The Successful Talent: Tips for the Actor & Model

'Hobbit' Affair Still Rankles NZ Unions

Blogger and writer Jonathan Handel brings to light the political challenges of making an expected box office hit in New Zealand.

 

As fans of The Hobbit scanned the red carpet at the film’s premiere in Wellington last night, some New Zealand activists are still bitter about the outcome of a failed unionization attempt in 2010, even as NZ Actors Equity is finally making progress in negotiations with the country’s producers association.

Meanwhile, the government continues to resist publicly disclosing a key legal report, despite having apparently provided copies to Warner Bros. and producer/director Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films. That stance may change, as government officials are meeting on the matter December 5, according to a local press report.

“I’m bloody angry,” said NZAE vice president Phil Darkins at a conference last week at Victoria University. Referring to New Zealand’s uniquely non-unionized film industry, he said caustically “New Zealand is the only English speaking nation on the planet where professional performers ply their trade at the mercy of their lords and masters. And they are supposed to do this feeling nothing but enormous gratitude for the fact that there is even work available.”

In an email to The Hollywood Reporter, a NZAE organizer struck a different note. “We're having productive discussions with SPADA,” said Anna Majavu, referring to the country’s Screen Production and Development Association, “and look forward to reaching a mutually-agreeable conclusion.”

His new book, The New Zealand Hobbit Crisis, is out on Amazon in paper (http://amzn.to/SiHUX2) and Kindle (http://amzn.to/UG7q7F). Check it out.

THE ORIGINAL SCREEN TEST

After a lot of very hard knocks in the 1930s, Lyle had been given the opportunity to do a screen test for the second biggest studio in town, Warner Bros.

Lyle arrived at the studio looking his best, his dark hair shimmering with brilliantine, his two-tone wingtips just as shiny.  In his years as a travelling theatre actor, [he] cultivated habits that helped carry him through life.  He didn't have the steadiest of moral compasses, or much in the way of self-knowledge, and he would later be undone, more than once, by his love of a strong drink or the wrong woman.  (By the time he arrived in Hollywood, he had already ended a two-year marriage, to a strage actress, and had four more marriages ahead of him.)  But he always maintained his habits of professionalism, and of small ateentions to himself--the sort of ruotines that can hold a person together when little else does.  Lyle always showed up on time, and he always knew his lines.  He never left the house unless he was well turned out, anointed with Lilac Vegetal, a clean white handkerchief in his pocket.

One thing Lyle felt certain of: the material he had chosen for his test was perfect!  It was a scene from "Louder, Please," a play he'd done in Dallas.  He had played Herbert White, a brash and charming publicity man for a movie studio who runs afoul of the studio's obnoxious head of production.  The dialogue was quippy; the pace was modern and frenetic, with a lot of ringing phones and shouting.  In Dallas, Lyle's performance had earned him some of the strongest reviews of his career. 

Did it cross Lyle's mind that somebody in Hollywood might take offense at such an acid portrait of Hollywood?  It did not.  After all, the studio in the play was fictional.  After Lyle delivered all his lines, crisp and fast, the director walked over and said, "Talbot, that scene you did -- was that from a play called, 'Louder, Please'?"  Lyle nodded.  "Well, that play is kind of taboo on the lot here," the director continued. "The man you referred to as King, the one you're having a conflict with, is the head of this studio.  I don't think, uh, this test is something you want the studio head to see."

Lyle swallowed.  "Can we do it over?"   The answer was no.

Opportunity knocks and sometimes we are ready -- or we think we are ready.  Political blunders are rarely intentional, but can quickly kill a great casting, booking, or meeting.  Having advisors close at hand to help you navigate the unknown is one smart move, but being aware of the industry and who's who within it is an equally smart move on the talent's behalf. 

Lyle Talbot went on to become a household name starring alongside Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck, and Bette Davis, despite his poor screen test choice.  You can reach the full article in The New Yorker. 

I am continually shocked by the choices talent make when they get an opportunity to read for an important CD or even meet me as an agent.  Bold and appropriate (or educated) choices excite me; whereas poor or humdrum choices make us want to pass before the actor even gets through their first 10 seconds.  Are you making the best choices to keep us interested and engaged?

WHAT ARE WE UP TO?

The Avenue's talent have been busy this year!  Just a few recent releases that we can share . . .

This holiday's Houchen's IGA commercial features Barbara Ann Brown, Diana Moseley, and Jack Cook.

 

 

And Kristy Lee Cook's newest release "Airborne Ranger Infantry" features Katie Napier and Trevor Roderick.  Visit our Facebook page to see the full video link and watch Trevor get shot!  (And while you're there, click the LIKE button and help us get to 1000!)

     

A GOOD SUPPORT STRUCTURE

Well, not everyone has one.  It might be your caring smile that gets someone back on track.  So share your compassion -- like The Avenue's Stephanie Gamonet.  And if Captain D's happens to throw you in a commercial to boot . . . well, that's just icing on the cake!

Congrats Stephanie!

 

BEST ACTRESS AWARD

Drum roll please!    And the winner is . . . .

It's impossible to flip through the Nashville Scene without noticing the depth behind these eyes.  Emily Landham, a working on camera and theatre actress was presented with the BEST ACTRESS by Martin Brady in the Scene's "Best of Nashville 2012" issue.  What did Martin have to say about Emily's year thus far?

BEST ACTRESS: EMILY LANDHAM
Landham recently fractured her leg rehearsing Shakespeare. If that doesn't attest to her all-out approach to her craft, then her performances in three major shows in the past year certainly do. Her brilliant Juliet in the 2011 Shakespeare in the Park production of Romeo and Juliet was followed by a classy turn in Tennessee Rep's major effort with Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Then Landham starred in Studio Tenn's acclaimed 2012 revival of The Miracle Worker as Annie Sullivan, a role that's as strenuous as they come. (Fortunately, Emily was working with two good legs at the time.) We hear she's on the mend, positive news for Nashville theatergoers. (But so much for "break a leg.") —MARTIN BRADY

Emily may have been slowed a tad over the summer due to her big break, but in the past few weeks, she has been busy reading for multiple movies, episodics, and commercials continuing to pursue her on camera endeavors.  She is also launching a non profit locally, so watch for more to come on how you can be a part of giving back!  Emily's well rounded business approach in building her craft, her community, and the lives of others is worth watching and following for any aspiring actresses / actors.

To read the full article, including other accolades, visit the Nashville Scene's Arts, Music, and Culture article.

 

YOUR EMPIRICAL AGE

Just today, I had a talent walk into the office telling me a story about being asked her real age during a casting session.  She is the exception to the rule in that she does not play anywhere near her real age, but she decided to answer the question with her legal age.  The Casting Director and she had a short and kind conversation about her not fitting the client's requested age range.   She was advised she would not be submitted because the CD did not want to have to lie to the client, should the client directly ask.  No one did anything wrong, so why isn't she being considered for the gig?

In an industry of perception, these words from NYC casting director Scott Powers are timely!

If you haven't been on the receiving end of this question yet, you will.  How you deal with it is critical to the future (productive or destructive) relationship between you and the person asking for this intrusive information.
 
Keep in mind we're in a visual industry.  What you look like is a big part of being submitted and booked for jobs.  This includes your age - your empirical age.  If you truthfully look 35 - 40, but are in reality 65, you should be submitted for 35-40 year olds.  Not for roles that are looking for 65s.  You don't look that age, so you shouldn't be going out for them.  You will not get that 65 year old part!  You will be wasting your time and your energy.
 
The age question comes up often in agents' interviews.  It's also on a lot of stat sheets.  That doesn't mean you necessarily have to answer the question specifically.  We never advocate lying, but did you know it's against the law to ask your age as a condition of employment, with the exception of alcohols, tobaccos and certain pharmaceuticals?  
 
Here's the smart way to handle the question of what your age is:  put down or tell them the middle year of your age range.  In dead earnestness, as if your own mother doesn't know how old you are.  We all try to get the skinny on you.  Now "they" think  they got some illicit information about you.  "We know how old she really is!"
 
Step two of this process, determining what is your empirical age range.  This is not the time to get too creative crazy.  As a rule of thumb, age ranges tend to be max in a 10-year range (for older actors) down to a few years (for younger actors.  Each year on an older actor is not as specifically registered as on a  younger person.)  To be objective on this, you don't do the numbers.  Have a trusted agent, casting director or manager do this.  Ask more than one and get an average.
 
BTW, did you know you'll drop to the bottom of your age range (the youngest you'll look) when you are smiling?  So on those oh-so-blue days we all have, smiling will make you the youngest you can be.
 
Every few years, recalibrate your age range so you stay current and competitive.
 
AND, now you will be submitted for roles that are truly age-appropriate for you.  AND will continue to have a constructive, rather than destructive, relationship with whoever is doing that asking.

No one in the casting room is going to bother with checking an ID in most cases.  (You shouldn't be taking unnecessary materials in with you anyway, so leave it outside.)  You're an actor, after all!  It shouldn't be difficult to convincely state your character's age if you are in character.  The casting session isn't about you -- it's about your character!

Have your [birthday] cake and eat it, too!  What age are you playing?

GOOD ACTORS. BAD CHOICES.

One of my personal favorite bloggers is Back Stage's Secret Agent Man.  In the following post on his blog, Secret Agent Man poetically clarifies why good actors do bad things . . . and how it ends up sabataging all their best efforts and intentions.

I met Lucifer in a bar the other night, and he confessed that he likes to put bad ideas in the heads of smart actors. Curious, I asked why he did this. The author of all sin smiled. “Creative people annoy me. Just look at the so-called great works of art that claim to capture my image. You would be upset too.”

Lucifer had a point. The man in front of me wasn’t a horned monster with a red tail. He actually looked a little like Jeremy Irons.

We ordered another round. My new friend went on to explain that actors are especially open to suggestion because they’re such desperate beings. “Convincing them to get in their own way requires little more than a whisper in their ears.”

I was stunned. Actors are always cutting their own throats for no apparent reason. Could the devil himself be the root of all that self-destructive behavior?

Just last week, a client shocked me by ruining an opportunity I created at her request. Clara, an established actor in her 40s, had been begging me to get her in the room for one of her favorite TV shows. So when the right part crossed my desk, I convinced the casting director to give her a shot.

The show’s office was on the Universal lot, up in the Valley. Since it was hard to find, casting sent me a detailed map with parking directions. I told Clara to leave early, just to be safe.

After the audition, she was in a state of shock. Everything went wrong, and it was all her fault.

Here’s what happened. Clara barely glanced at the map before leaving her home. She just assumed it would all make sense when she got there. Well, it didn’t. Clara couldn’t find the right parking structure so she left her car in the wrong place, a spot which was half a mile away from the casting office. And this was on a summer afternoon when it gets past 100 degrees in the Valley.

So she arrived at the audition 20 minutes late, covered in sweat. There was no time to waste because the director had to leave, so casting rushed her into the office. Naturally, the audition didn’t go well, and now it’s going to be a hundred times harder for me to get her back in the room.

When I asked Clara why she had behaved in such an unprofessional manner, she wasn’t able to give me an honest answer.

I finished my drink and turned to Lucifer.

“Was that you?”

He grinned.

My mind started to race. I remembered the time I had to drop a young client because he was badmouthing me in public. The idiot had been at a workshop, waiting for his scene partner, when he decided to talk some trash. A passing casting assistant heard him and called me in the morning.

Then there was the time an actor followed me into a restaurant, interrupted my dinner, and begged me for a meeting.

And what about those clients who passed on auditions because they didn’t think they were right for the parts? Why wouldn’t they allow the casting director to make that decision? 

Or worst of all, how about all the actors who write in to Backstage, begging for a meeting with Secret Agent Man when they don’t even know who I am or where I work?

Lucifer stood up. It was time to move on. He explained that Hollywood was keeping him busy.

I had to ask.

“Will I see you again?”

“Perhaps.”

As the Prince of Darkness strolled off into the night, I made a mental note to pick up some holy water and a few crosses on my way home.

To see more of Secret Agent Man's blog posts, visit his site. 

Are you listening to the angel or the demon sitting on your shoulders?  Choose wisely!

WHO IS FEATURED IN ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE?

The answer is Jared Carter!  Jared worked alongside Alan Rickman on the set of CBGB recently.  The move is yet to be released, but Rolling Stone spoke with Jared a few days prior to his shoot to find out more about the movie, his fellow actors, and his role as David Byrne from the Talking Heads.

To read more about the night club, it's owner, and the long history of rockers who have graced it's stage -- and who will now be portrayed in theatres around the world in 2013 -- check out the actual Rolling Stone article CBGB FILM FINISHES SHOOTING.

 

I'M SO SORRY . . .

Agents, managers, and casting directors find it amazing that actors and models so frequently start a conversation with the words "I'm so sorry . . . "  Insert any completion to the sentence.  We've heard them all!

 . . . I didn't get the message.

 . . . I haven't checked my email.

 . . . I'm not off book (e.g., I didn't memorize my sides).

 . . . I'm late.  It's the a) traffic; b) I was up really late last night; c) nobody called me; d) my alarm didn't go off; e) I didn't know I had to be on time.

 . . . I forgot my a) headshot; b) resume; c) pen to take notes

 . . . I'm too busy right now to write down the info.  Shoot me an email!

 . . . My headshot is still black and white.  I've been meaning to . . .

 . . . I didn't return your phone call the other day.  Can casting still see me?

According to one New York casting director, these excuses send the deal-breaker signal to those who could hire a talent.  The industry doesn't hear whining excuses daily -- we hear them hourly.  No one with money behind them cares how great a talent looks or how skilled they are if the first thing we hear is multiple reasons why someone isn't up for the job.  There is always another option in the talent pool!

So knowing what NOT to do is only half the battle.  Should you ever find yourself in a circumstance where you feel compelled to start with an apology, bite your tongue.  Apologizing at that point -- after you've already done something blaringly wrong -- will not fix the mistake.  Acknowledge your failure and move past it.  Choose to hear whatever frustration is shared with you from the inconvenienced professional and then choose to only say, "Yes, I hear you.  It won't happen again."  After that, you can move on and give them reasons to change their impression (because you'll nail it despite the stress, right?).  The words "I'm sorry" have no place in entertainment.  After you leave, be sure that you follow through on never letting the mistake happen again -- at all costs.  Actions speak louder than words.  Make yourself heard through people's experiences working with you and your mouth never has to even open!

In this business, the savvy talent must remember that in order to pursue significant well-paying work, there are NO excuses.   Period.   The actor who got the job had no excuses.  Did you?

PATRICK HIGG'S NEW SHOW ON CMT!

The Avenue Agency's Patrick Higgs, an Evansville man, and his family are the focus of a new CMT Channel series "Redneck Rehab," which premieres Saturday.

Patrick Higgs is an aspiring actor who grew up in Newburgh but has spent the past 10 years in Evansville. Higgs has long sought the drama limelight,from the days when he dressed in drag for showings of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show,"first in the 1980s at Ross Theatre and eventually at Mesker Amphitheatre. In the process, according to the show description, he alienated his family.

For the past six months, however, Higgs has refocused on his acting career.

Courtesy CMTPress.com On board to join his family for a camping trip, Patrick must adjust to his new surroundings of dirt, guns and beer. While he may complain along the way, thereís no denying the redneck in his blood as his family welcomes him back with muddy arms and reminds him that thereís no shame in this rowdy lifestyle.

 

Contributed photo / Erin Ivie Patrick Higgs has a redneck intervention on the new CMT series.

 

 

Higgs says his ultimate goal is to make it big in the world of acting and lead the luxurious lifestyle while remaining true to himself.

"My agent is trying to focus on films, TV series and just trying to take it to that next level for me," Higgs said. "I haven't really worked (in the business) for the last 20 years, so I'm still a fresh face."

The road to that has him scouring casting calls for opportunities. It was on one of his regular visits with his Nashville agent at The Avenue Agency that he learned about the CMT show.

To read more about Patrick, CMT's Redneck Rehab, and Patrick's family, visit the full article in the Evansville Courier & Press.

Higgs will be with his family to watch the episode, which will air at 9 p.m. CDT Saturday on CMT.

"I'm very proud of it," Higgs said. "We're just one big, strange, happy family."

Check out Patrick tomorrow night and let him know what you think of the premiere!