Acting Tips: How to Recognize a Great Role

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've been taking Helen Mirren's online acting class at Masterclass.com and it's something I recommend. If you're looking for advice in any career field, get it from someone who is highly successful at it.  Mirren has won the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. She knows her craft.

One bit I found particularly useful is her advice on how to recognize a good starring or supporting role. You should already be able to recognize a good script. If you know a century of film inside and out, and you should, your ear will tell you if the dialogue works and the story is compelling. 

But is the role for which you're being considered a good one? Mirren has a formula:

1. If you're offered the full script to read, look first to see if your character is in the last scene and what your character does. If your character is important to that scene, as opposed to just hanging out or tossing a line, it's probably a very good part. 

2. If it's not in the last scene, find the last scene in which your character appears and assess the power of that scene and how far it is from the end.

3. If your character has no impact in the last scene in which it appears, if it just disappears, then it's not a good role and there is no point in reading the full script.

4. If the character has an impact at the end, or an impact at the point where it exits the film, then read the script through from the beginning, knowing that it hardly matters how often your character appears in the film, because you know it's is going to play a pivotal role in the story. Think of Robert Duvall's "Boo" Radley in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.  Duvall, who had already appeared off-Broadway and on television, didn't even have a line, but it was a powerful role - his first in film - and he knew it. 

I've really been enjoying this online class, because it presents the kind of practical information that I haven't seen since I took Geoffrey Soffer's Workshop in Washington, DC, ten years ago (see the link to my featured post at right). Actors are always learning, and this has been time well spent.

Acting Tips: Creating a Vision of Success

 As I told a fellow actor this morning, I am ready to shake the dust of 2020 off my shoes and get moving! What an awful year! Coming off of a national, multi-platform commercial for Rocket Mortgage in late 2019, I expected work in 2020 to really take off. Instead....bupkis! No work and almost nothing in residuals. (Even my old shows didn't air.) To top it off my agent decided to leave Los Angeles permanently and waved good-bye to all of her actor clients (I think she went home to Sweden!)

But in every crisis there is opportunity. Remember that. Already I'v booked a new agent and a new agency and I'm getting auditions, even with the current slowdown in Los Angeles. Feeling upbeat and working on being more relaxed on camera (your skills can get a bit rusty after periods of inactivity.)

Now, as I do every year, I've also taken time to review my life and career goals (and no, they're not the same thing.) Something I believe in absolutely is that if you can see a better future for yourself you can live it. The more you can imagine yourself in a future situation - in a setting with near cinematic clarity, down to the tiniest details - the more likely you'll be able to make that vision a reality.  

How does that work? Instead of writing "I want to become a famous actor" (remember, O.J. Simpson and Sharon Tate are "famous" actors), write something like, "I see myself booking leading/supporting roles in highly regarded dramatic films shown in movie theaters, and seeing my name in foot-high letters on the screen."  Or maybe "I see myself booking a breakthrough dramatic role that gets me noticed in the film industry, and my agent fielding phone calls with tons of opportunities for me in bigger films."  Or "I see myself becoming a truly fine actor, winning an Oscar for a wonderful performance, and mounting the steps to thunderous applause in a huge auditorium to accept the award in person. I'm writing my acceptance speech now." (As a young girl, Oscar-winner Kate Winslet practiced her Oscar acceptance speech in front of a mirror, holding a bottle of shampoo!)

Dream big and don't be vague about it. None of this "I just want to act" business, which I hear from too many actors. As my author husband says, if you don't know where you're going any road will get you there. Don't settle for any road. Think about the kind of work you want to do and where you want to go with it, and write it down. 

Also, don't tell anyone what your Big Dream is. This is where writing it down differs from the Vision Board idea that has become so popular. When Big Dreams are made public, others have a tendency to shoot them down, even those who love you. Don't give them the chance. Discuss short-term goals certainly, because others can help you connect with what you need, but keep the Big Dream in your heart.

And do everything you can to make it happen. Follow leads, research, make friends in the industry, prepare yourself as an actor. Ask, as Sean Astin asks in the 1993 film Rudy, one of my favorites, "Have I done all that I can do?" When you've done all you can do, good things seem to come like a bolt out of the blue.

Acting tips: Commercial vs. Theatrical Headshots

Now that my silver hair has grown out a bit longer, I'll be getting new headshots as soon as I get back to Los Angeles (whenever that is!). The dilemma with headshots is trying to shoot a few that will serve all situations. Of course they don't, so you often end up with shots that are never quite right for the role for which you're submitting.

Backstage magazine updated an article recently that provides some guidelines that I'm hoping will make the process easier (you can read the full article here).

In a nutshell, here are the basics, illustrated with some of my old headshots and candids:

1. Commercial Headshots are intended to appeal to advertisers promoting a product, and that means positive, positive, positive!  Smile. Wear colors that pop. Project energy, warmth, trustworthiness. Most important: convey your age range, demographic, and type. 

For example, now that my hair is silver I'm the "modern grandmother"in commercials. I'm healthy, active, and part of the family fun. Even within my age range, that restricts me to certain kinds of products and services, so know what you can believably sell to a specific sector of the population.  Also, for commercials my agent likes waist up shots.

If you've already booked commercials you have an idea of where you fit in. If you have a photographer who wants to constantly pose you, explain that you need to capture a moment that feels alive, not posed. 

2. Theatrical Headshots are used when submitting for roles in film, TV, and theatre. You want to convey emotional depth and an identifiable personality, whether trustworthy or not. Consider the types of auditions that get you callbacks and pitch the photos to those types of roles - essentially YOU from A to C and from comedy to drama. Wear earthy but not muddy tones. Make sure you have good contrast between your wardrobe and hair and the background, and that your skin tones look healthy against the background color. 

Being tall and having a lower-range voice, I often play figures with some responsibility or authority, from comic/cantankerous to confident/serene. (With Westerns making a comeback on television I may want to add a horse to a candid shot in the next go 'round, as I also ride.) 

The idea is to look more well-balanced and sensible, wherever that takes you. 

3. Comedic Headshots are recommended by Backstage as a possible middle ground between commercial and theatrical shots and are geared specifically to sitcoms and romantic comedies. Those are lucrative and fun roles and if comedy is your strong suit, run with it. Just don't make these shots too over the top unless that's the kind of acting for which you're well known. In general, keep it light. Add a bit more character. Hint at the type of comedy you do, whether dry/sarcastic, quirky/slapstick, or whatever. Your colors can be brighter than in this shot, but keep your expressions subtle.

I'm looking forward to a new round of professional photos and getting back to work.  

Life's roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors

Last fall, my career ramped up. I grew out my silver hair and saw a good number of auditions. I booked a national multimedia spot for Rocket Mortgage that paid a ton. Came back from the holidays expecting to hit the ground running.  Instead, wham!

Who could have possibly foreseen what has happened? Hollywood is shut down from a perfect storm of high tension and bad policy. Every actor I know is out of work and depressed. Having a few acorns set by, I decided the best action was simply to stay out of the way and avoid making things worse. But who knows how long it will be before I again get a chance to do what I love, to act.

In the meantime, I'm taking an online Masterclass with Helen Mirren, a wonderful actress whose work I admire tremendously. Prepare for work to resume and look to the best teachers as you do.

https://www.masterclass.com/classes/helen-mirren-teaches-acting

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.