The Working Actor

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.”

Age: “In my 20’s”

Danni has lived in LA for 3 years but is originally from London. She has worked at Swingers for 1 year.

WORST MOMENT IN LA: “One night I heard a knock on my door. Outside was a strange 80 year-old man. Without saying a word he walked into the apartment, sat on my couch, and began to vomit profusely. A hooker, who the stranger picked up earlier in the evening, was outside the apartment demanding cab fare. I kept going outside to talk to the hooker who finally left after I called 911. Once the ambulance arrived, I had to help the paramedics by holding an IV bag as the man laid on a gurney in the middle of my living room. As for the man, it turns out he was a neighbor I had never met before.”

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “Faye Dunaway approached me while standing in line at Koo Koo Roo with her cell phone out. Faye wanted her hairdresser to copy my haircut for an event that night.”

YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD HER IN: The Homeland Security internal computer system, a Hallmark Commercial, and a Bailey’s commercial.

Age: 25

Trevor has lived in LA for 5 years but was born in Florida. He has worked at The Bowery for seven months.

BEST MOMENT IN LA: “Getting hit in the nuts by Party Boy.”

BEST AUDITION STORY: “I made up a monologue on the spot and have continued to use it whenever I need one.”

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM IN: “Mind of Mencia,” a Weight Watchers Commercial, Brooks & Dunn – Hillbilly Deluxe, and a Walmart Commercial.

UPCOMING: “Operation Repo,” and A Pilot called “Militia.”