Acting Tip: Create Your Own Career

I saw this interview with Brit Marling at Off Camera with Sam Jones and thought it was worth passing along. So many times I was told in a drama class that I had to audition for everything just to get work. I disagree with that idea, and so did Brit. You don't have to put up with roles that are demeaning and that you don't believe in. She took it a step further and actually created the kind of stories that gave her a character she could develop on camera. In the process she bypassed the slog and turned herself into a serious contender on the Hollywood scene. Inspiring!

Rhoda Pell's 10 Strategies for Earning Your First Acting Credits (without an Agent), Part 2

LA Actress Rhoda Pell

Like all actors starting out – whether children, new drama school grads, or older – Rhoda Pell faced the task of building her initial acting credits and showing LA producers that hers was a face viewers wanted to see. Here’s how she launched her career without an agent, eventually banking hundreds of credits in film, television, commercials, music videos and more.

1. Register with Central Casting Los Angeles: for background work: Unless you’ve graduated from film school and have already observed the production process, you’ll need a firm grasp of what goes on on-set. Whether you want to continue with background work or not, having some initial experience as a background performer gives you a chance to watch other actors, experience the production environment, and learn the rules of on-set behavior. Central Casting can also help you establish your type.

2. Sign up with Self-Submission Sites: LACasting/Casting Networks, Actors Access, Extras Access, Casting Frontier, Backstage, and IMDbPro are the major ones. Keep all of your performer profiles up to date. For free or a relatively small annual fee, these sites will email you roles that fit your profile on projects that allow self-submission. Add an annual Showfax subscription and you can have unlimited self-submissions instead of paying per-project fees. Also check out Craig’s List. CL is less of a resource, but actors have found work there as well. You’ll have a lot of competition so check these sites early and often every day.

3. Seek out work in student films at major film schools. Here in Los Angeles that would be the University of Southern California, UCLA, the American Film Institute, and Loyola Marymount. (Rhoda also has done student films at the New York Film Academy in LA, which screens at Warner Brothers Studio). Around the U.S. top film schools can be found at NYU and Columbia (NYC), the University of California at Berkeley, Yale (New Haven, CT), the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA), Cornell (Ithaca, NY), and the University of Chicago (IL).  Serious young filmmakers turn out high-quality productions on a par with some of the best of Hollywood (only shorter). They don’t pay (or don’t pay much), but here’s where you’re likely to find meaty roles for your demo reel.

4. Know your craft: The best actors are always learning, and not just in drama class. You can also learn a ton from watching professional actors at work. Rhoda sees as many plays as she can (sometimes 3-4 a week) and attends film festivals and student film screenings, watching all of the films and not just the one in which she appears. On set, she watches her fellow actors.

5. Take advantage of opportunities to network: In LA everyone’s got a film project in the works. Screenings and film festivals are great places to get inside information on upcoming projects and who's casting what. When Rhoda is acting in a film she also networks while in holding. Fellow actors often double as producers/directors of short films and independent features, so be sociable. Don’t bury your face in your smart phone. Introduce yourself around and chat.

 6. Look your age and look like your photo:

Silver Fox Judi Dench

In this era of “real,” actors no longer feel pressured to look Ken and Barbie perfect. Knobby knees ? Overweight? Not a problem. Keep your headshots up to date, especially if you're a child actor. Also, gray is acting gold. Rhoda refers to her long gray hair as her “moneymaker,” in part because of its versatility. Worn down it lends itself to everything from hippie to scary; worn up it can be grandma to duchess.

7. Join SAGAFTRA: If you want entré into speaking roles in big budget films, TV, and commercials, you need to join the actors union, which Rhoda did in 2004. Union membership brings significantly higher pay at every level and marks you (and the filmmaker with a SAGAFTRA contract) as a pro.

8. Be a savvy negotiator: Like most actors, Rhoda was initially just thrilled to be cast. But as she became known in the industry and more and more in demand (producers now call her), she found she could often negotiate a better contract on low-pay/no-pay productions, because filmmakers were willing to pay her more to secure her for the day. This even works with student films.

9. Cast a wide net on roles: Every actor has to decide how they are willing to appear on screen, so think about your career and what you’re up for. Rhoda has worked background in music videos. She’s had roles in web series. She’s appeared in swimwear and naked. She’s rolled around in mud. She’s played dead bodies. She’s been serious and silly. She loves to perform and she’s up for almost anything. Think about the kinds of acting available. There are more opportunities than you might think.

10. When opportunity knocks, be ready to roll: Rhoda is willing drop everything to be on set, and says she’s played a nun so many times she keeps a costume in the trunk of her car. A few years back, she saw a last-minute mid-morning call for a “grandma” for a TV commercial; last minute as in “can you be on-set at 2 o’clock?!!” She could, and the commercial earned her $30,000 over its three-month run on television. Last-minute calls eliminate most if not all of the competition if you can show up at a moment’s notice.

That’s it. None of this is magic or one of those an insider’s secrets advertised online. All it takes to secure those initial credits as a professional actor is a willingness to work at your craft: networking, performing, learning, negotiating, and being ready to take advantage of opportunities as they come along.

Where you go from there depends on what you aim for in an acting career. Looking for recurring/series regular or lead/supporting roles in TV and film? Now you'll need an agent, and your credits will help get you in the door. But big career or small, this is an effective way to launch it.

And let me add one more thing: all of these strategies apply regardless of where you live currently, and it's often easier to pick up good credits in a smaller market before you arrive in Los Angeles. Think about that.

Rhoda Pell's 10 Strategies for Earning your First Acting Credits (without an Agent), Part 1

Every actor coming into the business needs to build a list of credits that showcases their type, their skills, and their credibility. Los Angeles is the world’s toughest market for actors. You need to become known and build a body of work, but casting agencies already have their favorites and can be reluctant to book a new face. Talent agents, who can be very helpful later in your career, won’t talk to you if you have no credits (unless of course you have a referral from your uncle the famous actor).

Rhoda Pell with actor Geoffrey Gould

So how does one start earning acting credits without an agent? I was thinking about this actor dilemma last week when I came across Rhoda Pell’s profile online at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Wow! She currently lists a dozen films in pre- or post-production, and that doesn't include her commercials, music videos, and other projects, most of which don't post to IMDb. This is one busy actress!

How does she do it? Well, as the saying goes, if you don’t succeed at first it sometimes happens that you succeed at last.

For Rhoda Pell, acting began with roles in school plays and enrollment at Los Angeles City College, where classmates included actress Cindy Williams, actor Alan Abelew, and actor/producer Bruce Kimmel.

But then came San Francisco’s Summer of Love, parenthood (her son Barney is named for the famous West Hollywood eatery), and 32 years working for the phone company. She never gave up on her dream, but it wasn’t until 2001 that Rhoda decided to take early retirement and finally go for it.

Since then she has been phenomenal at booking films and commercials, racking up more than 260 credits - half of them in principal roles - with big names like Katy Perry, Shia LaBeouf, Ed Asner, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Bruno Mars, and others.  She’s played homeless, insane, naked, dead, and covered in fake blood while up to her waist in mud (many of her clips are "liked" on her YouTube Channel).

Read Part 2 to see how she got her acting career up and running.

Acting Tips: 8 Strategies for Handling the Call-Back Audition

So, you've had your initial audition and now Casting has called your agent to schedule a second look. Congratulations! You've made the first cut in the often complicated process of casting a role. Depending on the size of the project and its budget, there may be 6-50 actors called back for a second look, and there may be multiple rounds of call-backs before all of the people who have to sign off on an actor reach an agreement.

Take it in stride. There are only so many things you can control in auditions. At the call-back, here are a few:

1. Don't change your approach to the scene: There is a temptation at a call-back to make your performance bigger or different. Don't do that! You were called back because Casting liked what they saw in your initial audition....your choices, your look, your personality. Do the scene exactly the same way unless you are asked to do an adjustment (and be mentally ready for that to happen.) If you have an acting coach, by all means have them help you prepare. They will spot any glitches.

2. Wear the exact same outfit:  If you get a lot of auditions it can be hard to remember exactly what you wore to each and how you did your hair and make-up, but your look can be a deciding factor in whether you book the job, especially in commercials. Get in the habit of having someone take a head-to-toe photo of you for each audition. If you get a call-back it will save you a lot of time recreating the look.

3. Who's in the room: At an initial audition you may only have one or two people in the room in addition to any other actors; that would be the Session Director, who may also do the taping, and a reader or camera person. At a call-back, you may see 6-10 people, which may include the producer, the client (if it's a commercial), the project director, the head of Casting, the session director, the camera person, secretarial support, and others. Stay focussed. Unless you are spoken to, ignore everyone except the person doing the directing.

4. Introduce yourself to those in the scene: If there are other actors in the scene or you're responding to a reader, introduce yourself before you start. Doing so will help you mentally create a relationship and be more specific in your reactions to dialogue.

5. Be specific in your actions: If you take some action in a scene, if you pick something up or move from here to there, you'd better know why. Otherwise it's just random shuffling.

6. Can you ask if they'd like you to do the scene slightly different?  Well, yes and no.  If you do your audition and they say "Thank you very much," you're done. They've likely decided you're not right for the part for some reason. Say "thank you" and leave. If they're giving adjustments to the other actors in the scene, however, and it's clear there's going to be another take, it's okay to ask if they'd like you to do the scene a bit differently as well.

7. Keep mum: It can be tempting to tell friends that you're up for a big part, but the best policy is to keep quiet about it. That's obvious advice if you've signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), but even if you haven't limit discussion to those who need to know, your agent and acting coach, for example. Your chances of booking, even after a call back, are still small so it saves you from any embarrassed explanations later about why you didn't get the role. Wait until you've signed the contract and been announced in the trade papers to share the good news.

8. Don't fret over roles you didn't book:  Yeah, I know, we all fret over roles we didn't book. I've been at auditions where several actresses up for the role looked exactly like me and at call-backs where every actress had a decidedly different look. Sometimes the client and casting are narrowing the field and trying to decide who has the right look and the right sound, and sometimes they don't know themselves until they see it. You have absolutely no control over that part of the decision.

Lately I've been working with veteran actor Rob Brownstein at An Actors Space in West Hollywood and his perspective, from more than 30 years in the business, is often invaluable. An actor may only book three out of ten auditions (even call-backs), which doesn't sound like much. But as Rob points out, if you were a baseball player getting on base three out of ten times at bat you'd be considered a baseball superstar!

To continue the metaphor, if you're getting a lot of call-backs, it means you're connecting with the ball, so try not to feel frustrated. It's just a matter of time before you hit one out of the park.

Acting Tips: When to Stay in LA and When to Go

The great thing about acting is you have a lot of free time; the worst thing about acting is you have a lot of free time.  

Ah, but which is when? Because let’s face it, actors still have a life filled with places to go, people to see, things we need to do, and things we want to do. Those who book a lot of roles often can’t wait to get out of town. Actors who haven’t been booking are often afraid to leave lest they miss their big break. 

Winston Churchill once said, “It’s all chance or destiny, and our wayward footsteps are best planted without too much calculation.” Okay, you get it: let go, let God. But don’t forget that there’s another interested party in this equation: your agent. Try selling him/her on “chance or destiny” when they call to tell you they’ve gotten you a big pilot audition for Friday, and that just happens to be the day you’ve booked an early flight out of town. (Whaaattt!!!)

Relax. There is some pattern to this business in Hollywood, even today when projects are casting almost year ‘round. Here are the years' busy times and down times, so you can put your life in order.

Mid-January through March: Busy, busy, busy. Despite all the media focus on films and cable, which cast throughout the year, a huge part of the business is still at the networks, so be on your toes. Most network pilots are cast in late winter through early spring and casting for network episodics, which started back in July, is still underway. Your agent won’t leave town and neither should you! Other opportunities will come up later, but this is the busiest time of the year.  Stay close.

April and May: Take a break. Plan a vacation, plan your wedding, if you’re primarily a film actor take that role in a stage play. There are always commercials being cast and small projects going on, but the pace visibly slows. If you hang around town, you’ll be asking yourself why your agent isn’t calling and why no one loves you.

June: For the most part, it’s still slow. If you’re hoping to pick up a series regular role, know that new pilots going into production make last minute cast changes around now, and existing series sometimes add roles before the new season goes into production in July. If you think you might have a shot at these, it’s best to hang out in town. Otherwise you can let your Alaska cruise drift into June. 

July through November (Thanksgiving): Episodics are casting like crazy and there are still a few network pilots being pitched. Cable shows and films are ongoing. Commercial casting slows during the summer, but picks up again in the fall. Don’t wander far unless there’s an unavoidable personal crisis that you have to deal with. 

But what about summer, you say! Don't I get a vacation? Well, hey, California is where people go in the summer….and you’re already here! Stay flexible, if you can. My husband and I typically stay out in the Santa Clarita Valley during busy times, because we like the hills and my hour and 15-minute drive in is worth it. But summers in the Valley are miserably hot, so July and August we enjoy the sea breezes over on the coast. The beach adds another 15-20 miles to my drive, but since it’s not a daily commute and it’s just for a couple of months, we make it work. 

Wherever you are, see if you can make staying nearby seem like a vacation. Also, I hear from my friends in production that work slows down a bit in August, so that may be a time when you can feel less guilty about moving your base a little farther out.

November (Thanksgiving) through mid-January: The holidays are the slowest time of the year for actors. Commercials are still casting, including some of those Super Bowl wonders, but after Thanksgiving most other productions slow down until everything grinds to a halt completely just before Christmas. Work doesn’t pick up again until the second week in January, so attend those family get-togethers, go skiing, plan a winter vacation, enjoy yourself. 

And that’s it!

Throughout the year, the important thing to remember is to book out with your agent whenever you’re away from LA. You and your agent have to work as a team and you don’t want them blind-sided to find you out of town after they’ve spent hours pitching you for a project. Sure, you can often self-tape auditions or sometimes even fly back to be considered for a particularly lucrative project. But if you consistently show up for the auditions your agent has worked hard to get for you during the busy times, they’ll be understanding when you need to take a break or attend to personal business during slow times. Just let them know.

Acting Tips: Headshots

Tying up a few loose ends before heading to Palm Springs for the weekend and that includes making a final decision on hundreds of headshot proofs. If you're thinking about coming to LA, wait and get new headshots here. It's a very different look casting is after (interesting settings with lots of light)...and, oddly enough, it's often less expensive to get a top photographer in LA than in other parts of the country. Perhaps there is just more competition.

Out here casting often asks for something called "lifestyle" shots, which I can only describe as professional candids. These are often playful and fun, sometimes with you and others in the shot. Even "headshots" are becoming more half-shots so casting can see more of you.

I'd had my photos done in Baltimore before coming out to California and the "dark and dramatic" just wasn't working, so here we go again.

You can find scores of opinions online about what makes a good shot. I think looking straight into the camera with emphasis on the eyes is important. Show a little personality. If you're over 40, be sure the camera lens is at your eye level or just above, and lean slightly forward into the shot. That way you'll avoid looking like you have three chins. I also like lots of light on my face.

A headshot should also hint at the kind of roles in which you are typically cast. I often get senators, attorneys, detectives, business executives, so I want to show that I can play those roles. I also want to show that I'm a nice person who's easy to work with and flexible enough to do commercials that may have a lighter tone.

Decisions, decisions. How do I choose one as my primary shot?  How does one shot convey all that a person is? Smiling? Whimsical? Confidant? Daring? Below are just a few of the "suit" shots. The photographer made it fun.

Besides the "suit jacket" shots, I had four other outfits. Dresses. Slacks. I looked gorgeous! Even sexy! In the end my agents went with this one. Not too dressy. Not too casual. Not too sexy. Not too young. Not my favorite. But as an actor friend recommended, take the photo you like best and tape it to your refrigerator. The agent is the one who has to sell you to casting.

Kathryn Browning 2019

Acting Tips: How to Spot Dangerous Advice

Busy this week sorting through 1,350 new headshot proofs. Whew! More on that later, but I wanted to quickly share this video by Charlie Houpert of Charisma on Command on how to spot dangerous career advice. (I mentioned Charlie in my last post, because I’m a huge fan.)

Anyway, few career paths are more risky than acting, and unless you’re lucky enough to belong to a family of distinguished actors, expect to get bombarded with tons of bad advice and negative opinions about your (lack of) potential for success.

YOU know, however, that you already possess the most important attribute: desire. So if acting is your passion, how do you learn to recognize advice that will make you miserable and find instead advice that will help you advance?

Watch on:

Acting Tips: A Little "Charisma" Can't Hurt

A surprising number of actors in Hollywood (along with 2.3M others) are familiar with the YouTube channel "Charisma on Command," which posts scores of videos on how to improve your people skills and encourage others to like you.  And let's face it, in the entertainment industry, like-ability is a strong suit.

The two co-hosts present some great ideas and illustrate their points with profiles of Hollywood personalities, well-known celebrities, and even characters in popular series, like Game of Thrones.

I'm a fan!

Here's a video they posted on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, one of my good-guy favorites, that shows such an amazing transformation that it's hard to believe he was ever so shy and awkward. Take a look: