Up until 2 a.m. with a sick cat who was admitted for tests.  Out of bed at 7 a.m. to meet the gardener who's going to turn my bedraggled yard into Eden in small, affordable stages.  Hopeful on both counts.

Still reading Michael Caine's autobiography and I must say it's a remarkable study in dogged determination.  Surprisingly, for one so very talented, Caine took many, many years to get his career off the ground.  I wonder if it didn't have something to do with simply taking a long time to discover where he fits in as an actor - his screen persona, if you will.  I watch him now and, from film to film and character to character, I see mannerisms that remain the same, that are uniquely his.  How did he arrive at that place?

All actors need to find their niche, and simply asking "Who am I on screen?" can often jump-start the process.  For what roles is my physical self - height, weight, face, tone of voice - most suited?   Am I the girl next door?  (Nah.) Hero's best friend? (Could be.) Rugged individualist? (At times.)  Authority figure? (Oh yes.)  Then look just for those roles and audition.

Many actors take the approach of trying out for every kind of role with the idea that it's good to practice auditioning and eventually they'll find whatever roles fit best.  In the process they audition for a lot of roles they are unsuited for, don't get, and feel depressed about.  Or if they do get some of them they end up with a performance that doesn't show them at their best.  I try to narrow the types of roles down first.  That means fewer auditions but a far greater rate of bookings.  My intent is to build a successful base in one particular type of personality, then broaden my roles from there - although I suspect that even as I do the new characters will retain many aspects of the old ones.  I am what I am after all.

Another factor in slowing down a career is something I see in many young actors; they're not fully focused.  Yes, they want to act, but they also want to party every weekend, get entangled in love affairs, take a few months off and sail down the coast with a well-to-do friend, go to Europe and hang out for awhile.  (Been there, done that, happily married, whew!)  Acting is a business.  You own a company competing in this business. The product you have to sell is that screen persona of yours.  Where's the market for your product and how can you make your product better than the other actor company's similar product?  It needs to be new, improved, unique or in some way have more features.  It's good to think about it that way.

Enough pontificating.  Lack of sleep does this to me.  Mark Westbrook, who's an acting coach in Glasgow, Scotland, has a terrific blog post today on reading action into your dialogue.  I've been following Westbrook's blog for a couple of months and it's full of practical and highly useful advice on ways to approach acting. ( I agree with everything he says!)  I wish I were in Scotland; I'd take his classes.