BRING YOU TO THE CHARACTER!

I had the honor many years ago of working with a professional British actor who was brilliant on stage. As we became better acquainted, he admitted to me that he was painfully shy around other people. This was a shock to me since I thought he had it all together and nothing scared him. What I learned from him was a very valuable lesson. As shy as he was, he did not feel it necessary to seek anyone’s approval. As a result, when he performed, his unique self came through and he shined as the character.

Another actor I got to know on a personal level (didn't get the opportunity to work with him) was Jack Palance. Jack is well-known for winning the Oscar for his role in the film, "City Slickers". You may remember him doing the one-handed push up on stage when accepting the Oscar. You may be surprised to learn that Jack was a shy man as well. He played villains and tough guys in films, but had a very soft side and was an accomplished artist. He certainly didn't seek approval. He did it his way, and was a success for many years.

This was hard for me to understand since I constantly wanted to know what others thought of my performance. But what I learned over the years is that seeking approval is not healthy for an actor.

We keep hearing from acting coaches and casting directors to “take chances”, “make it your own”, “have fun with it”…etc. etc. The question is, how is that possible if we’re concerned about what others think of us as actors?

It’s not.

I believe being concerned about what people think of us is a part of human nature. However, this can be detrimental to the actor. Further, trying to be like someone else ruins us as actors. You may be a fan of a certain actor but trying to be like him/her simply does not work.

One of my favorite actors, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, is Christoph Waltz. In my opinion, his work in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” was nothing short of brilliant. However, as good as his work is, he cannot be me.

We are each unique human beings. Nobody is like us. Each of us offers something different. When we try to copy someone else’s work, I believe we become boring. A good example is when actors will use as a monologue the court scene from “A Few Good Men” and try to copy Jack Nicholson. The fact is, Jack Nicholson is the only one who can be Jack Nicholson.

When given the opportunity to audition, I feel it is important to make choices and, after doing research on the material, make it our own. If I don’t take chances I will not grow.

A few years ago, I was invited to audition for a lead role in a film that aired on a popular cable channel. I had little information on the role except what was in the two-page sides. I made a choice as to how the character was to be played…a very friendly old man. Nope. The character was in fact somewhat of a curmudgeon. Nevertheless, I was invited to a callback and received a redirect in advance. I then played the role differently and booked the role.

Of course, we’re not always successful in auditions…that’s the nature of the business. However, when we bring our uniqueness to the audition, it gives the Casting Director something no one else has brought.

Check out another blog on this page about unique life experiences and how important that is to us as actors.

Be your unique self!

PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING

So, you prepared for the audition and your hard work helped get you the booking. Congratulations! Now the work begins. Maybe you have a small part with few lines making memorization an easy task. Or, you may have a major part with several scenes and a lot of lines. How do you prepare?

Know your lines.

Yes. The key for me is to be prepared. Memorizing lines is a bit difficult for me. I don’t know if it’s age-related, but whatever the reason, I have to work harder than many. When I book a role and get a script, I read it in its entirety. I then take the pages with my scenes and highlight my lines in yellow. I read my lines…out loud…over and over again. I then take one page at a time and learn the lines on that page. I may not memorize the whole page at once if there are many lines. I may divide the script according to scenes, or any other manner that can be separated, such as different characters speaking, etc. I memorize in chunks and then put it all together.

One thing I learned through experience was to spread out the memorization. Take frequent breaks and make each break longer. Also, if you have a problem with a certain area of the script, work on that by itself.

When I feel I have the lines to memory, I use the app "ColdRead" and continue using it until I know my lines forward and backward.

Please note: These are my methods for learning lines. There are many methods actors use. Use the method that works best for you.

Yes…with all the foregoing, I have still dropped a line on occasion. It happens. I’ve watched it happen to famous actors as well.

Knowing your lines thoroughly is a great benefit since it allows you to be creative and work off the other’s dialogue rather than be concerned about remembering yours. Of course it will also impress the Casting Director for the same reason because you have demonstrated that you are well-prepared.

One note on auditions (preparing for an audition is the subject of another blog)...when you leave that audition room, leave the audition behind. It does no good to lament about why you didn't do something different. I like to practice what other professionals actors do...that is, simply do not get anxious over the outcome of the audition since it is out of my control. I have seen so many actors excited about the outcome of an audition, only to be disappointed. Professional actors understand rejection is part of the business.

Not getting stressed about an audition also allows me to have fun.

So...have fun!

THE EVER POPULAR IMDb STARMETER...HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?

Having an IMDb page is a good tool for actors. So much information about an actor is contained on one site…their bio, agent/manager, credits, demo reel, and photos, to name a few. Further, actors can research others in the business. Many feel it is as essential as having an Actors Access account ( I do feel IMDb Pro is a must for serious actors).

There is another item on one’s IMDb page I didn’t mention, and yet something some actors consider at the top of the list in importance…the IMDb Starmeter. I’ll admit that how it actually works is still a mystery to me. It’s based on some complex algorithm…whatever the hell that is (I was never a math whiz in school). All I know is that the number represents the level of awareness people have with the actor, projects listed, and others involved. The theory is, the lower the number on your starmeter, the more popular you are. It is a popularity contest…no doubt…and, like other popularity contests based on numbers, is subject to manipulation. And therein, to paraphrase the Bard, lies the rub.

Should an actor wish to lower their starmeter number and make themselves look more “popular”, there are a few methods. There are services one can find on the internet that will help improve your starmeter for a price of around $50 to $100 or more monthly. You can also sign on to a Facebook page such as “Imdb and Likes” where, on a quid pro quo basis, actors will open each other’s IMDb page. Of course, one can always get their friends and family to click on their IMDb link every week, en masse.

So…how important is this effort?

Well, my fellow actors…if you pay to boost your starmeter ranking, you are wasting your money and if you join the Facebook pages to click on each other’s pages, you are wasting your time! Why? Read on.

The IMDb starmeter is irrelevant. No one cares, except for the amateur actor. Casting directors don’t care. Producers don’t care.

Boosting your starmeter can work against you. You may have an impressive starmeter ranking, yet your credits do not come close to matching your supposed popularity. This is what one acting coach refers to as "Lunch Bag Letdown". They were looking for a fancy meal based on the starmeter and instead got half a bologna sandwich and a stale twinkie. This does not make an actor look credible.

Bottom line, stop obsessing over that starmeter. Remember, there are absolutely no shortcuts in this business. Let me repeat…THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS IN THIS BUSINESS. You should continue training to keep the instrument tuned.

Below are links from two professionals in the business about this very subject. There are more on YouTube.

Tips On Acting | How Casting Directors Use The IMDB Starmeter Rating to Cast Actors - YouTube

ACTING ADVICE - HOW TO RAISE YOUR IMDB STARMETER - YouTube