The Working Actor

Check out Trevor Trout in these photos from the set of Tom Hank’s new movie Larry Crowne

Trevor Trout and Nia Vardalos

Trevor Trout and Wilmer Valderrama

Trevor Trout and Tom Hanks

Check out Trevor’s profile

Danielle talks about an awkward audition…and gets some love from her dogs….

Age: “Old enough to drink and young enough to still get carded.”

Danielle is originally from the suburbs of Chicago but has lived in LA for 7 years. She has worked at The Dog House for 4 years.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: “Oooh. The funniest one. It was Leif Garrett.  I didn’t recognize him because, umm…he does not look the same as he did when he was young. He came in and paid with his credit card and I was like ‘oh, wow.’ He ended up leaving his credit card which was kind of embarrassing because we didn’t have a number to call him. We do get celebrities in and they are usually all about their dogs. We also get a lot of assistants so you don’t necessarily know when it’s a celebrity dog or not.”

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “It was the day when my first national commercial aired. It was for Big Lots. I was at work and my mom called to tell me she saw the commercial and she was excited to see me on TV for the first time. That was the day I felt so happy, so vindicated.  I’m here, I’m doing things for the right reason. That was really fun.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “The first thing I booked. It was an audition for a Cox Cable commercial. I went into the audition and thought I bombed it. I screwed up the lines they gave us. I walked out and did that thing where you are just like ‘oh my god I suck. I hate myself.’ But I ended up getting a call back. I couldn’t believe it , I walked in and the director shook my hand and said, ‘we loved you it’s just a matter of talking to your agent.’ I was so excited but played it cool. He had me stay and read with 4 guys, but I booked it.”

FAVORITE MOMENT WITH AN AGENT: “This was before I had a commercial agent. I was running at Runyon with a friend’s dog. This guy stops me and says ‘Hey. Your dog is really cute’ as he hands me his card he was a doggie agent.  It would figure the dog would get an agent before me. But that’s LA for you.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: Big Lots commercial, Cox Cable Commercial, and a short called Here Comes the Bride.

THIS JOB HELPS ME AS AN ACTOR: “It’s a really great way to stay sane. If I’m having a crappy day and LA is really coming down on me I get to come to work and hang out with really cute dogs. It’s also made me more confident in difficult situations. You have to be in charge when you have 30 dogs that you are watching.”

DREAM ROLE: “Anything on ‘Mad Men,’ you could dress me up like a tree and put me on that show and I’d think it was awesome. Anything with Rodrigo Garcia, I really loved Robin Wright Penn’s role in Nine Lives. I would also give up my first born child, whenever I have it, to work with J.J. Abrams. I want to be in Star Trek, so J.J. call me.”

WHY LA OVER NYC: “I found NYC to be a place that made me anxious. I love that I can go hiking in Griffith Park or to the beach. I don’t, you can see I’m pale, but I just love the nature aspect of LA and it’s a little more relaxed.”

Our next actress never gets tired of her regulars…..

How could she???

Have you seen her commercials?

full profile coming soon……

Hey Chloë! What are you doing for the Summer?

Click here for Drew’s full profile at The Working Actor

Daniel plays with Todd during a break from our interview.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ice cream??

DANIEL TALKS ABOUT THE WORST THING EVER ASKED OF HIM AT A DAY JOB:

Watch the video to find out what happened.

Age: 32

Daniel is originally from Brooklyn, NY via Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He has lived in LA for 6 years.

YOU KNOW HIM FROM: Mean Girls, Party Monster, Bully, War of  the Worlds, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Comeback.”

UPCOMING: “Party Down” on June 18^th, I Spit On Your Grave.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T NEED A DAY JOB ANYMORE: “I was bouncing, so it was probably right before or just after Mean Girls. I remember the feeling, it was like ‘this is it. I did it. I’m a working actor, I don’t need a day job anymore.’ Instead of just getting a $200 check and buying something, I was able to pay for my rent, utilities, and health insurance. I was making it just by the skin of my teeth, but I was making it. That was enough for me.”

HE MIGHT HAVE SERVED YOU AT: an Italian food store as a bag boy, Whole Foods, Morgan Stanley as a mover, a club in NYC as a bouncer, Blockbuster Video, and at a pet store,“I quit after one day when they asked me to touch dog shit.”

WHY LA OVER NYC: “I don’t think it was ever a decision of LA over NY. It’s like comparing apples and avocados. I like to eat them both, I just happen to eat avocados more. I love NY; it’s awesome, but LA has so much more film going on. The energy of the art form is just so strong and prominent over the city. It feels good to me.”

HOW DID YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO MOVE TO LA: “I waited until I booked a studio film. I was making a lot of indies and I knew how the measure of respect worked in Hollywood. Resumes or schooling weren’t going to help, it was gonna be ‘what have you done for me lately.’ I understood the energy of the business. I just wanted to wait until I had a serious momentum and then come to LA so more doors would be open when I arrived.”

INTERESTING STORY FROM A DAY JOB: “I was working as a mover for Morgan Stanley at the Rockefeller Center offices. One day I was asked to go down to the World Trade Center to help move 90 computers into a basement. It was the week before 9/11/01.  The following week I had to come in and pack up the offices of the people who spontaneously left. All the calendars still said September 11th. There were cups of coffee with half eaten moldy donuts next to them. We were responsible for packing up the offices and taking everything out. We were wearing masks, and I was watching everything at ground zero from executive offices. These were the buildings that surrounded the twin towers. It was surreal, I saw these Brinks trucks load out all this gold.”

HOW DID YOU LAND YOUR ROLE IN MEAN GIRLS: “ I was brought in for a call back. I sat in the lobby and just pretended to BE Damien. When I arrived, Tina Fey and Mark Waters (the director) were debating what shirt Amanda Seyfried should wear for her audition. She had a tan shirt and a maroon shirt. I chimed in, ‘ummmmmmm, I’d go with the merlot.’ Tina and Mark just laughed and said ‘ok, let’s go with the merlot.’ When I walked into the audition Tina and Mark said ‘Oh, it’s you! We like you! We thought you just worked here. Come in.’ I thought my audition went well, but I didn’t hear anything. A month later my manager got a call saying they were flying me to the table read, but I didn’t have the part yet. A lot of people thought I looked too old. I was 26 when I played 16. Chevy Chase was on my plane to LA. I was about to go to dinner with Lorne Michaels. It felt very serendipitous. I got to the table read and was super nervous. I knew the part wasn’t mine yet and there were all these executives there. I just needed to be the character, I had no other choice. I’ve been to table readings  where actors aren’t trying to give a performance. I had to perform as if the cameras were on. I went crazy, I just went all the way into it. I made Lorne Michaels spit water out when he was laughing. I could have just died right then, but I still didn’t have the part. They made me wait 4 more days and then I finally got the call telling me the part was mine. I had to fly to Toronto right away, I showed up with nothing more than all the shorts I brought to LA.”

ADVICE FOR ACTORS: “I’ve always felt like fame, success, and money are like playing with a balloon. You hit the balloon up, and sometimes if you get a good job you hit it really high up. When the balloon comes down again you have to keep tapping it up. As soon as you put your hands down and rest, it hits the floor. It’s like you constantly have to keep the momentum bouncing up and thinking of things that can keep it up in the air. Some people do it with scandalous things. There are tons of people who release a sex tape or do something crazy at a club. Those things push the balloon up, but those are lead balloons and they fall much faster. When you do something positive, that balloon stays up for longer. Working as an art curator, for me, is exactly that example. I’m providing a venue for people to come and have a party. I’m inspiring the creation of art, making people smile and indirectly beautifying peoples’ homes. But at the same time, it’s google hits for me. It’s reminding people about movies I did. That’s the best kind of way to lift the balloon. It’s like putting helium in it. When you earn certain things, it hovers more than it sinks.”

Danny didn’t go on a commercial audition for 8 years after this incident.

Watch the video to find out what happened.

Check out some art form Daniel’s wall

Wall detail

Harold Hunter skateboard from depARTed. A show Danny curated dedicated to Brad Renfro after he passed. The show was based on notable people who died before there time. © 2008 Chase Tafoya. A gift from the artist. Danny met Harold when Steven Klein shot them for the cover of FACE magazine.

“Always was a pleasure to see him party hopping around NYC he was a nice guy. Sad he passed. Say no to drugs.”

“Shades of Grey”  acryllic spy v.s spy from Danny’s art show Crusaders& Haters: Heroes and villiansin american pop culture @ROYAL/T 2009

“CLOWN” (2008) by Evanimal from depARTed.

Don’t forget to tune in this Friday, June 18th to Party Down on Starz.

Follow The Working Actor on Facebook and Twitter:

What an amazing weekend! I interviewed full time actor Daniel Franzese.

His days of working a day job are long over, but he has some stories that will keep you laughing for days.

Check him out in Mean Girls:

Check out the trailer for his upcoming movie I Spit On Your Grave. You’ve never seen Daniel like this.

You can also catch Daniel this Friday, June 18th on an episode of Party Down on Starz.

Full Profile coming this week….

“The Working Actor Sits Down With:” is a new segment that will debut this week. This section is dedicated to the other side of the coin. Actors who no longer have day jobs. I hope these stories will make you laugh (there are gonna be some good ones!) as well as inspire you to keep pursuing your dreams!

Any full time actors out there want to share your stories? Drop me an email!

This film will be hard for me to watch, I’ve heard a rumor that Deacon plays a baddie.

A Marine Story Screens at Frameline in San Francisco on June 19th.

Click here to see Deacon Conroy’s Mazda commercial

Click here to see Deacon Conroy’s profile

Do you remember these great commercials?

AGE: 30

Matt is originally from Waverly, OH, but has lived in LA for 8 years. He has worked for Kathy Smith on and off for 6 ½ years. “We’ve gone on hiatus a few times. It’s like a dysfunctional relationship, we keep coming back to each other.”

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: “This is so lame. It was when I first moved to LA. I have a real Jennifer Aniston thing that I have not been able to shake. My first job in town was as a receptionist at PR firm in West Hollywood. Someone came back from lunch and as they walked by my desk said, ‘Jennifer Aniston is eating at Basix.’ Without saying anything I jumped up and ran out the door and around the corner. I just walked by, I wasn’t going to speak to her or anything. But I saw her. Everyone was shocked that I just ran out without saying anything. I got fired from that job much later for going to auditions. But they let the Jennifer Aniston thing slide. I’ve seen Jennifer a few more times over the years. She once bummed a cigarette off of me, which was my proudest moment.”

MOVED TO LA BECAUSE: “I always wanted to come here. In High School I had dreams of going to UCLA and being a film major. I changed my path and went to NYU to study theater, but kept my eye on LA. I also had a boyfriend who was living here at the time so that made it easier. That didn’t work out, but it’s fine I’m still here.”

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “A couple of years ago I was headed to a Super Bowl party in the valley. I was kind of dreading it and I was already late. I don’t really care about the game and had forgotten the snacks I was suppose to bring. All of a sudden my phone starting going crazy. Calls, voicemails, texts. I had no idea what was happening. I finally checked my voicemail and found out that a cars.com commercial I had shot aired during the Super Bowl. Once I arrived at the party I prepared myself to walk in and have everyone congratulate me and be king of the room. I opened the door and everybody was like ‘dude did you bring the beer?’ Nobody said ANYTHING about the commercial. It became clear that they DVR’d the game and had not gotten to my commercial yet.  As soon as the commercial came on the room erupted. It was great to share that with my friends.”

WORST AUDITION: “I heard about a show called ‘Gay, Straight, or Taken.’ It was on Lifetime and it was $500 dollars for one day of work. Even showing up to the audition was difficult, I did not want to do this. So I get there and the girl running the casting was the best friend of my ex. It was like ‘ok, well she knows where I’m at, she knows I’ve bottomed out.’ It’s this really corny dating show, and I pretended to be in the hot tub, take my shirt off and started to dance, but not in a gay way because I have to act straight. I got the job, but I turned it down. I have a feeling that footage has circulated somewhere it shouldn’t.”

BEST AUDITION: “By some fluke I landed an interview with Kathy Griffin to be a writer on her show. I didn’t really have any qualifications other than being gay and being a fan of her. I got the call while on a temp job and I had to immediately leave. I got to the interview which was at her house, and it’s THE HOUSE, you know from ‘The D-List.’  I walked in and it’s ‘THE DOG’ and Kathy said ‘Do you want some milk and cookies?’ I said ‘absolutely.’ We sat down and started to chat. I was having a total out of body experience and not charming her at all. I gave her nothing as to why she should hire me and knew I was not getting the job. I didn’t. But even as it was happening I was just so happy to be there, and I can always say I had milk and cookies with Kathy Griffin.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HIM IN: Cars.com commercial, Honda commercial, White Castle commercial. “In The Moment” web series, UCB shows, Worst Laid Plans, Boys in the Band

THIS JOB HELPS ME AS AN ACTOR: “I work from home now, so I can make my own schedule. My boss is super supportive, she’s an unlikely role model. I don’t get fired for going on auditions. In fact, she asks how they went.”

ADVICE FOR ACTORS MOVING TO LA: “Don’t be afraid to explore other areas in the industry. Don’t be afraid to PA. Never stop learning. Never stop taking classes.”

***UPDATED*** After watching the NBC LA coverage (VIDEO BELOW) about this story I felt the need to update this post. NBC was interviewing Tony Tomey (Batman) and caught him being arrested on camera. Wouldn’t NBC have shown footage of Tony being aggressive or demanding tips if it actually happened? The city claims that they are cracking down on aggressive characters, so why was Tony arrested? NBC (as well as The Working Actor) reported that these tickets were issued for loitering. If they had undercover officers, wouldn’t they have caught these “criminals” in the act of demanding money? Wouldn’t they have been ticketed for panhandling or something other than loitering? After all, the city CLAIMS to have no problem with the characters who don’t demand tips. The city has a problem with “intent” or expectation of money. I’m pretty sure expecting money, or expecting anything is NOT A CRIME. Doing something about it is. Is it illegal for a waiter to intend to make money or expect tips? City officials have mentioned that some of these characters have been convicted for prior crimes. So according to LA, if you have committed a crime in the past you are 100% going to commit another crime. Thank goodness the city of LA is protecting us from crimes before they even happen. I guess they called Stephen Spielberg and hired the precogs. How often do you see police officers walking amongst these characters?  I always found the lack of police presence on Hollywood Blvd. shocking. I could never imagine walking through Times Square without seeing a  police presence. With or without the characters, you would think a large tourist area would warrant a noticeable police presence. **PHOTOS BELOW THE VIDEO**

NBCLA Coverage:

Outtakes from my shoot with Christopher Dennis:

Last Friday the LAPD conducted a crackdown on the Hollywood Blvd. street characters. By all accounts (CNN, KTLA, and some folks who were present when this went down) the street cops claimed this was ordered “from upstairs.” Many of the characters who were taken down to the police station received tickets for blocking the sidewalk and loitering.

I have featured two actors who call Hollywood Boulevard their office. During the course of photographing Sajen Corona (ticket salesman) and Christopher Dennis (character) I found myself on the receiving end of demands for tips. Simply standing around Grauman’s Chinese Theater while snapping photos of architectural detail as well as the subjects of my interview was enough to provoke aggressive characters to demand a tip. “You have to give me money if you are going to keep taking photos” one of them said. These aggressive characters believed that dressing up and walking into a public space and essentially being an extra in my photograph earns them money. Christopher and Sajen quickly quieted these demands by telling the offenders, “he’s with me.” I was left alone, I had street cred.

I’m in no way defending this aggressive panhandling. However, there are quite a few characters who are respectful of tourists and do not demand tips. I’ve met quite a few characters and even approached them for being featured on this site. One of them was taken into custody but released. Many of them say “we accept tips,” but I’ve never heard anything aggressive or inappropriate from the ones I asked to be on my site. Many of them are aspiring actors. To me it seemed that there were two “groups” of characters, the aggressive and the non-aggressive characters.

From all I’ve read and been told, one consistent story has emerged. The LAPD went down to Hollywood Boulevard and unilaterally decided that anyone wearing a costume was a criminal. These officers claim to have been acting on “orders from above.” Were these officers simply told to go down and arrest anyone who LOOKED like a criminal? Did nobody think it might be smart to perform 30 seconds of undercover work to identify the aggressive characters? The aggressive characters have no shame in demanding money! It would have been quite easy to indentify the trouble-makers. Maybe if the LAPD were to perform frequent undercover busts the aggressive characters would be in check.

To me what happened on Hollywood Blvd. is the same as an officer walking into a neighborhood and arresting all the whites, blacks, or the latinos because they LOOKED like someone who committed a crime.

Late last night I put in a phone call to Christopher Dennis.  Christopher is the godfather of Hollywood Blvd. He knows who is aggressive and demands tips, and he knows who doesn’t. Christopher told me he saw the police activity and managed to get away. Hollywood Blvd is a large area and I’m sure quite a few characters saw what was going on and managed to get away without being harassed. Here are some interesting things Christopher pointed out:

• The LAPD targeted an employee from Madame Tussauds wax museum who does nothing more than hand out flyers. Would Madame Tussauds keep someone employed whose job was to attract customers if they were being inappropriate? This local business employee received a ticket.

• The LAPD threatened a group of students from NY Film Academy who were shooting a film.  The student who was wearing a costume was told, “if you come back here we will arrest you.” Apparently the police were not aware of the filming and assumed the actor was a Hollywood Blvd. character. At no point did they question the students for a film permit.

• The LAPD ticketed characters who Chris knows as non-aggressive characters for “Blocking the sidewalk.” If this state is so short on cash why don’t they ticket all 25 billion tourists who block the sidewalk all day long?

There are many aggressive characters who take advantage and bully tourists. But this crackdown seems handled the wrong way. Is this the LAPD’s fault? I don’t know. Is this the city flexing its muscles? Just cracking down so it can say “we try to get rid of these characters.” It seems to me that actual police work instead of a mass “up against the wall” could have identified characters who were following the rules and the ones who weren’t. The cnn.com article posted yesterday claims that Tony Tomey (who according to Christopher Dennis is not an aggressive character) was arrested within minutes of showing up. Did he commit a crime? CNN did not say. Christopher Dennis told me he was released yesterday evening and charged with blocking the sidewalk.

Christopher hasn’t been out working since last Friday. He went out with CNN yesterday, because he felt safe with the cameras.

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Find out what life is like working on Hollywood Blvd. In the non-hooker sense by clicking here and here.