The Working Actor

FIND OUT IF DEACON CAN DANCE:

Age: 30

Deacon has lived in LA for 3 years, but is originally from Chicago. He has worked at The Village Idiot for 2 ½ Years.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: Thomas Lennon

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “When I got my first apartment, it was the first night I was there, I had no furniture. Everything I shipped broke except for one glass. I sat there and used a suitcase as a table, and got a $5 bottle of wine at 7-Eleven…..I knew I couldn’t be happier.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “It was few months ago, for Budweiser. It was a videoconference audition; the director and producers were in Chicago. I saw them laugh at something I did through the 20-inch screen and thought ‘alright I’m gonna book this,’ and I did.”

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM IN: “Grey’s Anatomy,’ I played a patient with a broken leg” and a current Mazda 3 commercial.

UPCOMING: Taco Bell Commercial, Budweiser commercial, Twix Commercial, Coors Light Commercial, A Marine Story.

DREAM ROLE: “For them to re-cast ‘Lost’ and run the series again, all 6 seasons of it. I’ll play Jack, I’ll play Sawyer, either one I don’t care. That would be fine with me.”

ADVICE FOR ACTORS MOVING TO LA: “Save up as much money as you can, and don’t take it personally.”

WATCH AMY EXPLAIN WHY SHE MOVED TO LA:

Age: “Whatever you want it to be…preferably not 60”

Amy has lived in LA for 5 years but is originally from Minnesota. She has run Amy’s Blankies for a little over 2 years.

SIGNIFIGANT MOMENT IN LA: “It was the first time I went up in an acting class. I did my scene and the teacher said nothing about my work. She said, ‘Amy, what’s going on with your hair?’ I had no idea what she was talking about. I said, ‘I guess it needs a cut.’ The teacher called up other girls from the class and had them put their hair over mine so we could see what colors made my skin and eyes pop. It was insane, but that was the first moment I realized I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. This is a business and you’re not necessarily valued on your work. It was a reality check.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “I was going out for a small role in a big show. I was coached on it and I had done my work. So I went in and did my [audition] and the woman said ‘that’s great, now just do nothing. Just say the lines.’ So I did, and I booked it. I’m not saying that you don’t need to do the work, you just need to be yourself.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: “The Office”, “Private Practice”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, Southbounders, A Vick’s commercial

UPCOMING: “The Wish List” and a web series “Vicariously”

THIS JOB HELPS AS AN ACTOR: “It’s a creative outlet. It’s hard as an actress to gauge productivity. As an actress you go on auditions and hopefully book things. But with sewing you complete something at the end of the day. It gives a sense of accomplishment as well as being creative by making new designs and putting new fabric combinations together.”

DREAM ROLE: “Working in a Christopher Guest ensemble type film or an Altman-esque film. Something where there are a lot of quirky interesting characters with interesting relationships.”

ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO LA TO BE AN ACTOR: “A lot of people will perhaps disagree with me, but acting can’t be the only thing in your life. You need other stuff going on. You need a life outside of that dream to make you live and be happy. I love acting and can’t imagine doing anything else, but it won’t always make me happy. I need other things. People always told me that when I was younger, but I get it now.”

Watch Diann’s advice for actors moving to LA:

Age: 28

Diann has lived in LA for 6 years but is originally from Virginia. She has worked at Moe’s Flowers for 6 years.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: Sidney Poitier

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “Delivering flowers to Diane Keaton, Celebrities never answer the door…it’s always housekeeper. She answered the door.”

WORST MOMENT IN LA: “My first week out here I decided to just drive around. Somehow, I ended up on the 101. I freaked out and tried to get off but ended up on the 134. I had no Idea where I was, it took me 4 hours to get home.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “The first job I booked. The day of the audition I woke and I don’t know if was nerves or Chicken Pox but my body had red spots all over. When I got there they turned on this music and I was told to start dancing and had to do some cold reading as well. It was crazy I was dancing with these spots all over me…but I got the job, I was in the show it was a good feeling.”

WORST AUDITION STORY: “It was my first audition out in LA. I had just graduated school and it was about nine months since I did an audition. I was super nervous. There were three monologues I had to memorize. I said the first line and just blanked. I forgot everything. I tried to start again but could not remember the lines.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: “I did a lot of shows for the Outlaw Style Thrance Company.” A short film called Naked Sushi. An eHarmony commercial.

UPCOMING: Heat Train

DREAM ROLE: “Meg Ryan’s Role in When Harry Met Sally.”

Watch Drew tell his worst audition story:

Age: 32

Drew has lived in LA for over 10 years, but is originally from North Carolina. He has worked at The Groundlings for 3 ½ years.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: “LL Cool J, they were filming his show here the other day and it was really cool to see him in person.”

WORST MOMENT IN LA: “I was hit by a car in traffic about 7 years ago. I was in a crosswalk on Santa Monica Blvd. and a car hit my foot. There were no witnesses so I was found ‘partly responsible for my own accident.’ The cop said, I ‘failed to use due caution when crossing the street’ even though one car stopped for me. The car that did stop just drove away after I was hit so there was nothing I could do.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “It was for ‘Reno 911!’ it was a fun vibe in the room. The audition was with the cast, and they were ready to laugh. They made me feel so comfortable. So many times you walk into an audition and the people have mean faces, are in a bad mood, or they are eating. With good improv I never remember what was said, it just feels good. But I remember every single line of a bad improv. This just felt good. I could tell when I walked in these guys wanted it to be good, and they wanted us to do well. I got to do the show a few months later. From day one I felt like part of the group.

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM IN: A lot of theater with The Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade.“Reno 911!” “Halfway Home” a commercial for American Airlines – “Team Building.”

UPCOMING: “The Sarah Silverman Program” and a feature called Freak Dance “it’s a break dancing musical.”

THIS JOB HELPS AS AN ACTOR BECAUSE: “It’s the most creative job I can think of asn an actor. For 3 ½ hours I have to be focused, I have to listen. I watch actors work, I’m constantly seeing new choices, new ways of saying or delivering things. It also forces me to verbalize what I do as an actor. I have to communicate it to other people so I’m learning on a whole other level.”

ADVICE FOR ACTORS MOVING TO LA: “Study. Make sure you’re always in a class. Take every opportunity you can to perform and work with as many people as you can. Take your time, your’re not in a race to get famous.”

Jessica Schwartz argues with a famous customer at Amoeba.

Check out Jessica’s Profile here.

Age: “A lady never tells.”

Jessica has lived in LA for 5 ½ years, but is originally from New York. She has worked at Amoeba for 5 ½ years.

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER IN: “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job – Season 3,” and “Austin Stories.” Jumping out of a car in Secondhand Lions. And, “If you ever watch really bad movies, you have seen me in Levelland, it’s about skateboarders….the real tricks is growing up.”

UPCOMING: An Old Navy Commercial

THIS JOB HELPS AS AN ACTOR BECAUSE: “They are super flexible and really understanding when I have an audition. I also enjoy meeting people at the registers. Just the other day, I rang up a casting director and he asked for my information.”

Age: 24

Liam is originally from Washington D.C., but he has lived in LA for 2 years. He has worked at The Pleasure Chest for just under 2 years.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: “I would love to tell you, but we are all about discretion. I would probably lose my job if I told you. But I’ve helped “A-list” movie stars, musicians, and directors. We get them all.”

MOVED TO LA BECAUSE: “After college, all of my friends moved to New York and I felt like I should move there as well. It seemed like the natural progression. I wanted to do something scary and go to a place I’d never been. So I bailed on my friends and moved here.”

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “Participating in the table read for 2012. I got to read for some of the uncast parts. In addition to working here, I’m also a casting intern. It was a really cool Hollywood insider moment to see the director and most of the cast working together.”

WORST MOMENT IN LA: “Getting a speeding ticket while racing from one rehearsal to another. I barely made it to the second rehearsal, but I made it there with a $300 ticket.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “It was for the roll of a scientist doing some cleaning in the background. They had me mime some cleaning things. The director said ‘you got the role. We’ll see you next week.’ It was the easiest audition, but more importantly it was the first paying job I got in LA.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ME IN: Activeion Commerical, Kate Voegel Video (99 Times). “I was in an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians,’ and in the background of an episode of “Entourage” that were both filmed at The Pleasure Chest.”

UPCOMING: The Death of a Muse

THIS JOB HELPS AS AN ACTOR:“I get to meet characters every day and its stress free. If I was waiting tables, I’d be carrying trays and stressed out all day.  Here I get to listen to music and talk about sex. I was part of the ‘Entourage’ shoot here…I got paid for that. I was also on ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ that was shot here…I’m not AS PROUD of that one.”

Natalie has lived in LA for 1.5 Years, but was born in Michigan. She has worked at The Bowery for 1.5 Years.

Natalie’s favorite movie is Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Blue

WORST AUDITION STORY: “I had to rap for one of my auditions. The character’s rapping to…I can’t even remember the name…it’s something…cars real big! tits real big! Something real big! Everything real big! I had to rap that A capella while I was dancing to club music…which was not playing.

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER IN: Across the Hall

THIS JOB HELPS AS AN ACTOR BECAUSE: “I meet interesting people all day long. I also enjoy the support system from working with other actors. I even created a movie with a co-worker.”