The Working Actor

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.”

Here is an interesting read from Vassar’s website. It’s Lisa Kudrow’s commencement from this years graduation ceremony. It’s a great read, It took Lisa 8 years to land “Friends” after her first TV pilot failed.

Another great story Kudrow shares is when she recalls the “Friends” cast telling stories about being fired from other shows. James Burrows who fired her from “Fraiser” does most of the dirty work….

Jim Burrows also directed this pilot and the first ten episodes of Friends. One day the six of us were talking with Jimmy, exchanging The Time I Got Fired Stories and Jimmy told them mine. “Well, she’s got the worst one of all, she got fired from Frasier. ‘You weren’t right for the part darlin’.'” Thanks! And then he said, “Well, it’s a good thing you got fired or you wouldn’t have been on this show.” He was right. And it was a good thing I didn’t get Saturday Night Live and that the Romy and Michelepilot didn’t work out and every other disappointment that happened…they were like guide posts that kept me on my path. Oh and after I got fired from Frasier, I went to a birthday party and, feeling like I had nothing at all to lose, I flirted with a guy who was way out of my league. We dated and on Thursday Michel and I will have been married for 15 years. Yeah, that’s the biggest achievement of all, and we’ll be celebrating with our 12 year-old son. Thank God I got fired! Maybe there is a reason for everything. I think there is.

Enjoy the rest of the speech.

AGE: 28

Heather is originally from Essex, VT but has lived in LA for 2 years. She has worked at Lucques for 9 months.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: “Actually it’s our head chef Suzanne Goin. I’m even more obsessed with food than I am with acting. She was just nominated for her 3rd or 4th James Beard award. I get more star struck around Suzanne than I do around the celebrities who come in.”

MOVED TO LA BECAUSE: “I needed to get out of NYC. I’d been there for 8 years and felt like there was more opportunity out here. It was time for a change. I had done a lot of theater and wanted to give TV/Film a try.”

WORST AUDITION STORY: “I went for this workout video audition once, I have no idea why I was called in. I guess my headshot looks athletic. So I walk into the room and they ask me to do a workout routine. So I just start moving in some sort of aerobic workout type thing. I even did push-ups. The cameraman stopped the camera and called over the casting director and said ‘hey look at this.’ They just watched it in front of me and started cracking up. Finally they just said ‘thanks for coming in.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: A Web Series called “Red Is The Color”

DREAM ROLE: “It’s always been to play Laura in The Glass Menagerie. But I feel like the mom in ‘Six Feet Under’ would have been perfect for me when I was older.”

To see just how much of a foodie Heather is check out her blog: Three More Big Bites

Check out Miranda and Gabriel’s full profiles.

Age: “I play between 25 and 35″

Miranda Shade is originally from Athens, GA but she has lived in LA for 6 years. She has worked as a speech language pathologist for 7 years.

WORST MOMENT IN LA: “I went to sleep owning a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee. When I got up the next morning the Jeep was gone. I kept thinking maybe I parked it someplace else and kept wandering around looking for it. When I got back to my house, I noticed someone had carved ‘I’ll be back’ on my door. I called the police and the officer said ‘We’re gonna write up a report and send it to you. In the report it’s going to say we came out to you. But we’re not coming out.’ My car was never found.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “I don’t know that I’ve had a good audition, I’ve had luck. Maybe it was the eHarmony commercial. They just said ‘be a bad date.’ I guess I’m a very convincing bad date.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: eHarmony commercial, Mercedes-Benz commercial, Motel 6 commercial, and a Gap commercial

DREAM ROLE: “Anything with Ricky Gervais”

ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO LA TO BE AN ACTOR: “Always have a roll of quarters. Always look at parking signs. Always have extra clothes in your trunk. You’re gonna be dressed like a nun and they are gonna call you in for a hooker with a heart of gold.”

Will John Cusack show up if you put him on your guest list every night?

WATCH PAMELA TALK ABOUT AN UNCOMFORTABLE AUDITION:

Age: 25

Pamela is originally from Dallas, TX but she has lived in LA for 3 1/2 years. She has been a nanny for 2 1/2 years.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: “It actually happened today at my other job; I wait tables as well. Idena Menzel from Wicked was in. She was with her husband, which is also an amazing sighting because he’s pretty good looking. Idena was singing to her baby . It was just the coolest thing I’ve ever witnessed. It was awesome. I was actually taking an order from another table when she started to sing. I kept tuning out my table so I could hear her sing. They had to tell me the order like 3 times. I wanted to be her baby (laughs). I want her to sing to me.”

MOVED TO LA BECAUSE: “I was acting in Dallas for 2 1/2 years. It just got to the point where I wanted to take it further and came out here. I felt prepared and ready and was ready to tackle this dream. So I came out here.”

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “When my first appearance on a TV show aired. It was an episode for “GRΣΣK.” My parents were in town and all of my friends got together. Everyone in that room had been on TV before but they still took the time to make a really big deal out of it. It was really cool to have my parents there and be in a room with everyone who is important to me.

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER ON: “GRΣΣK” a web series “Life with Kat and McKay,” Agenda, Broken Path.

DREAM ROLE: “In a movie playing Rachel McAdams’ sister and Meryl Streep’s daughter.”

WATCH FIONA TALK ABOUT HER AUDITION FOR LADY GAGA:

Age: “Younger than Glenn Close, older than Dakota Fanning.”

Fiona is originally from Hawaii, but has lived in LA for 14 years. She has been a Hair Extension Specialist for 8 years.

MOVED TO LA: “Because I wanted to be famous.”

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “I was working all these random part-time jobs but wouldn’t commit to anything because I’m an artist. I’m an actor. Finally, I realized I was tired of being a struggling artist and decided to find a way to get money while I worked on my craft. I’m getting more opportunities to do my art now, and it feels much better. I used to have this idea that if I was struggling I would be a better artist. That was screwed up. It’s way more fun now.”

WORST MOMENT IN LA: “I used to teach acting classes to children. I was really hung over one day and almost vomited on a child.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: An original play, I’m The Man Inside Your Wife’s Vagina. A student film Run Over My Heart.

UPCOMING: Point Break Live

DREAM ROLE: “Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!”

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE AN ACTOR: “I don’t think I had a choice. I always had a burning desire to be an actor.”

I WOULD QUIT THIS JOB IF: “I got paid more as an actor.”

Watch Lisa recall  when she saw Richard Pryor before his return to the stage:

Age: “Ageless and Evergreen” 

Lisa is originally from Minnesota, but has lived in Los Angeles “long enough to know that nothing happens overnight.” Lisa has worked at Milena’s Boutique for 1 year. 

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: Maria Shriver 

MOVED TO LA BECAUSE: “I was a theater junkie. I came out here to do theater.” 

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “Surviving colon cancer.” 

WORST MOMENT IN LA: “The earthquake.” 

BEST AUDITION STORY: “Lee Strasberg accepting me on my first audition when I was 22 years old.” 

WORST AUDITION STORY: “Meeting Robert Dinero and Cis Corman for Raging Bull and being told I looked too young to play a girl carding people in Jake LaMotta’s bar…that was a bummer.” 

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER IN: Deep Cover, “E! Mysteries & Scandals” playing Lana Turner, a Peugeot commercial, Tanzi 

UPCOMING: Baby O 

THIS JOB HELPS ME AS AN ACTOR: “It helps me be centered and focused. It doesn’t take as much from me as other jobs have.” 

DREAM ROLE: “Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” 

ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO LA TO BE AN ACTOR: “Make sure it’s something you desperately want to do, not because of fame.  Make sure you have a passion for it. Acting is a craft, take it seriously and train for it. Expect to pay your dues, and have a lot of rejection. Actors are a dime a dozen out here…there is a lot of disappointment and heartache.” 

KATE TALKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE WITH THE HURT LOCKER:

Age: “25”

Kate is from Maryland, but has lived in LA for 4 ½ years. She has worked at Heimberg Law Group for 4 years.

WORST AUDITION STORY: “I came in to audition for a manager and she asked me to do a monologue. I did this really emotional monologue, I was crying at the end. It was powerful. After I finished we just stared each other down, neither of us said anything, for 6 or 7 minutes. Finally, she said, “is it over?” I replied “yeah.” She told me, “You should have said scene. I’ve just been staring at you unsure if you had finished.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: “Grey’s Anatomy,” Tween.

UPCOMING: The Hurt Locker – Directors Cut, W.M.D.

THIS JOB HELPS AS AN ACTOR: “It would help me with any role on a CSI type, or medical show. We’re a medical malpractice law firm so I already know all the jargon. I hear about things that happen to people all day. I have a broad spectrum of characters to draw from.”

DREAM ROLE: “Ellen’s Page’s character from Juno.”

DOES YOUR DAY JOB MAKE YOU HAPPY: “This is a good gig. I don’t want to wait tables. I like the people here. I’m proud of what we do. We help poor people who were wronged. But, I do think on a daily basis that I didn’t move to LA  to work in a law firm.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

Watch Kristen recall her worst moment in LA:

Age: “In my 20’s”

Kristen has lived in Los Angeles for 2 ½ years, but is originally from Michigan. She has worked at Sur for 2 ½ years.

FAVORITE CELEBRITY SIGHTING AT WORK: “John Fogerty and Clive Owen.”

WORST AUDITION STORY: “Oh, it happened when I first started. I was driving to an audition and was really excited, really amped. I was in my car and running late. I started to feel frustrated, rushed, and overwhelmed. Because I was running late, I started to feel unprofessional. It got so bad that I turned the car around and went home. My nerves got the best of me.”

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER IN: “I did background work in He’s Just Not That Into You, and Yes Man.”

UPCOMING: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Dreamer and Behind Your Eyes

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “I was waiting on John Fogerty and his wife Julie. It made my night. Nobody had any clue who he was. I had to call my mom in the middle of my shift and scream in excitement with her. It was really awesome.”

THIS JOB HELPS AS AN ACTOR BECAUSE: “All my friends who work with me are actors. I have people to run lines with me at any given moment. The owner is an actor as well, I got one of my agents through him.”

DREAM ROLE: “Rachel McAdams’s character in The Notebook. Her performance is amazing. Her presence, how truthful, emotional, and real. It’s very challenging to be able to tell the truth like that. That’s what acting is…bringing out your crazy side, your emotional, your dark side and letting people see it.

ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO LA TO BE AN ACTOR: “Don’t get caught up in Hollywood. Hollywood is not Los Angeles. Don’t give in to the people you meet after 10pm at bar, at a club, or at a party. They are not going to make your career for you. Watch your back and study hard. You have to be 110% committed. If you are, you will do really well out here.”

WATCH AMANDA TELL HER WORST AUDITION STORY:

Age: 20

Amanda has lived in LA for 2 years, but is originally from Mexico City. She has worked at Mexico for 8 months.

MOVED TO LA: “Because I always wanted to be an Actor.”

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “A few weeks ago I went to dinner with Jamie Foxx.”

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN HER IN: “A few Arabic music videos, a spec commercial for the Doritios Super Bowl contest, a few student films, and a Mexican commercial for a steam iron.”

THIS JOB HELPS HER AS AN ACTOR BECAUSE: “You always have to put on a poker face. It’s a lot of acting.”

HER DREAM ROLE: “To play some sort of very disturbed assassin.”

ADVICE FOR ACTORS MOVING TO LA: “Be careful who you meet. Don’t get carried away, LA has a tendency to do that. We’ve lost a lot of actors to partying and drugs.”