true, and very important. But had no idea how to manifest that in my life. So it became my goal to figure out how I could feel the same way. I have since achieved this goal, and how I did it can all be found on my free website: www.JackPlotnick.com

IT IS SUCH A COMPETITIVE BUSINESS. BUT, YOU HAVE MANAGED TO BE A WORKING ACTOR FOR OVER A DECADE. WHAT DO YOU CONSISTENTLY DO THAT HAS ENABLED YOU TO SUCCEED WHERE SO MANY OTHERS HAVE GIVEN UP IN FRUSTRATION?
I keep acting, even when there is no acting job.I create a live show with some friends, I do sketch comedy, I make silly home movies, I do improv…I remain productive, so that I continue to grow as an artist, and not stagnate.

Many people get too involved in worrying about the form of their life. You may want to be an actor, but instead be currently employed as a waiter. There are two ways you could respond to that:

1) You could worry and fret, causing yourself anxiety and unhappiness.
or
2) You could trust that there is a higher plan at work in your life, stay focused on your goal, and have that positive energy translate into growth.

The Universe pays off to people who put it out there. If you take two steps towards what you want, the universe will give you two more. Action creates action. Follow your bliss. In other words, “Do that which makes your heart happy.” Because when you do something, it creates more of it in your life.

Early in my career, an agent of mine explained to me that acting was an “ethereal” profession. What she meant was that you cannot control it, so don’t sweat it if you’re not currently working the kind of jobs you desire. If you are talented you WILL get work. Therefore, the best thing is to simply keep doing it, keep growing as an artist.

There are many hugely successful actors who didn’t hit it big till they were in their thirties or forties. I guarantee you that they were working on their craft all along. They were doing their real job, which is to focus on their structure as an artist. You must never stop acting and growing.

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ACTING ADVICE ANYONE EVER GAVE YOU?
Working on your “issues”, meaning your personal problems or difficulties, is one of the most important things an actor can do for himself. “Issues” can cause an actor to be self-defeating, self-destructive and severely limited in their abilities.

My journey to self-realization, self-actualization, and self-awareness began when a cast mate of mine suggested that I read a self-help book. He was able to see something in me that I was unable to see. He saw that I had “issues” that might be influencing me in a negative way.

The problem was that I didn’t see it. People go around thinking that the way they see, feel and experience things is the same way everyone else does. This is called “projection”, which means you are projecting your way of thinking onto other people. When you do this, you feel that your experience of things is the only truthful way to see things. This makes even the most negative way of thinking feel completely normal.

Thinking that everyone else sees things exactly as you do couldn’t be farther from the truth. We are each highly affected by our specific childhoods, upbringings and experiences. And when your specific journey has caused a thought pattern that affects you adversely, that is called an “issue”.

Once I read the book he had suggested, I was hooked! I hadn’t even realized that there was another way to look at life. It was thrilling to realize that there was help out there for me.Other people have come before you and had the same problems you might be dealing with. They spent a lifetime figuring out how to grow and recover from their issues and then they have written how they did it. Why not take advantage of the hard won wisdom they are sharing with you?

If you bought a fancy new camera, wouldn’t you read the instruction book to find out how it works, so you can get the most out of it?

Well, you are at least as complicated and full of potential as a camera.

Read a self-help book. Go see a therapist. Grow as a person, and you will grow as an artist.

What did you think of this interview? Let us know.
feedback@actorslife.com

Filed Under: Actors

Actors Who Kick Ass: Bonnie Dickenson, “Little Shots of Happiness”

July 20, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Bonnie Dickenson is an actor, a writer, and a producer of independent films. She received a degree in acting from the University of Southern California, and has played roles in Mod F**k Explosion, Terminal USA, Frisk, Shucking the Curve, Bellyfruit, The Secret Life of Girls, Cosmic Coffee, and Little Shots of Happiness, for which she was awarded the John Cassavettes Creative Artist Award.

Congratulations on the success of this film! How did you become involved with Little Shots of Happiness? Was it something you auditioned for, or were you offered the part based on your relationship with director, Todd Verow?
I had worked with Todd before on two separate Indie projects, directed by Jon Moritsugu, Mod F**k Explosion and Terminal USA. Very experimental, out there filmmaking. Todd was the DP and he thought I stole scenes in bit parts so he asked me to collaborate with him on this project. I was more than thrilled to do so.

Knowing the general nature of the project and the size of the budget, what appealed to you about this project?
I was an actor who was excited about Independent film, needed a gig and this was a lead role. I trusted Todd, admired his work, and just wanted to act.

How was the story developed? Did you have input into the story or the character as the script was being written?
Todd started with an outline of scenes and we improvised most of the dialogue. He had certain emotional and plot driven points that he wanted us to hit in the scene and certain lines he wanted us to say, but the rest was improvised. He and I became almost telepathic throughout filming. He would say “Uh, Bonnie, you need to…” and I would say, “right, I got it.” We were just in sync. Todd had a vision for the film and I was very game to play it.

The character just formed. When Todd first described the character to me, I instantly knew who she was. I can’t describe or understand how I knew this. But I knew, and felt instantly connected to this woman. I never lost that feeling while we were filming. I never had to work on her character. I just slipped into her very easily, which doesn’t happen with every role. It was very, I don’t know, spiritual or cosmic or something.

We shot the film in order of the story and the character grew as we shot the film. It was exhausting, because so much was improvised. And I think I started to become more like Frances in real life as we progressed. I have hard time separating when I take on a role. The character always seeps into me in real life.

What training have you had in improvisational acting? Do you feel the ability to improvise is a skill that film actors should develop? Why or why not?
I studied with Stephen Book, whose entire technique is based off of improvisation. It helped me tremendously because I had become more comfortable improvising than doing a written scene. I think as a film actor you need to be able to do both. Break down a scene and play the subtext, as well as improvise. And I guess, If you are really in the moment in a written scene, you are constantly improving your way through it.

You’ve stated in previous interviews that all preparation you’d done for the character was thrown out the window when you arrived on set. How you prepare to play a role like Frances?
Usually when I prepare for a character I spend a lot of time daydreaming. Thinking and thinking and daydreaming. This part was unique because once I got to the set and Todd explained her to me, like I said before, I just knew her. It’s never really happened to me since then, so effortlessly.

I have done other roles and I think on some I did a decent job, but this one was so organic for me and hopefully it comes through in the film. I think with every actor there are those parts that just flow and it’s easy. You get into the zone and there is no other feeling in the world so addictive.

Once you arrived and all your prep work was put aside, how did you prepare once you were in Boston and getting ready to shoot? Did you rehearse the scenes as written? Did you go out into Boston as the character? What types of exercises did you do to develop your character?
We did not rehearse. We shot and shot and shot. It was video, so the rehearsal was in the shooting. Sometimes one take would be thirty minutes long and Todd would use four minutes. So, you can see how comfortable an actor would feel after a few days of this. How often do you get to be a character for such extended periods of time in film acting?

This movie was shot by the director, Todd Verow, using natural light and the on-camera microphone to capture sound, which I presume meant there were few crew members. How did this experience differ from more traditional sets with large crews?
Most days the crew consisted of Todd and maybe one or two other people. Sometimes just me and Todd would work in and around Boston. We spent a lot of quality time together. It was great. A total collaboration. Todd was on the cutting edge using video to make movies. He was one of the first. A few years later everyone at Sundance was doing it and acting like it was the big new medium. But Todd had been using video to make movies for years. He was ahead of his time.

The experience was so different. It was free and there was no pressure. It was like we were making a home movie…almost. What was great is, because of the small camera and no crew, we had all of Boston at our disposal for locations. No one bothered us. I remember walking in a public fountain in a black mini-dress while Todd shot. Sure we got some stares but we were free to use whatever we wanted without permits and permission.

The trick is committing to your character in those moments and not getting shy or embarrassed in public. I just used it to fuel me in the scenes.

Did you get to see any footage as you were shooting? Why or why not? Given a choice, do you like to watch “dailies” or playback?
I didn’t watch much. I hate watching myself and find it unbearable. This is terrible as I am sure I could learn more if I did watch and adjust from take to take. Maybe some day I’ll get over it.

Typically, low-budget movies shoot on tight schedules and long days. How did shooting in sequence affect the shooting schedule? Did you have to keep going back to the office on separate days?
We shot in sequence and yes we did go back to different locations. I think we used Todd’s boyfriend’s office after hours so it was easy. Because of all the improvising, I would run out of steam after a while. So our schedule was not typical. Some days it was like, meet me at this park and we would shoot two sequences in three hours and be done for the day. Other days were more grueling and I think Todd would wear me out on purpose as the film progressed and my character fell apart more and more.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of shooting a movie in sequence?
I was so spoiled shooting this way, that shooting any other way is very unsettling to me. In a character piece like this, when so much of the movie is just my character unraveling, I think it’s very hard to do it out of sequence. If you do go out of sequence you have to prepare a lot more and do your homework. You can’t fly by the seat of you pants as much.

Shooting this way, was such an organic experience, it was like almost no separation between me and the character. After a while, I barely looked at the script. I think I lost it and Todd encouraged us working without it. We just did it.

When you first saw the completed movie, was it what you expected?
The first time I watched the film was at the premier at The Berlin Film Festival in an enormous theater. The show was sold out and packed. Todd has a devout following in Germany and people were holding up signs to get tickets, maybe a thousand people were there, maybe more. I don’t know. But it was overwhelming and I was a nervous wreck. I drank some red wine before the show to calm down. I don’t handle these situations well.

During the screening, I kept sneaking out of the theater when it got to be too much and then back in. I was sure everyone was bored or hated it. Which is silly of course, the response was very positive. I guess I am way too self-involved to just sit back and enjoy the whole film and admire Todd’s vision. I am also incredibly vain and had a hard time watching myself look like a total wreck. However, I still got the sense that Todd had created something unique with it’s own kind of “Verow” magic.

Though nothing in the movie itself is dated, it feels like a movie from another era. Is this the type of movie you yourself watch? Which actors or filmmakers have had an impact on your work?
Wow, I love old movies and also films from the 70′s and 80′s but have a very broad range of what has influenced me from classic to indie to commercial. Some of my favorites are: 8 1/2 by Fellini ( saw it in college and blew my mind), Rosemary’s Baby by Roman Polanski (rented it, watched it, rewound and watched it again)) Sophie’s Choice, ( Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline’s best performances of their careers, in my humble opinion, plus the writing is incredible) Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, Hannah and her Sisters, Manhattan – all favorites, All that Jazz, Sound of Music, Hair, West Side Story, Moulin Rouge and Chicago. When Harry met Sally – Nora Ephron, (love her writing,) Postcards from the Edge, (Carrie Fisher another personal hero of mine), The Apartment – Shirley MaClaine and Jack Lemmon, what can you say?

I love all the old Billy Wilder movies too. And Anything with Gene Kelley or Jimmy Stewart, so ahead of his time. Such an incredible actor. I love It’s a Wonderful Life, watch it every year. Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, my favorite Scorsese. A Woman Under the Influence, Cassevettes, didn’t know you could make a movie like that. Gena Rowlands, gloriously out of her mind, influenced me for “Little Shots”.

Dead Poets Society, writing, performances, photography all gorgeous, Andy Warhols’ Chelsea Girls, Eddie! Breathless – Jean Sieberg (the haircut!) More recently, Shakespeare in Love, Adaptation, The Hours, Motorcycle Diaries, Maria Full of Grace, We Don’t live Here Anymore, and loved loved loved Before Sunset. There are soooo many more that I am forgetting right now. I could go on and on and on. I am a huge sap, so any romantic comedy or love story or musical or drama where someone dies I am pretty much a sucker for. I love the movies!

How has being in this film affected your life?
Well, it was a tremendous experience. And the best thing I ever did, I think. Incredible opportunity to play this part and work with Todd. I had a brief fifteen minutes of fame which was nice and weird and unsettling. I am just happy it’s all captured on film and I will always have it. I have gotten some interest career wise from it, but not really from Hollywood. They didn’t really get it. Too avant guard for William Morris agents I guess.

What do you have planned for the future? Will there be more opportunities to see your work?

I was in LA doing more writing than acting for the last couple of years and actually was represented at good ole William Morris as a writer. Was doing quite well with it, until a series of unfortunate events, (my writing partner crumbling on me) my show didn’t get picked up, the agency dropped me because of it, you know how it is….Some people, not all, but some, are beyond cruel and shallow and have the attention span of a gnat in this business, anyway, we all know that so…I decided I couldn’t deal with the business anymore.Or at least had to build more of a life around it.

So….I moved to New York City, a dream I have had for a long while, am loving living here, found a great job, where I still have a connection to film and television and am interested in continuing my writing on the side. I have been working on more short fiction and screenplays.

Miss acting like crazy lately. Maybe I’m getting that itch again. Maybe I will pursue theater, go back to my roots. It’s just so damn hard being an actor! And I am way too sensitive. We will see. But there is nothing like that feeling right?

So even if it’s just taking an improv class or scene study, I feel like I need to release all the stuff that’s had a chance to build up over the last couple of years. And now that I am a bit older I think I have more depth and experience that will make me a better actor. It’s really more of an emotional release for me to act. It keeps me sane. We shall see.

Filed Under: Actors, Film/TV Tagged With: , , ,

LISTEN NOW: Interview w/Simon Pegg – Actor, Filmmaker, Nerd

July 17, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Simon Pegg joins The Sound of Young America to talk about nerd rants, his philosophy on zombies, and his close-knit relationship with collaborator and friend Nick Frost.

He’s best known as the actor, writer, and director whose guiding hands have been involved in British TV comedy Spaced and films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Paul.

His new memoir follows his own journey as the nerdy everyman; Nerd Do Well: A Small Boy’s Journey to Becoming a Big Kid is out now.

Click play to hear the full interview:

Flash required


Filed Under: Actors, Celebrity, News & Events Tagged With: , ,

The Governator is Back: Schwarzenegger Set to Star in “Last Stand”

July 15, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment
Arnold Schwarzenegger is famous as an Australian-American former professional bodybuilder, a model, actor, director, businessman and a politician.

Schwarzeneggers first comeback film will be a western with the title “Last Stand”

By Groshan Fabiola

The former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made his Hollywood comeback as he is set to headline the Kim-ji-Woon-directed “Last Stand.”

In April 2010, Arnold Schwarzenegger was named as one among eleven “worst governors” in the United States due to various ethics issues throughout his term as a California governor. In early 2011, he also faced the scandal of being a father of a child with a longtime member of his household staff over a decade ago.

In January 2011, just several weeks after leaving office in California, Schwarzenegger unveiled that he was reading some new scripts for future movies.

And most recently, just several weeks Schwarzenegger left office in California, Entertainment company Lionsgate announced that the former California governor will appear in the company’s upcoming film “Last Stand,” an action thriller directed by Korean director Kim Ji-woon.

Lionsgate announced that Schwarzenegger will star Sheriff Owens, a former Los Angeles police officer who keeps the peace in the sleepy border town of Sommerton Junction, after bungling a police operation in Los Angeles.

The film “Last Stand” is set to start shooting in September 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger To Star In Modern Western ‘The Last Stand’

Related links:

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Bodybuilding Program

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Gain Muscle Work Out

Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘s Secret Shoulder Exercises Revealed

About the Author:

Mary Rose is currently a lecturer on society. In her free time, Mary is fond of joining social activities. Her goal is to provide up-to-date news and articles on society and culture.

Articles Source: Arnold Schwarzenegger Makes Hollywood Comeback in Last Stand

Filed Under: Actors, News & Events

Meet The Walking Elephant Theatre Company

July 13, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Walking Elephant Theatre Co.

Actors 7 to 17 years old create original theatre & films about “the elephant in the room” and then walk that elephant to theaters and film festivals around the world.

To create their recent production, “Prop 8 Love Stories”, this group of young actors interviewed 8 couples (3 mixed gender and 5 same gender) about love, life and discrimination.  Now watch these young actors portray those couples, word for word, in the most potent, moving, and hilarious theatre you’ve ever seen.

We sat down with Artistic Director, Brian Glenn Bryson to discuss the company, their process, and their recent tour to off-Broadway.

Interviewed by Kipley Wentz

Brian, tell me about the Walking Elephant Theatre Company… as the founder and artistic director of the company, what inspired you to set this in motion?

It’s all of my passions coming together: creating original theatre & films, working with kids, and exploring whatever subject i’m most interested in at the time. Our first play was “The HABIT Project” because it occurred to me that weaning oneself off cigarettes is a lot like a culture weaning itself off oil. I felt that understanding addiction psychology would be helpful, even necessary, as we try to become a healthier, more sustainable society. The young cast interviewed recovering addicts, behavioral psychologists, a marshal arts master, environmentalists, and 25 other creatures of habit who could shed light on our capacity to change our habits.

Another piece we created is called “The BULLY Theatre/Film Project”. There are rich and powerful forces out there stoking the fires of fear and discrimination; I thought it would be a good idea to walk a mile in the shoes of some of those folks we’re supposed to be so afraid of. The young cast members interviewed a Muslim engineer & mother who chose to start wearing a headscarf in grade school; a high school filmmaker who came out of the closet in middle school; a large actress who starred in the play “Fat Pig”; an 18-year-old magician with autism; a liberal-intellectual-female mayor; and other scary people we’re encouraged to bully in an effort to protect ourselves and our culture.

What is the overall mission of the company’s work, and how does that give rise to the projects you create?

The short answer is we foster empathy. We walk a mile in the shoes of others and then we use the experience to create a work of art to share.

Our mission is to connect young people with their local and global communities, create original theatre and films, present them in theaters and film festivals around the world, and foster a world of empathic human beings at peace with each other and themselves.

Your current show, “Prop 8 Love Stories” has had a very successful run on the West Coast. What is the show about, and can you describe the unique process through which it was created?

Actors 10 to 17 years old interviewed 8 couples (3 mixed gender & 5 same gender) about love, life, and discrimination. We chose the “golden moments” from those interviews (the moments that made us laugh, and cry, and cheer.) The cast transcribed those moments and then we pieced them together to create a compelling play. Each cast member portrays their interview subject word for word, drawing their portrayal from careful observation of their subject’s vocal rhythms and physical mannerisms.

Original songs were written by 16-year-old cast member Audrey Maye Tatum and the play was co-written and assistant directed by 14-year-old cast member Dezi Gallegos.

When seeking to talk about “the elephant in the room”, you must surely encounter resistance along the way. What have been the greatest emotional challenges of creating and performing this show?

A surprisingly large number of people seem to think that being gay is synonymous with perverted sex. One guy said we should change the title (Prop 8 Love Stories) because it sounds like we’re teaching kids how to have perverted sex. Another woman sent an email saying she would never allow her kids or any of her friends’ kids to be involved with a theater that would allow our play to be performed.

And at a performance of “The BULLY Theatre/Film Project” for the 3rd through 8th graders of an arts charter school, we had to cut out all the parts that included the high school filmmaker who came out when he was in middle school. And this is in Northern California at an arts school.

How have you and your performers dealt with these challenges?

We kindly invite them to see the play (or movie) before they judge it. We believe laughter is the quickest road to empathy, and when people come to see this play, they laugh big.

One of the most profound moments in my life was when a woman stopped me in a parking lot to thank me. She said she had voted yes on proposition 8 (against same-gender marriage in California) and came to see the play with her 11-year-old daughter, who had a couple friends in the cast.

After the play they were driving home and started discussing the play and prop 8. She said she had to pull the car over because they were crying. The mother confessed to the daughter that she had made a mistake when she voted to deny rights to her neighbors. She said that she and her daughter hugged and cried and healed.

You’ve been preparing to bring the show to New York for a run off-Broadway. What excites you most about traveling and presenting the show in NYC?

It’s truly thrilling to think these kids have created something so hilarious, so moving, and so potent, that it is worthy of an off-Broadway run. We can’t wait to make New Yorkers laugh and cry and cheer!

On the flipside, what has been the most challenging aspect of preparing for the tour?

The cost and logistics of taking a cast of 16 actors, ages 11 to 17, from California to New York for two weeks to perform off-Broadway presents many challenges; from fundraising, to travel arrangements, to publicity, to figuring out how to prepare lights, costumes, set, furniture, projector, and other production considerations from the opposite end of the country. My theatre partner Stacia and I are ready for a nap.

Your company has employed some unique fundraising techniques. What has been the most successful method you’ve tried so far?

Our two most successful fundraisers were an online auction and a performance at a 400 seat venue.

What are your long range hopes/goals for “Prop 8 Love Stories”?

We hope a fat rich guy with a cigar sees the show and says, “Listen kid, I wanna produce this show on Broadway.” (A petite non-smoking woman is acceptable to this fantasy also.)

We also hope high school drama teachers around the world will hear about “Prop 8 Love Stories” and produce it at their school. (16 leading roles in a controversial play that makes audiences laugh and cry and cheer. What could be better?)

By the way… “Prop 8 Love Stories” is being published by TheaterTrope (aka Booktrope) a fantastic publishing company.

Filed Under: Actors, Theater

[VIDEO] A Conversation with Ladies Who Make Us Laugh

July 13, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Actors, Featured, Film/TV

Actor, Voice Over Artist: Chris Flockton, “The Fabulous Life”, Rumble in the RedRoom

June 22, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Chris Flockton is a British actor, writer and voiceover artist based in New York City.

He was a member of New York’s acclaimed Rumble in the RedRoom sketch comedy ensemble for 4 years, and has worked extensively in theatre, film, voiceover, and countless corporate events around the world.

Chris’ voice can be heard as the narrator of VH1′s top-rated show, The Fabulous Life, and is also a member of the sketch comedy troupe, The Belgian Summers.

He is a Gemini and fond of penguins.

Interviewed by Joanna Parson

How did you start getting into voice-overs?
I was looking for something that had flexible hours and would be easy on my nails, and voice-overs struck me as ideal. But seriously, being a British actor with a deep voice living in the U.S., it seemed like a natural fit. I had been living and working in Boston and was encouraged by casting directors and friends in the business to make a demo reel and start auditioning for V.O. work. I took a class and made my original reel. It contained 100% studio-manufactured work. In other words – nothing I had actually done professionally. From there it was a slow build over the next 15 years to the lucky position of working regularly today.

When the VH-1 series “The Fabulous Life” came along and you became the narrator, did you know that it would be such a big hit? What were your expectations?
Gosh. My expectations were so low as to be almost immeasurable. It was just another audition, and when I got a call from my agents at Buchwald telling me that they wanted me to narrate “The Fabulous Life of Jennifer Lopez,” I laughed and said, “Are they paying American money? Great, why not.” It was a pilot at that point, and no one had any idea that it would become a staple show for VH-1 for the next four years and counting. Believe me, no one is more surprised by the success of the show than I. Every year I assume it will go away, and every year it’s picked up again. We’re about to do our 100th show. Who knew?

How has that steady gig changed your career?
The old adage, work begets work is certainly true. Over the years, the steady gig has created something of a Fab Life cottage industry. As the show became more popular, I guess more people wanted to associate themselves with it. People got in contact and asked me to lend my voice to all sorts of odd projects. From the World Wrestling Federation to promoting expensive real estate, and everything in between. Mostly I am glad for the work. Other times the requests are a little too out there to actually do. Other than that, it’s boosted my visibility and that can only be good. Also, I work with some terrifically talented people who go on to do other things in the industry and hopefully remember me. It’s lead to other unrelated jobs and opportunities for which I am very grateful.

Your delivery on “Fab Life” is reminiscent of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” host Robin Leach— were you asked to deliver that kind of parody at your first audition? Have you gotten any reaction from Mr. Leach himself?
Yes, it’s an inevitable comparison. Similar subject matter, and British hosts. But no, I was never asked to emulate his delivery. At the audition I tried a number of different reads. One of them I did as a total goof was an over-the-top version of myself. That’s what finally became the voice of The Fabulous Life. Ultimately, I think using a British voice allowed the show do a lot of ironic, tongue-in-check humorous fun-poking (if there is such a word) and get away with it. The over the top read just added to the silliness of the whole thing.

And yes, a while ago I was made aware of a newspaper article in which Mr. Leach commented on my work in the show by saying that it was “a very bad imitation of his voice,” and that it “made him want to throw up.” Something like that. I immediately, and with great glee, posted his comments on my website under the headline, “Chris Annoys Robin Leach.” If anyone knows him, let him know I’d like to invite him to dinner.

Talk about the logistics of your voice-over career. At this point in your career, do you have to live in New York City? Do you work through a home studio, or go into recording facilities?
No, I don’t have to live in NYC, and in fact, I don’t anymore. After I got married in 2005, my wife and I moved about an hour north of the city to northern Westchester County. Is it more convenient to live in Hell’s Kitchen? Sure. Did moving out of the city affect my career? I don’t think so. It just requires a little more planning on my part. The best part is, I’ve put together a home voice-over studio in the house. I record many of my voice-over auditions for my New York and L.A. agents from home and send them in via e-mail. Also, since moving out of the city, I’ve encouraged promo and commercial clients to book me from my home studio. It saves them money on studio rental, and is far more convenient for me (I like recording in my PJs). We do the session over a phone patch, then I upload the files to an FTP site for them to retrieve. It’s actually very easy.

For larger projects like Fab Life, I still go into a professional studio in the city. I’m not an audio engineer and know to leave the big projects to the pros.

What advice can you give people starting out that want to become voice-over artists?
First of all, if you’re British and have a deep voice – just don’t do it. It’s a crowded field and I don’t need the competition. OK, I’m kidding. (Not really. I know people and I will find you.) But seriously… It really is a tough field. An actress I’ve know for a long time wrote to me recently and asked the same question. I told her that it was a very hard field to dabble in. If you want to be a V.O. person, you have to be willing to give it many years of consistent effort, and deal with the near-constant rejection. For the few people who make the really big bucks (and believe me, I’m NOT one of them), there are thousands who book the occasional radio spot for $180, and spend the rest of their time going to auditions. Be realistic. If you have a unique voice, you may do well. If you have a great voice, but one that’s similar to the thousands of others in your demographic, then more than likely, the guy who’s been in the industry 5 or 10 years longer than you, and who all the casting people know may book the job even though you’re every bit as good. Like many things in this industry, it just takes a huge amount of perseverance.

Of course, your mileage will vary. If you have a burning desire to get into this peculiar corner of the biz, it’s fascinating, fun work. By all means jump in (unless you’re British with a deep voice).

How did you first establish a relationship with your agents? Do voice-over actors need to make a demo tape, or can they meet agents without one?
I was lucky. I came to New York from Boston with a few agent referrals from a casting director. I owe her a lot. My referrals got me in the doors, and led to signing with my first commercial agent a few months after arriving in the city. From there I switched agents a couple of times until I found a good fit for me.

For those who might not have an introduction to an agent, yes, a demo is a very good idea. Most agents will expect you to have one. Don’t worry if you haven’t done any professional work. There are many studios out there that offer demo reel packages. They can help you find appropriate copy, coach you on the delivery, and provide professional-sounding production. I’d suggest making a demo a minute long – your best minute showing your versatility. Don’t worry about mixing commercials with promos with narration or animation at this point. Once you get an agent interested in you, they will advise you on how to refine your demo reels.

As far as getting in the door, I feel having a friend refer you is the best way to meet an agent. Ask everyone you know who already has an agent if the would feel comfortable referring you. If they don’t feel comfortable, it’s probably not a good idea and you should move on. Other than that, by all means send out those demo CDs to agents, casting directors and production companies. In addition, get a website and put all your demos online.

Does your work as a voice-over actor translate into other acting jobs? Which parts of the industry have opened to you more because of voice-overs?
Voice-over work usually begets more voice-over work. But sure, I’ve been asked to do live appearances, hosting work, even contribute to rap songs a result of the Fab Life show. Also, when your voice really gets out there, it raises your general profile and it’s just inevitable that more work will come your way.9. You were born in Scotland and raised as a child in the UK.

Talk about being a British actor in the United States. How do you think it has helped or hindered you? Did you ever consider working in the UK? Do you ever audition or perform using an American accent?
Being a British ex-pat has been a mixed blessing, but on balance I’d say it’s a positive thing. I tend to audition with the same group of talented Brits, Aussies and Irishmen over and over again and we all know each other. “Hello Nigel. Hello Trevor. Hello Simon. How’s it going?” If I hear something on the radio or TV that I auditioned for and didn’t get (an all too frequent occurrence), I can usually tell you whose voice it is. So it’s helpful in that you’re nearly always called for British work if it’s in your age range, but the flip side of that is that it’s more difficult to get considered for other work that you might well be capable of. I have worked with an American accent in theatre, commercials, and other projects. Depending on whom you ask, I either pulled it off or sounded like an eccentric patrician with a speech defect. A few years ago I booked a radio spot for Rolling Rock cast as a beatnik poet guy. When I showed up at the session speaking like I normally do, the producer told me that there must be some mistake, and that they had hired the wrong person. I was delighted to prove him wrong. That producer is now my wife. OK, I made that last bit up.

Sure, I’ve thought about working in the U.K., but I’ve put down roots here and I really enjoy living in the States. Maybe someday.

The podcast you began producing in January has become quite popular and was named an iTunes “New and Notable” download. Why did you decide to start putting together podcasts?
Actually, deciding to do the podcast was a happy afterthought. I’d been experimenting with writing short essays, a new format for me. They were very much in my own voice, so I started recording them in my studio. Then it suddenly occurred to me that I could publish them on my website and call them podcasts. That’s what the hip people are listening to these days, right? This then led to submitting them to iTunes and other podcasting websites. It’s a great way to get your work listened to by a wide and diverse audience.

Beyond the writing stage, is it easy or hard to put podcasts together? Can you describe the process?
It’s actually pretty easy. All you need is a computer that can record sound, any half-way decent microphone, a program that can create an MP3 file, and podcasting software to create your “feed” and upload your podcast to the internet. Many of these tools are available for a very low cost. Do a quick Google search for “podcasting tools” to get some more info. Also, many companies have started selling podcasting kits that include everything you need to get started, but they tend to cost several hundred dollars.

I’m more than a little biased, but if you use a Mac podcasting is particularly easy. I use Apple’s GarageBand software to create all my podcasts, then upload them directly into iTunes.

How many people have been listening to your podcast? Have you had any interesting responses from faraway fans?
Millions. Next to Ricky Gervais, I’m pretty much number one globally. OK, not really. iTunes doesn’t tell you how many people are listening to your podcasts, but by looking at the stats on my personal website, I can see that literally thousands of people have downloaded my essays. Who are they? I really don’t know. But surprisingly, the download are from all over the world, not just the U.S. and U.K. Once you put your stuff out there and take advantage of the global reach of the web it’s amazing how widely it can be distributed. And yes, I do get the occasional e-mail from folks around the world telling me that they’ve enjoyed a particular piece.

How do you think it has or will influence your career going forward, building up a body of work through podcasting writing and producing?
I feel it helps enormously to have a body of work out there that you can point people towards if they’re interested in knowing more about you. Even better if they can access it with a simple click of a mouse. It’s been said before, but technology really is the great equalizer. It levels the field between you and the big guys. It’s also a great and inexpensive way to keep in contact with people in the business. I have an e-mailing list that people can sign up for. It’s become a pretty big list over the years. Any time I add a new podcast, I’m doing a show, or I have anything else even vaguely interesting to crow about, I fire off an e-mail and direct people to my website. I would say this though, be selective about what sort of stuff you put out there. Once it’s on the internet it’s public forever. I never would have done that photo spread if… well, never mind.

Why do you think it’s important for actors to create their own projects, like the podcast, and your sketch group, The Belgian Summers?
It’s rule number one: Always be working, right? It’s one thing to go to auditions day after day and wait for someone to give you a job. It’s another thing entirely to create that job yourself. It gives you a level of control and empowerment that’s frequently absent in this business. Some of the most rewarding work that I’ve done, both personally and professionally, in the 12 years I’ve been in New York are projects I’ve created myself or as a collaboration with like-minded friends. It’s also a matter of constantly trying to stay creative and find outlets for your creativity. For example, not long after we stopped doing the Red Room, a previous sketch comedy group after four crazy years, a few of us felt like we were getting soft by not using those writing and performing muscles regularly. So we created another group, The Belgian Summers. People loved it, and we created a nice, if somewhat disturbed, little following. You never know where something like that’s going to lead you. Plus, Belgium is a sorely neglected and underrated European country, and anything I can do to help them out makes me feel all warm inside.

You continue to do theatre and have a longstanding relationship as an actor with the Depot Theatre in upstate New York. That can’t pay as well as your V.O. work—why is it still important to you?
Well, we all know that until you’re either famous, on Broadway, or both, you’re not in theatre for the money. And even then, it’s definitely a passion rather than merely a job. Theatre is where I started out and it’s what makes me feel most alive as an actor. Regardless of what other work I do to pay the bills, I would be very unhappy if live theatre didn’t remain a part of my life.

The Depot Theatre in particular has been an amazing summer home for the past 8 years. It really feels more like family at this point. It’s a charming little theatre in a renovated, but still functioning railway station in New York’s beautiful Adirondack State Park. Every year that I go there, I leave having worked with fantastically talented, kind-hearted people, having received my theatre “fix,” and feeling refreshed, energized, and ready return to the craziness of the acting biz in New York. It’s a real blessing. Plus, the 401K is the bomb.

Filed Under: Actors, Featured, Theater, Voice Over

Actor & Acting Coach: Charles Tuthill

June 21, 2011 By Kipley Leave a Comment

Charles Tuthill has taught at the Atlantic Theater Company, The Actors Center, Purchase College Conservatory, Caymichael Patten Studios, and New York University. As an actor he has played leading roles in New York at Manhattan Theater Club, Lincoln Center Directors LAB, Revelation Theater Company, Theater for a New Audience, Worth Street Theater, and the WPA. Regionally, he has appeared at Actors Theater of Louisville, Alliance Theater, Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Repertory Theater of St Louis, Trinity Repertory, and the Williamstown Theater Festival. Film and Television credits include Law and Order, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, all the New York based daytime dramas, and many short films including the Academy Award Nominated SPEED FOR THESPIANS based on Chekhov’s THE BEAR.

Interviewed by Joanna Parson

Let’s get to the nitty gritty of what our readers want to know about monologues and auditions. In your opinion, what makes a great contemporary monologue, and how can actors find them?
A great contemporary monologue reflects a point of view about our culture that the auditor can identify with or admire. The idea of what is contemporary changes drastically from year to year, sometimes from week to week! I am always curious to know what is on the minds of actors in their twenties because they represent the next generation of theater makers. I am a bit of a voyeur. I enjoy seeing what it is they want to express about themselves, what kinds of questions they are asking and it gives me a clue as to what life will be like twenty years from now when these young actors are leading the way.

It doesn’t interest me to see an actor in their twenties do a piece that was written when I was in my twenties.I was sitting in a class today taught by Olympia Dukakis and she asked the actors who were working: “What is the one deep thought that resides within this play?” This seems to me to a great way to distill what a play can be about into tangible terms. I heard somewhere that we have 3 to 5 really big character developing moments in our lives. Monologues are usually one of those moments in the characters life, so your attachment to the material should be deep.

Ask yourself what you are auditioning for and suit your monologue to that material. Auditioning for an agent or a casting director carries a different set of expectations than auditioning for a season at a theater or for a graduate school. Don’t confuse them, and don’t leave your sense of humor behind. A friend of mine likes to say an initial audition is just a first date, it’s not the wedding!

Your Web site includes a list of monologues that you consider to be overdone. Why is it important for actors to look for newer or less-heard material?
The list you are referring to was compiled by my friend Karen Kohlhaas who teaches a monologue preparation class in New York. She asked several industry professionals to list monologues they were tired of seeing. The interesting thing she learned was how old some of the material was! Often twenty years old! What was going on in the 1980’s really isn’t relevant or immediate anymore! If you are a young actor, find something newer. It’s likely that it will express a point of view that you can identify with and you will get attached to the ideas in the material in a significant way. Don’t underestimate what the material can do to help your acting. I sometimes think when I assign scenes in class that the character will teach the actor more about living life than I will.

However, I could see material from a great play repeatedly rather than average material. I wouldn’t get tired of the material because a great play is dependent on the actor bringing something of himself to the role. I love Shakespeare plays to see what a particular actor brings to it. The same is true for O’Neill, Williams, Chekhov, Shaw, Ibsen…When the strongest aspect of the monologue is the storytelling, you’re in trouble. I just don’t care about the plot. I care about the individual interpretation of the circumstances and how they relate to that particular performer. While I enjoy the writing of Teresa Rebeck or Nicky Silver, when I’ve heard it once, it doesn’t allow for much revelation of individuality. I end up listening to the writing rather than being aware of what the actor is bringing to the audition room.

You also talk a lot about “actions”—what is an action, and how can an actor use action to shape a performance or monologue?
Different schools teach the meaning of action in different ways. It’s a way of finding out what the underlying purpose of the material is. What carries you from one moment into the next, and how are those moments connected?

There are many ways of playing an action. A typical action as taught by a school like the Atlantic might be something like: “I am trying to put my partner in his place” or “I am going to get my partner to accept a beautiful gift”. This way of working is illustrated in the book The Practical Handbook for the Actor. Another school teaches an action as “to get the love I deserve”. Yet another school of thought is “what are you trying to make your partner FEEL?” These to me are all actions. My favorite way of looking at actions, by way of Ron Van Lieu is to ask “How am I trying to move my life forward in this particular moment in time?”

I have to say that when I studied acting I hated playing actions, but as a teacher, I see how invaluable it is to actors. It gives the work focus. What is even more fun is when that initial work is done, to trust it, throw it away, and really play.

How can you choose material that’s appropriate for your “type”? Actors can play anything, right? So how do you even know what your type is?
I don’t think actors can play anything. I think actors like to believe they can because they’re actors. Again, I think the material should reflect the actor’s frame of reference. I don’t see how a twenty year old actor can play King Lear. They could certainly play an aspect of Lear, but their life experience isn’t anywhere near the character’s. This isn’t to say that an actor is limited to playing only what he knows. The imagination is an important part of the work as well, and I think we’ve all had experiences acting where we released something we didn’t know was inside us. That’s the kind of acting we live for!

As for typing yourself, I think it’s a good idea to do a couple of things. Ask friends what parts you could play, what actors you remind them of, or what adjectives describe you. Then do it again with people who don’t know you, who only have a first impression of you. After all, we only get about seven seconds from the time we walk into a room before someone has made decisions about who we are. It’s important that you know what you are giving off when you enter a room and your audition material should be in line with who you are.

So, what makes a good Shakespearean monologue?
As far as I’m concerned any Shakespeare monologue is good! But if you want to stand out from the pack, I think it’s best to stay away from pieces that have a lot of antithesis or split focus. Find something that is straightforward, with high stakes, and BOLD. Don’t get involved with trying to find something they’ve never heard. It can’t be done. Find something you want say.

Chekov, Wilde, Tennessee Williams– is it important to have monologues for all of different classical and American play styles?
Absolutely. You can’t use an Oscar Wilde monologue to audition for a Chekhov play. The social behaviors, rules of conduct, and internal needs of the characters are drastically different. If you are auditioning for a Chekhov play, you don’t have to do Chekhov per se. You could use Turgenev, Ostrovsky or Gorky, and it would put you in the landscape that the director is interested in examining. For a Wilde play you could use Granville Barker, Somerset Maugham or perhaps Shaw depending on the material. It always helps a director if your audition selection is in the same ballpark as the material being produced. I can’t tell if you can play Williams if you are doing a monologue by Nicky Silver. I love them both, but to me they ask very different things of the actor playing them.

When, if ever, is it appropriate to choose a monologue where you speak with an accent that is not your own?
I think it only makes sense if the play you are auditioning for contains that accent, and you are letting the production team know that you are capable of that dialect. If you were doing a general audition, and you were allowed two pieces, I would say you could do one with an accent if you absolutely love the monologue, and it shows off your work to great advantage. Otherwise I mostly want to see YOU. When I’m auditioning actors, I’m not only looking for people who are talented, but people who are fun to be around. I want to get a sense of that person. Monologues are so difficult. We get to learn so much about you and your acting when you are doing a monologue which is why they are useful to directors. Don’t complicate it by adding a dialect

Let’s say I have an audition tomorrow, and I don’t feel that I have a monologue that, in my opinion, is perfect for what they might be looking for. Should I try to prepare a new monologue, or stick with something tried and true that may not be exactly appropriate for the part?
This is one of those questions that drives me a little crazy because I imagine one set of circumstances where I have a particular answer, and once that answer is formed in mind, I imagine another set of circumstances where my answer is negated. Karen Kohlhaas says that if you have 20 monologues ready to go at anytime all of your bases will be covered. I think there is truth in that.

At the end of the day, you have to feel good about what you are doing. There is no sense in walking into a room and doing work that you are not proud of. I like to think that if presented with a monologue that doesn’t quite line up with the circumstances in the play I am directing, that I have enough imagination to see you in that role.

What if you’re interested in film acting? Are there monologues that can help you show your “film acting” style? Say, is there such a thing as “film acting style”, anyway?
Of course there is no such thing as film acting style! What I think you mean is: Is this acting the kind of acting where I want to move in for a close-up? Acting for the stage and acting for the camera are two separate jobs. I think it is rare that an actor would be asked to do a monologue from a play when auditioning for a film. Plays are verbal, films are visual, and some of the best acting in film comes in moments that are non verbal. If you are asked to do a monologue for a film audition work on being intimate and simple, and allow your thoughts to tell the story. We don’t need a lot of voice from you in film, we are more interested in whether we can experience you.

Do you suggest actors do any kind of physical or vocal warm-up before a monologue audition, or is all of that a bunch of hooey?
Seriously??? Of course I think you should do a physical and vocal warm-up! Don’t you want range in your expression? If you aren’t needing to do a vocal and physical warm up before a monologue, you are not challenging yourself enough as an actor, and you should go to LA and be on TV and leave the actors who want to be in the theater alone to do their job.

What if an actor gets really nervous before auditioning? Do you have any suggestions for handling nerves?
Audition more often. Sooner or later, you will stop thinking about the people at the table and what they think of you. You will start thinking about what you are doing in your work. This is such a good day, that you never go back to worrying about the table again. Even when they are eating their lunch.

I knew a teacher that said: “character thoughts replace actor fears.” If you can be specific and personal, your inner critic will go away and you will become an advocate for your character’s needs. Give yourself something that you WANT to do up there! It has to be PLEASURABLE for you, or you will become self conscious.

Some acting auditions are cold readings, where actors are handed a script they’ve never seen, given ten minutes in a waiting area, and then expected to be brilliant. What do you suggest actors do first when they’re given a script for a cold reading?
I never really had to do this often when I was acting to tell the truth, but my advice is: Take a big bite in the opening moment and let the rest play out from there. No one wants to see timidity, even when you are playing Laura in the Glass Menagerie. We want to see what that character is capable of, and the only way to do that is to put it out there. You will let everyone in the room know that you are a risk taker, and a generous actor. Who doesn’t want to work with that?

What do you think directors and casting directors look for on a resume? Are there common resume mistakes that you see actors making?
Once you get the basic format there isn’t much more to it. Some people like to arrange their credits a particular way, or import headshots into the resume. That’s all fine, I suppose. I don’t think it makes much difference. I want to know who they’ve worked with. Can I call a director they’ve worked with and get a referral? Where have they trained? Do I enjoy the acting that comes from that training ground, or am I going to spend my rehearsal period trying to undo bad habits?

Frankly, I think this topic gets too much importance by young actors. As long as I can read it, it’s fine. Do there have to be do’s and don’ts about everything in this business? Where is the individuality?

How important is a good headshot? What can actors do to get the best headshot possible?
Obviously a good headshot is important at the beginning of your career. It’s all you have. You can get a meeting if you have a great shot.

As for what you can do to get the best shot, someone should poll the headshot photographers on this. Perhaps it will be your next interview! It took me several times before I got good shots, and I got better at it every time I had new shots taken.

My advice is: study headshots before your session. Look at the body language and find what you like and bring it to the photographer. When you are in your session, put your eyes on the floor, drop in an image of a loved one, and slowly raise your eyes in to the lens. Slowly and gently move your face so the photographer can capture the light playing on your face in different ways. When you get tired or you do go dry internally, lower your eyes. The photographer can’t photograph you if you aren’t making yourself available to the lens. It keeps you in the driver’s seat, rather than giving all of your power to the photographer.

You’ve taught acting and actors for years, at some of the best institutions in New York, and privately. What would you say to people who say that acting talent can’t be taught—you’ve either got it, or you don’t?
Some actors have instinct. Some are hungry and determined. I can’t teach these things. I can talk about a particular play, or a period in time that the play was written, or the structure of a scene. I can observe the actors working, and when I’m lucky, see what they are missing in the work and try to offer a way for them to get to it. The potential for better work usually lies in the body, or the breath. I don’t like teachers who direct the students. I am trying to bring out the best in the student and to bring what’s best about them from within themselves and out into the room so it can be shared with an audience. I love actors and their ability to do this. If I can encourage it in the classroom, then I like to believe it will have an impact in the future of the profession. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to act, and I think anybody can do it. There should be as many types of actors as there are stories to tell, don’t you think?

Filed Under: Actors, Featured, Theater Tagged With: , , ,
« Older Posts