Scrumptious cupcakes

My First Guest Star! ...Audition :)

2009-11-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

It can't be! A guest star on one of my favorite shows, next to LOST.....Cold Case. And not only is this a regular guest star, but on Cold Case, the guest star is actually the STAR of the episode...the victim. Right when I got the call from my agent, I ran to the computer to print out...wait for .....all 22 pages. Yikes. Luckily she told me I only needed to memorize three scenes, but of course being the good little actress I am, I prepared them all.

This part was literally perfect for me. I mean I seriously believe the writers channeled me when they wrote the episode. This girl was a strong willed, passionate, talented, circus performer in 1971. Coolest decade ever! And the part required a gymnastics background (which I have). I scrambled to get my wardrobe together on and off the phone with my parents who were in high school in 1971. Of course they should know! I was taking pictures of my outfit options and emailing them. I finally went to goodwill and bought an ugly brown striped dress which I ended up tucking into a brown mini skirt.

Monday rolled around and I rolled out of bed nice and early to practice some more. When I got to the audition, I quickly made friends with a girl that actually had circus training. Yikes! I thought my outfit was perfect until I walked into the room and read. The CD told me...that my outfit was ugly. It made me look flat...hmmm ok. I wasn't offended. I mean, the 70s colors were not that flattering. He looked at me with a contemplative look on his face. "Heather, I'm going to think about you," he stated slowly. "But you need to come back more sexy." I quickly replied, "of course! I can do that!"

Later that day, an hour later actually, they called. A callback!! Yes! I went in the next day for the producers. Of course, this is after I spent all day on Melrose looking for vintage jeans- which I found. I definitely went in looking more sexy. I'm sure of it. The producers, writer, director, and CD were in the room. My heart was racing with nervous excitement.

I was so prepared, and I know I did my very best, and even if I don't get it, I know I will be back in the office again. I just know.

Personal Drop Offs Do Work!!

2009-11-28T11:46:00.001-08:00

I am back on a roll with checking the breakdowns on every website (I have a list of over ten even Craigslist- yes I have gotten legit work from that skeezy-ish website people have a love/hate relationship with). Ever since I lost out on a few parts recently that I really wanted, it has set a fire off inside of me. I am ever so passionate and determined to book something even better than the last auditions I went on.

The other day at seven in the morning (why I was up so early, I don't know) I stumbled upon my dream role while I was browsing the internet in my bed. Not only does it requre someone that has a dance and gymnastics background that they quoted "have a leg up on this if you do have that background" but the film shoots all across Europe! It is a lead role, AND it is for a big big casting director. Wow.

I made my daily list of things to do and prepared my materials for my drop off. I printed out a specific headshot and attached my gymnastics reel with the package and ran over as fast as I could when I finally got ready. I called my agent and manager and enthusiastically told them about this film and how perfect I was for it. I made sure that they pitched me and also submit online for me.

I prayed all week that I would get a call to audition for my dream project. Then I went into a one day slump and reflected on all those times when I was still taking classes at USC and would leave ten minutes early to drive across town to the Fox lot and try and sneak on to drop off my daily submissions to casting people that did it all electronically anyways. I thought to myself, gosh, this is not going to work! Why do I keep thinking that I will get called in from a hard copy drop off?

The next day I was so bent out of shape from overthinking the whole situation. I went to the casting officeI work and checked my email when I was on a break, and to my surprise, there was an email with the subject line..... audition for you know what. Smiles.

We Loved You But We Went With...

2009-11-28T11:44:00.001-08:00

As I waited patiently in the bride's dressing room in a cute bungalow at a paradise ranch in Malibu, I sat on the bed in my belly dance costume clanking my gold bracelets together and counting down the minutes until I danced at the ritzy Moroccan wedding I was hired to perform at. I pondered all my auditions I had gone on in the past week, and the two that I was practically on hold for and lost out on at the very last minute. I thought to myself, what could I have done differently to secure those jobs? Ohhh sorry Heather, the email read, we decided to go with more blonds for this one, and oh we loved you so much but we decided to go with a different actress. And on top of those, I went to four- yes four auditions for a student thesis film....and guess what. They also told me, you were great but we went with...Sigh...

I arrived far too early to this event, anticipating much more traffic than usual and I got lost on the dark dirt roads that led up to this oasis in the middle of the Malibu canyon. How beautiful the maze of trees with hanging lights, and bridges with a creek and waterfalls! I rolled my dance suitcase carrying my gold sequined cane over the cobblestone path that meandered me to the signs that pointed this way to the raucous party goers. I walked passed a pond with a flock of pretty white ducks that all started approaching me as if I was carrying a platter of food. Finally I found the very flamboyant wedding planner and he directed me to my dressing room. After changing and warming up about four different times, sending out multiple text messages, and secretly nibbling on some tea cookies and cakes I discovered, I walked up to the wedding party.

On my walk over, I slipped and fell right on my butt because some vicious dogs that came out of no where started barking at me. My CD of music slipped out of my hand and got all scuffed up, but luckily still played perfectly. I literally danced for about twenty minutes, while everyone passed around long gowns that they wore to dance in around the bride and the groom. Then some women danced out onto the floor carrying above their heads, two platters of cookies (looked very similar to the tea cookies I was stealing...oops) and a few bowls of what looked to be mud. After dancing around in circles for a minute, they started to rub the mud (or what they call Henna) on everyone's hand. They told me it was for good luck and it left a mark on their hands for a week.

After the fun and interesting celebration, I once again got lost in the maze of lit trees and white ducks and drove home, still pondering those auditions and what goes on in the mind of a producer's head...I shall never know.

The Hour I've Been Waiting For...

2009-10-11T20:05:00.001-07:00

Are casting workshops worth all the money I am paying to take them? Which offices like to receive postcards? Where do I get headshots printed but only about 25, not one hundred? And what is the best type of job to have as an actor that is flexible enough to audition? But most of all, how do I get into bigger offices and especially TV offices? I listed my hundreds of questions carefully for the casting directors I have interned for over the past few months. They are nice enough to spend an hour with me giving me solid career advice. I feel so privileged!

So I spent all week preparing, researching agents who I wanted to ask them about, and sorting and printing pictures for them to look at. They provide me with such insightful thoughts to spend all week digesting....like....why have 16 photos online, and keep adding all the new headshots to the old ones. Just remove the old ones already!!! (It's hard to let some of them go!!) You should only and really only need about six posted online.

They told me that if I looked edgy in my photos, then don't come bouncing in the room all bubbly and act like you are fourteen. They want to see the girl who they chose out of 2000 submissions, not someone else. Ok, I scribbled this down on my tinkerbell notebook. That of course made perfect sense to me. Look like your picture. Duh! How many times do I have to hear that!?

Ok, now how on earth do I get into more casting offices?? Bigger ones I might add. Of course, there is really no real answer for that, other then......"keep doing what you are doing because it sounds like you are doing the right things...." Go to casting workshops, keep submitting yourself, and mail postcards, keep in touch with your contacts and all the people you have worked with, and also....a more credible agent would do you some good.

So keep going to casting workshops, but target ten people who cast shows that you are right for. Quick anecdote: I went to see a casting director who casts a popular teen drama on my favorite network and instead of her coming she sent her 21 year old looking assistant. We were all eagerly asking him questions, and a girl asked "what do you aspire to do?" He happily replied, "oh I want to be a producer or maybe get into photography." Oh....um...really?? Ok, so why are you here again taking our money?? Sometimes these workshops work for actors....sometimes.

So, I wrote all of these gems of wisdom I was hearing from the two casting directors that I have interned for. I honestly could have sat in there for three more hours asking them every question on my check list. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful advice I received!! Off to researching agents!

Faking sick is a bad idea...

2009-10-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ohhh playing sick it definitely my forte! I can actually convince myself that I am sick and then I really do get sick. I'm a firm believer that being sick is all about playing a trick on your mind, which is probably why my mom never gets sick- because she tell herself she isn't! And I tell myself I am sick or I think I'm getting sick, and I get sick. Point is....I have used this trick far too many times when trying to get out class, etc etc etc...

So my friend Jo got double booked on some work (gosh I feel so sorry for her!-sarcasm) and she called me to cover some extra work for her and pretend to be her for the day. I took her license and ran off to Simi Valley to play a golfer in a new comedy pilot. I introduced myself as Jo all day and when people asked for me they had to call my "name" twice. I slipped a few times, and introduced myself as Heather, then corrected myself, ohhhh sorry, that is my stage name....Yikes!

So later on, I had to leave set for a dance gig I had all the way across town. I'm talking like east LA! Well the only thing I could do was fake sick! Luckily it was an extremely hot day and we were on a hiking trail with no shade whatsoever, so it was an easy out. All I had to do was pretend to feel nauseous and overheated. I started at lunch feeling wheezy, and people were asking me what was wrong.

An hour goes by, and I am sitting in the medics car with the air conditioning going full blast, hooked up to an oxygen tank, and already downed four different pills, gatorade, and Emergency. Oh geez. I kept thinking, I am going to kill Jo for this!

All I was thinking was I have to get out of here to make my dance gig on time! I am being paid big dollars for it! So I asked in my sick I-feel-like-keeling-over voice, "can I just go home?" The medic responds, "oh honey no! I can't let you drive in this condition"

OMG! What have I gotten myself into!? I had to escape this situation immediately. Finally, after fifteen minutes I started to tell her I was feeling better, and after two hours of sitting in the car while I watched the other extras sweat their butts off on the hiking hill, I was on my way driving in traffic from hell to my next gig...Maybe I could have just asked to leave because I had to work?

Welcome To My Land of Arithanea!

2009-10-11T20:02:00.001-07:00

As I was driving to Beverly Hills, struggling to staple my headshot to my resume among other tasks, such as conversing with my mom on my cell and changing shirts, a guy in a gorgeous Mercedes (my dream car) looks over and gives a thumbs up with this cheesy smile plastered on his face. Caught off guard, I sighed deeply and gave him a I'm-trying-so-hard-you-don't-even-know shrug. I was on my way to three auditions after a long weekend of filming a short in Monterey called Arithanea. Yes that is a name of a fictional land where I am a princess that can cast spells and carries a staff, kind of like Moses in The Ten Commandments. Now, let me tell you why this was such a challenge for me...
Generally I am used to playing contemporary roles that are typically not far from myself. This is of course not including the roles I played in theater years and years ago. Film is different. I was going over my lines with my boyfriend, who I drug along to the shoot this past weekend, and I was laughing so hard on the drive up the coast. How can I say, "draw the sword of heroes and prove that you are truly the chosen one," and not crack up at myself! I seriously had these long speeches of this fantasy video game like dialog that I was trying to make some sense of.
Luckily, it was a low budget short film and when I broke a scene cracking up laughing because a fly landed on my nose (because we were out in the forest in the heat of the day) I didn't feel too too bad because there was not millions of dollars on the line! I got to cast spells, put myself magically into a light green bubble (post production obviously) and carry a real sword. I felt a little like Link from Zelda, and it was totally awesome.

How To Brand Myself

2009-10-11T20:01:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I don't think I will not know who I am until I am 40. Seriously. I will often act like I am 15 jumping off the walls and doing cartwheels when I get to a pretty patch of green grass, and then when I put on a pair of glasses and twist my hair up and stick a pencil in it, I suddenly act like a formal business woman that is slightly seductive. Yes I want to play a variety of colorful characters and in time I will be able to, but for now, I need to focus on who I am and what I always get cast as because I am at this weird age where I can't necessarily play high school, but I can't play a young mother either.
I recently read a great book by Dallas Travers, The Tao of Show Business, which I highly recommend to all actors. It is an incredible up to date marketing book. She talks about branding yourself, how to write clever letters to agents, and how to do publicity for yourself. Who are you? What do you play? What is the tag line for yourself? Are some of the subjects she covers.

I have a friend who calls herself Rainbow Bright with ADD. She labels herself as this and puts it on her business cards, and in the notes on her actors access submissions, and she ALWAYS gets called in because casting directors probably are very curious to know what Rainbow Bright with add is like.
So who am I? The sweet girl next door....I always get cast as that... Well, it's who I am. But gosh, there are probably another thousand sweet girl next door actresses in a five mile radius of my apartment in Studio City. My goal of the week is to ask my closest friends, family, and people on the street- what are three adjectives to describe me. Then I will narrow it down and create some tag line for me! Starting right now!

Can Agents Be Compared To Coffee?

2009-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

When I need a coffee fix, I will pretty much pull over anywhere. Even Starbucks. Why? I really don't know. Because their coffee is burned, and ever time I'm there, I end up taking my drink back and having them add or remove to achieve the perfect taste. Every time.
After working as a barista for so many years and having a mom that consumes five cups of java a day, mostly to suppress her appetite, I have grown into quite the connoisseur. When I was standing in line the other day for an iced coffee (how hard can it be to have the perfect combination?) I traded it in three times until it was ideal. Not enough caramel syrup, then too much, then too watery. I'm picky. I don't settle for less. If I pay more than a dollar for coffee then I WILL have it my way.
I started to ponder while having the irritated barista modify my perfect cup of joe, and I thought, I will not settle for this....

Why am I not like this with my past agents?? (LIGHT BULB GOING OFF IN MY HEAD!) If something doesn't feel right, the relationship isn't working, and there is no communication or auditions....then trade them in! Why settle on an agent that is not ideal for my taste for an entire year? That is a whole year down the drain(which is a long time in Hollywood) I have literally had about ten agents that have not been right for me since I have moved to LA. And I always seemed to defend them when my friends ask why I haven't upgraded to a better one. "Well....I just think I need to give them a little more time and then they will probably send me out more...." YEAH RIGHT!
This is it, I am making an executive decision as head of my company to trade UP and attain a great and aggressive agent, because I refuse to settle for someone who does not believe in my talent, and I also refuse to drink a cup of burned, over-sweetened, day old coffee.

The Stress of Headshots!

2009-09-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

I am sure that every other struggling actor in town can relate the daunting process of getting headshots. The thought of going through it again makes me sigh deeply and think about what I could do with practically a grand that I am about to spend. I could buy a ticket to Rio and travel for a week, which I have been wanting to do for four years.

But we all know that a headshot is our calling card, our ticket into that big office we have always wanted to get into. But how many freakin times do I need to take 700 photos of myself before I can just get ONE decent shot that represents me- my spirit, my youthful energy, and my eyes.

After two months of research- asking every actor I know for suggestions on the BEST photographers in LA, and going to hundreds of websites, I realized I wanted something more cinematic this round- not something so "portraity" like Glamour Shots for example. My manager agreed and he told me to write out different lines of dialog to go over in my head while we were shooting. I spend hundreds of dollars at the mall acquiring various clothes and accessories for my four "looks". (Which I plan on returning by the way) I even had my boyfriend do test shoots because he recently bought a nice Nikon camera and an 85mm lens (if anyone needs headshots!)

I then took photos of myself wearing these newly purchased outfits and emailed my manager and family to gather their opinions. The day before my shoot, I spent a few hours packing everything and making a list of every single shot I wanted to capture. This grey shirt with my hair down straight, then throwing it up and putting on this jacket, then taking my hair down, with out the jacket, etc.... So specific! I even put a portfolio of my favorite looks and headshots on my computer to show the photographer. My friend Julie told me to just relax and have fun with it because I would look stressed out in the photos if I was fretting this much!!

So after a week of waiting ever so patiently to view the results, here is what I got! I appreciate any comments!!! Hopefully my eyes don't exude "I am so concerned about getting the perfect picture!"

Click Here to see the pics! Thanks!

Spunky to Seductive

2009-08-17T22:12:00.001-07:00

I love surprise auditions!! I didn't have anything lined up for the week and all of a sudden I got bombarded with two BIG auditions this weekend! One was a series regular for a pilot and the second, a commercial. Yes! Something to memorize!!

I rarely get TV auditions and when I do I OVER PREPARE. I met with a coach twice in 24 hours, tried on ten different outfits, and rehearsed all weekend long. I felt like it was necessary considering it was my first audition for a series regular. A spunky series regular who is 15 and asking her mom about birth control. Yikes. 15? .....

First mistake of the day was staying up too late the night before with my old roommate who visited for the weekend. What was I thinking? Not the smartest decision. I woke up slurring my words and overly blinking my eyes that were stinging like crazy. I scrambled to get ready in the morning and talked to myself while applying my minimal make up to look more youthful.

Second mistake was arriving to the Universal lot with only ten minutes to park and walk to the bungalows. Hello!!!! I know that the lot was huge and I ended up having to walk a half a mile while passing at least three Universal Studios tour buses. Of course all those tourists are looking for celebrities on those back lot tours and if they see anyone who could remotely resemble "somebody" they will claim to their friends that they saw a star when they get home from LA. I messed with the buses passing by and pretended to be yelling at "my agent" on my cell phone. "What!? No! I want a million for that film or I'm passing on it!" I said this line with attitude pretending to be in conversation with a real person as three buses passed me. That grabbed their attention as they stared me down attempting to figure out what famous demanding actress I was as a few guys snapped some photos. I laughed to myself when they passed, then said to myself, ok time to get down to business and grabbed my sides out of my purse to run through the scene before stepping into the office I have dreamed of reading for.

As my name was called I took a deep deep breath and stepped into the office, making myself comfortable and owning the room, as my former acting professor constantly reiterrated in class. Mistake number three was trying too hard to be off book and not keeping track of where I was on the pages. I went blank in the middle of the second scene and shuffled the papers around, but could not find the line! Luckily the casting director fed me the forgotten line, and luckily I had stayed in the moment, which he complimented me on after the read.

I felt like I had captured the innocent and spunk of the character and I ran back to my car, rehearsing my commercial copy while out of breath. Now I was playing a character ten years older than the series regular and I was supposed to be a sultry, seductive sports fan. On the drive to Santa Monica, I applied red lipstick, threw on a low cut halter top, and stepped out of the car in four inch heels ready to nail it. Cross your fingers I book both!

Mad Men Here I Come!

2009-08-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

It has been over a year since I entered an online contest to be in a horror movie that shot in Romania, which by the way I won, but couldn't participate in because of a SAG issue. Long long story!

The time has come again where I get extremely competitive and start to annoy my friends to vote for me in hopes of landing a "walk on role" on my favorite show Mad Men. Now let's think for a minute....what exactly does "walk on" mean? Featured extra? One line? I have been doing everything I can do be seen by creator of the show Matthew Weiner. I have been to casting workshops to see the associate casting director, I have mailed them photos, and I have even done extra work one day on it! I am a little obsessed with the time period and most of all the intelligent writing on the show!

So I have entered a contest that is hosted by AMC and Banana Republic. My goal is to be in the top ten so that I can at least be seen by Mr. Weiner. The problem is....once I enter in a contest, I can't stop thinking about it until I win it. I am just way too competitive and I refuse to lose.

For heaven's sake, the horror movie contest, there was an hour left of voting and I was trapped in my grandma's house in Texas while there was a severe tornado warning. As my family was shouting for me to run to the hallway under the mattress that was supposedly going to protect them from a twister, I was vigorously typing away on the computer collecting the last votes I needed in order to win the contest. Thankfully, tornado season is over, so I don't have to worry about that for this contest!

If you could please help me out and vote for me I would greatly appreciate it! And you can vote every day until the 11th! Wink wink...
Vote for me Here!

Give Me A Second Chance!!

2009-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

I am so fortunate to have gotten to read for a film my casting office is working on! That is the great part about interning for a casting director. Since I, along with several other actor/interns are working in front of them all day, it's easy to stay in the front of their minds and the nice part is they consider us for all the roles they are casting for.
The film they let me read for is a fun action sci-fi script. What I love most is the quirky goth character that I was privileged enough to read for. What an interesting character she is!! I literally was given twelve pages of a scene to prepare in one day. Yikes!
The next day, after hours of attempting to memorize this daunting number of pages, I walked back into the casting office with confidence. I loved my outfit of choice- a black baby doll dress, lace stockings, combat boots, and burgundy lipstick. I did my very best to step into this quack of a character. Yes I said quack. Needless to say, I was buried in my script and did my best to not look like I had JUST received my sides. After my read for the director and the producer, I was kicking myself. "Man! I could have done so much better had I been given a week to prepare!" But hello! That's just not the way it works here in H-Wood.
The next week, the casting director approached me, handing me a sheet of paper with a list of names to call for a producer session for a different film they were casting. I glanced at it briefly then looked back to my script that I was "pseudo reading". Really I was eves-dropping on the conversation the two casting directors were having in their office. He came back and said "you have a call back for..." Of course my heart skipped a beat because I thought he was referring to my audition that I had for them last week for the super awesome sci-fi flick. My eyes got big like that girl in the Dove Chocolate commercial for less than a split second. Then I realized he was giving me the spiel to say to the actors that I was supposed to call about a short film they were casting. I let out a big sigh and looked back to the script I was so totally engrossed in. (That was sarcasm). I want that call back, I thought to myself.
A week later, I saw the producer and the director walk in and I swiveled around in my office chair to avoid eye contact. I was dressed too preppy that day and I didn't want them to see me not-in-character. Luckily they didn't recognize me. They were bringing in cute guys to read for the leading role. As the casting director walked her way into the conference room, I grabbed her arm and whispered, "did they not like me??"
"Gosh, don't look so concerned sweety, they liked you," she said as she waltzed into the conference room.
Liked me. Liked me? Ok, but what does that really mean?? They probably liked a ton of actors they saw for the part. I wanted to drill her with questions about how I could have improved and who else they liked and why they would have liked me! I sat there watching all these adorable actors sign in the rest of the day trying my hardest not to think about if I would get a call back. Cross your fingers!!

Getting pulled into the screen

2009-07-01T00:29:00.000-07:00

I was glued to my computer screen watching Rachel Mcadam's screen test for The Notebook as I unconsciously scarfed down the last half of the spice cake I baked. This is soooooo good, I said to myself. So so good! (the screen test, not the cake) I grabbed a tissue to wipe my eyes. How could some one reading off a script in front of a blue wall filmed on a little camcorder be so engaging?? I could not take my eyes off of her! It's no wonder they cast her. Recently I have been You-tubing auditions from my favorite movies and it's surprising how many are online. It's a great resource for studying auditions and discovering why someone deserves a part.
I recently audited a cold reading class and there was a special guest that came in to speak. He was a noteworthy producer and long term director. In this oversized class with about 70 actors squeezed into the room, he pulled out dusty VHS (wow I haven't typed vhs in a while!) tapes of the screen tests for a popular film cast in the early 90s. All six of these actresses were very recognizable and I can go on forever about their wardrobe choice and big hair...
So this producer/director told us that we got to play the casting directors and we had to raise our hands when we thought that he should move on to the next audition tape. Apparently we were a tough group because we hardly got to see more than 30 seconds of each performance. They were all pretty storng, but the only really captivating scene was Elizabeth Shue, which we watched all five minutes of with out a single hand raised in the class. As a whole, we all decided to cast her in the film. The producer said "congrats, you were all right. I did cast her, but she didn't get the part." Everyone gasped and I heard murmers of what! No way! How?!
He told us that is was immediately offered to the lead actress in a movie that had recently done extremely well at the box office.
The question is.....what did he say to Elizabeth Shue when he had to explain that she didn't have the part anymore....

And I still want to be an actor?

focus focus focus!

2009-06-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

After countless hours of job hunting on craigslist and monster and all these other websites that I check daily, I sat down with a cup of creme brule coffee and watched the dvd set of the six figure income, by working actress Gwen Giller. What an empowering woman she is! Her money making concept is genius and of course like everything else these days, in the vein of The Secret, which I am a huge fan of! Basically instead of what she likes to call "spinning the wheel" (aka- staying busy 24/7, running around town doing random jobs, auditioning for the sake of auditioning, and at the end of the week collecting a few hundred dollars) she talks about focusing on specific goals and "doing less more often". So I think to myself, were the student film and short film auditions, the four drop offs I made for big feature films, post card mailings to casting directors, and free seminars I attend all in one week really really worth it????? That is what my new friend Gwen calls spinning the wheel. So I am like a hamster in a cage racing around a wheel every week staying extremely busy but really when it comes down to it, I need to take some time to relax and sit down and FOCUS on what I really need to accomplish. I know I am being proactive and doing something for my career every day but Gwen is right....do less more often....hmmmmm ok for example....instead of sending out mass mailings to casting directors and agents, I'm going to target a few and send stuff to them consistently. You get the idea. I get the idea. I'm learning a lot about myself through blogging. I wish I had started this the day I moved to LA! I should stop rambling now!
In the mean time check out my new website! With the help of my friend Laura Killian, we designed a fabulous looking website! http://HeatherTocquigny.com

When it rains it pours

2009-06-03T23:42:00.000-07:00

Yes this expression is a true as it sounds! Nothing has been going on for the last two and a half weeks. Literally, one audition, and it was for a student film. So I bought a ticket to Texas to see my grandma. I thought it was a perfect time to go. Right when I land in Austin, I turned on my phone and I listen to two urgent voice mails from my agent who I haven't heard from in quite a while. What?! An audition today for a horror movie that films in Bulgaria? And another the next day that films in Louisiana? Then I precede to get a random call from a Brooks film school graduate offering me a "great emotional part" in her short film for the weekend. (well gosh that was a little last minute to be casting anyways!). I couldn't believe it! Of all the days I had free the past few weeks, why do all these people all of a sudden call the weekend I decide to take a break from my fast paced LA life style to spend some relaxing time with my grandma???
It only gets better! I get a call at midnight Texas time, from my manager about an audition for iCarly! I have read for the show a few times and they keep bringing me back. Luckily it was a short scene, and I told him I would put myself on tape. So the next morning, I woke up extra early to get myself set up to film a short scene. I closed the bedroom door and drug a kitchen stool in front of it. It was next to the back door which let natural light in from outside. I did a few test shots of myself to check the lighting. I propped my canon elf digital camera on a Special K cereal box that I sat on a table, and rehearsed the scene with my grandma a few times. I had written out her lines and told her to speed up the pacing. We did it five takes of the scene, some with me introducing myself and some with out. I chose the best one, and uploaded it to my computer and sent it off (after minor technical difficulties). I am crossing my fingers the casting director will receive it and like it! So I am now headed back to LA, and I'm guessing now that I get back, it will be calm again with hardly any auditions....well....until I buy another ticket to leave town!

Practice to be polished!

2009-05-26T00:28:00.000-07:00

One of my many goals this year was to focus my time and effort on bigger projects that paid, and to also be more picky about roles I submitted myself to. While working on a Russian Limosine commercial, I met a girl that told me that she was doing the same thing and she was focusing her energies on finding a better agent and submitting to more TV instead of shorts, music videos, and theatre. We talked to each other for several hours and she really motivated me when I left to not waste my time with student projects that didn't pay and weren't going to have a great production value to put on a reel anyways. (wow that was quite a long sentence).

The thing is, I realized that after not submitting to almost every role I saw, I was only auditioning once a week versus around five, like I had been doing before. Yes, it was awesome being able to spend more time on a scene for a higher paying job, but my chances of booking were now so slim. I really missed not constantly memorizing a scene and preparing for a shoot! I really felt that when I was auditioning for a lot of different projects a week, I was so sharp and on the top of my game. I was more relaxed and confident when I went into auditions. I got into a nice rhythm of auditioning.

Since there hasn't been much going on, and it has been extremely slow, I have started to submit to everything again. I ended up booking a short film yesterday that I will be shooting in June! I am so happy to be working on something again! I can't wait to rehearse and shoot and gather more material for my reel. I heard a quote tonight - "practice, practice, practice, until you are polished and deliver an amazing performance." So why not keep shooting? Why not keep working on my craft and staying sharp? Personally, I don't see anything wrong with it!

What am I doing awake still at 4 in the morning!!???

2009-05-22T03:44:00.000-07:00

After working all day on the set of Mad Men and drinking too much coffee and munching on too many cookies, I am wired and feeling productive. Why must I feel like accomplishing so many things during the night?? I am supposed to be resting for a long hike with my friend tomorrow (getting in shape for beach season....which has begun). I have a new strategy. I am planning out which casting directors I want to go read for in workshops and researching which tv shows are casting right this second, and also which shows I am right for. And in the midst of all of that work, I have been emailing directors from film festivals I have been to so I can congratulate them and acknowledge how amazing their work was and "looking forward to seeing your next film!" (And of course in the back of my mind, hoping that they keep in touch with me and some day let me read for their upcoming projects). So back to researching. I have sent enough director emails. I will get back to that later. Now for the casting director workshops! I am starting my lists now. And maybe I will continue to guzzle some coffee so I can finish this by 6 am! I can function on a few hours of sleep right? But I may have to cut my hike short...

Roller skating around town

2009-05-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh I got an audition for a rollerskating commercial that shoots in Japan! First things first. Find skates. Craigslist I found a cute pair of pink sketchers, but the girl didn't get back to me in time. So I rushed over to Moonlight roller rink and rented a pair for twenty bucks. What! Wait, twenty? I asked how much they would be if I could be back in an hour. The woman didn't budge. I ran out the door and sped off to Debbie Reynolds dance studio and rolled around in the halls in my bright pink shorts, purple leg warmers, and 80s style T. I thought to myself, this will all come back to me when I get into the studio, I used to be a stellar skater when I was 10....I used to win limbo at roller skating parties!
When they called my name I confidently skated into the studio. I rolled around the room a few times, did a spin, and showed them a few tricks, such as squatting down and skating and a one leg arabesque while rolling. When they asked if I could spin again, smack, I hit the floor. HARD. Right then, I knew it was over. I was wobbly and unbalanced. I so did not get the job. Back to Moonlight to deliver the bad luck skates.
A few days later, I got another audition notice that another Japanese roller skating commercial was casting. YES! I get to redeem myself! I ran off to Moonlight to rent some more, ran to the audition, in the same colorful outfit, and they told me, oh you can go, we saw you already last week. After all that rushing around, and spending so much money on renting stupid skates. Right after I left, the craigslist girl called and said she was in my area with the sketchers skates. Well, I sure did feel obligated to buy them from her since I sounded so desperate the first time. I paid her yet another twenty for them, and explained that I had already auditioned. Sooooo now I have my own roller skates! Better get some use out of them. Any one up to skate on the beach this weekend?

Time to email the last 10 pages of Indie Slate!

2009-05-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

The time has come again where my new favorite magazine, Indie Slate, which is made for independent filmmakers, has come out with a new issue. Not only do they have great articles written about the newest directors and upcoming actors, but there is a reason I spend 6.99 (gosh I wanted to smuggle it out of there with out paying that!) on this mag....It is a hidden gem that I discovered amongst other trades and news at the local 7-11 last year. It has the production listings in the back. Hundreds of independent films that are in pre-production, production, wrapped, and also in development. Now what I did last night was probably crazy, but definitely worth it. First I poured an extra large cup of vanilla coffe with a lot of sugar, and I thumbed through all the films that are listed in development and pre-production and emailed all of them introducing myself and talking about what I had recently worked on, along with a headshot and res and link to my imdb page. This took somewhere between two to three hours. I think I have a case of carpel tunnel and got a splitting headache from staring into a computer for as long as I did with out taking a break. But this worked last year and I ended up getting an audition out of it. I've already gotten two emails today about my inquiry and since these films are lower budget with new filmmakers, they are willing to read my email! I will be sending follow up emails in a few months from now to the films that are in development. Let's just wait and see what happens!

My casting internship is such a great learning experience!

2009-05-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have been interning at a casting office in Hollywood for the last month. It has been such a valuable experience. It is so interesting seeing the other side of it and observing how it all works! I have gotten to listen to pitches from agents and go through the breakdowns and select the actors to come in and read. But the best part is sitting in the actual casting sessions and being a reader. I always thought that it would be extremely difficult being a casting director, and watching actor after actor that looks the same and is reading the SAME lines over and over. I mean, how in the world can you ever choose someone???? But everyone brings something special and unique and you really just know when that person comes in the door and is perfect for the part. It's also very fun to listen to the producers and director chat after the actors leave the room. For example, why that person isn't right or why they are right for the part. I am learning so so much about what to do and what not to do in an audition.

So far....

-Be personable and friendly. There was a girl that came in and was so nice to everyone and complimented one of the producers on her outfit and they started talking and getting to know each other. Everyone in the room felt the warmth and great energy from this girl. When she started reading, everyone already was on her side and was rooting for her. She did well anyways, but when she walked out, we all commented on how we loved her!

-After reading a scene once, if the producers or director don't redirect, ask if they want to try it a different way. There was a guy that did okay on his read, but asked right after "do we want to try it a different way?" and they directed him and he took it very well. Sometimes you have to ask, and prove to them that you are able to adjust to any modifications the director makes.

-Don't ask so many questions! There was an actor that came in and asked literally four questions that didn't even really pertain to the character he was reading for. The producers were slightly annoyed when he left and even said that it wasn't even necessary to ask so many questions!

I sat in a session with a few French filmmakers and they were reading with actors for a short film. After getting to know them for the day, they asked me to read for it! It is a beautiful script written from the heart and I was so honored that they asked me. I felt so prepared after being the reader all day and the next day I went in prepared and I felt like I did great! Keep your fingers crossed!

My gymnastics video!

2009-05-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

Since there are a few shows right now that are casting a lot of gymnasts, I thought to myself, why not capture some of my tricks on film and post it online so I can easily send the link to my skill clip to the casting director if they need to see proof. I got a call about a month ago regarding a casting I submitted to for a new tv show. I applied for the gymnast and they asked if I had any footage. I gave them my word that I was still limber and capable of tumbling. Needless to say, I didn't get to even audition. I didn't understand! I told them I had 16 years of gymnastics and dance experience. Well, they told me that the week prior to that, they had someone come in that said they were a gymnast and couldn't do anything and they couldn't let that happen again. Ok ok, understandable. If someone is casting a part of a cheerleader, of course they will want to see someone dressed as a cheerleader, maybe even performing a cheer. Not someone in a green shirt smiling for the camera. Makes total sense. I'm so proud of my video! Watch the clip http://vimeo.com/4461724 and let me know what you think!

Back in the swing of things!

2009-04-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Slowly, but surely, Hollywood is coming back into swing for me and I can hopefully put a pause on my random gigs....ie: dressing up as Cinderella for a kids bday party, dressing up as Cleopatra and taking pictures with people, samba and merengue performances, and handing out flyers on Hollywood and Highland. Yes, they are all fun and make great stories to tell, but I'm happy to actually be getting back on track and in the rhythm of auditioning consistently. I had two music video auditions and a few commercial auditions coming up. You never know what you are going to get at those music video auditions, except for always waiting for at least thirty minutes to walk in and look "hot". This time I got to dance a little. Wait. Not a little... they played the music for at least a minute! I was the only girl that walked out of the room panting heavily. "They said to dance" I commented when I left the building. The next day I received a text message saying that they booked the lead girl (which is what I initially went out for) but asked if I was willing to be a "featured dancer". Of course I politely said no. But I have no doubt they will bring me in for their next video!

Mcdonald's! In Europe!

2009-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

I got to play Ronald Mcdonald in a commercial yesterday! Just kidding. I was a European hipster excited to go into Mickey D's to buy a cheeseburger. I knew three of the actors on set from other films I've worked on so we had a blast hanging out right next to the ocean in Malibu yesterday. Mcdonald's is introducing these new colorful cups and they were shot on top of this bright car. There were three souped up cars in the parking lot and one that was blasting music that we could bop to as we enthusiastically enjoyed our Mcdonald's. I can't tell you how many times I walked back and fourth with 300 percent energy and how sun burnt my nose got but we had a really fun time and I made some great friends. So if you want to catch me in this commercial, you may have to buy a ticket to Belgium. And if you do, let me know how it looks!

I need something to memorize!

2009-04-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

When I don't have something to memorize I kind of start to freak out. I love printing out sides of a script and digging into them, seeing what works and what doesn't, trying different choices, creating a character, and preparing for an audition. I LOVE IT. I get so ecstatic when I get an email for an audition. But right now I am not holding a scene in my hand to practice. It's kind of scary. I feel like I NEED to be memorizing something! It's been a week since my last audition. I went to acting class with my teacher that I LOVE. He brings in casting directors a few times a month and I got to read a Mr. and Mrs. Smith scene last night. My scene partner and I were handcuffed to each other in a runnaway car going 80 mph towards a river, but since we are after all Mr. and Mrs. Smith, we were supposed to keep a calm and collected behavior while arguing over a dress. The CD told us to try to build the suspense towards the end of the two pages that he gave us. We tried it and succeeded and wow- what a difference it made. It was so much more entertaining for the class and for us too. One of the things I am working on is to make stronger choices in auditions. Even if it is the wrong choices that the writer did not intend, it will make you stand out and be memorable to the CD. I learned this so long ago but I still need to keep telling myself that every audition I go on, and of course, even in acting class!

Sometimes, you have to do extra work for extra money

2009-04-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

The sound of extra work sounds so nice from an outside perspective...eat for free all day, listen to your ipod, read that book you've been meaning to pick up for so long, and have great conversations all while getting paid?! Sounds like the perfect job right?! The last two days I got to work on Alvin and the Chipmunks, the squeakquel! And yes I did all of the above, plus sit in the rain for a few minutes and freeze all day, but I was used in every shot almost and I got to watch the director work her magic. She was so amazing and so detail oriented and knew exactly what she needed in every one of her takes. "Where's Alvin's lunch tray!?" and "Bring in the stuffies!" she would scream to the first ad. Since the chipmunks are animated in after the filming, they used these stuffed chipmunks, which they dubbed "stuffies" for eye lines for the actors. There were puppeteers on set with long metal poles that the stuffies were attached to. They would go through the motion of the chipmunks so when they pulled them away, the actors and extras knew where to look. They even brought in a few girls to read the chipmunks lines in their high pitched voices One scene, we were sitting at a lunch table and Theodore, the youngest of the chipmunks flips a tatertot into his mouth. We had to act surprised and impressed (and react to nothing basically) and then giggle when the actress said "You are theodorable!" Then they would bring in this orb that looked like a giant barbell with a sphere attached to each end which all had to do with the animations. The director would yell, you are looking too high. I felt like I was going cross eyed when I was reacting to thin air!

filming the 1950s film noir!

2009-04-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

I got to dress in 1950s attire and act in a noir trailer called the Fairfax File. All of the actors were cast perfectly! I remember the producer telling me after I got the part, "the director and me knew you had the exact look we wanted when you walked in the room to audition, and we prayed that you could deliver the monologue," and I guess I pleased them! We shot all 14 pages in one day on a green screen. I played Jane, a conservative librarian, that is treated like a little girl, but proves she is really not. In an earlier scene, I was in a club playing the tambourine with Dorian, the slam poet, as shown in the pictures. I will post the trailer online as soon as it is edited! Fairfax Photos click here!

horrible auditions can often lead to better things

2009-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

There are so many auditions that I go on where I find myself asking....why did I decide to be an actor again? Where I found this one, I'm not even sure, but it was an untitled feature film and I had to audition in my bikini. First of all, it is still winter and I am very very pale and I had to do a scene with two other girls that didn't even have anything to do with being in a bathing suit or swimming or anything! There were at least ten girls there changing in office cubicles (no one was there, it was a Sunday afternoon) and then performed this one page scene acting like a klutzy sorority girl. Were these guys bored one day and said to themselves, hey let's bring in a bunch of cute girls and watch them act in bathing suits??!! When I finished and I was gathering my stuff to leave, a man introduced himself to me and told me he owned a production company that focused on films that exemplified redemptive themes and good morals. He told me he was a Christian and that there actually are filmmakers in Hollywood that want to produce legitimate movies with great stories. All I wanted to say to him was "please please please put me in one of your projects!!!" I want to be a part of a film I can be proud of! But I remained professional and we exchanged info. So long story short, everything happens for a reason :)

Booking commercials! ...that pay less than extra work...sigh

2009-03-23T23:38:00.001-07:00

In the last month I have had a few commercial shoots, including a Cold Stone commercial where I got to hold a delicious looking mound of mint chocolate chip ice cream drizzled in chocolate syrup. I was practically drooling all day. Too bad it was wax ice cream so that it wouldn't melt. Booooo. It looked so divine. I really wanted to eat it! A few weeks later I did a commercial for a European limo service. This limo was the size of a small semi truck that was yellow with glitter and a dj booth inside. I didn't even know what the director was telling me to do. Everyone spoke Armenian or Russian. It was extremely difficult to know what they wanted us to do in the scenes! Anyways, if these were national commercials I would be set for at least a year! When someone tells me they book a commercial it sounds like they won the lottery. But some commercials, just pay less than a day of extra work unfortunately. Someday it will happen! I know I can eat a piece of pizza better than the girl I just saw on tv in that Dominos commercial! Where was I when they were casting that? :)

Overnight shoots are so so so tiring!

2009-03-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

All I can say is wow. I thought I could at least conquer staying up all night just once (well I sure could when I was 15) But it wasn't just one, but four nights. Full nights. Full of energy. In a sushi restaurant filming an AFI short film called Sushiboat. If the smell of soy sauce and raw fish wasn't enough, I had to be on top of my game from midnight to ten am. I took short power naps in between takes and drank plenty of coffee and energy drinks to stay alive. And then got home when people were leaving for work, pinned sheets to the window to black out the sunlight and dozed off until night time. I am still recovering from this film! It's really hard to be an actor sometimes, but I pushed through this one. I will definitely have to think twice about night shoots next time! And on to my next endeavor!

iCarly again!

2009-03-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

The day before my birthday I got an audition for icarly. My parents and I were up north past Santa Barbara and we rushed back so I could make it in time. While I was waiting there at Nickelodeon for the five people in front of me I wandered around the building. I kept seeing all these people coming in and out of a room and I ended up meeting the creator of the show, Dan Schneider! He asked me to come into the writer's room and try a piece of cake to determine the flavor of it. (of course this cake was sent by a hopeful actor that wants to be on the show) "Women have better taste buds than men," he said. I told all the writer's surrounding the conference table that I would consider it my birthday cake. They wished me luck on my audition and I walked out with a piece of lemon-coffee-vanilla-whatever flavored cake it was. I still didn't know.

A funny horror movie audition

2009-02-16T23:44:00.000-08:00

First of all, why do so many people make cheap horror movies here? And why are they all so similar!? Oh, and also, why do I always get called in to audition for them? Yesterday, for instance, I had an audition for one..... typical, teenagers go camping and get killed off one by one. I walk into the audition room, which was tiny, and there are at least 30 girls! I was sure that the breakdown said teenagers/early 20s. Well some women here in Hollywood like to pretend that 35 is the new 21 by wearing clothes that teenagers would wear.
The walls had no insulation and of course the scene that everyone had to do was an improvised death scene. So I sat there for over an hour listening to shrieking girls and a lot of banging against the walls. After three runs to feed my parking meter, I made it into the audition room and got chased around by a tall man pretending to hold a knife in his hand. Needless to say, I didn't get the part, and let's just say I'm kind of glad. :)

Sonny With a Chance!

2009-02-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

I got punched by Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena Gomez.....well not really punched. It was staged. I played Portlyn's look-alike on the Disney show yesterday. The cast of the Sonny are all making a movie about themselves. I got to be in a scene with Sterling Knight, which we played really over dramatic . It was a little scary to almost get punched by Selena. She came really close! I fell backwards into a chair and stayed knocked out until they yelled cut. It was so much fun!

MOVIEGUIDE AWARDS 2009

2009-02-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

I went to the Movieguide Awards last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and I presented trophies to all of the winners! I think this was my seventh year as a trophy girl! The awards honor family friendly movies in the past year that exemplify high moral standards and redemptive themes. I had a lovely night meeting wonderful Christians who believe in telling great stories with uplifting lessons. It was an honor to meet the talented producers, writers, and directors who worked on films, such as Fireproof, John Adams, and Iron Man. I even got to meet Chuck Norris and his wife! Thanks to Susan and Ken Wales, I was able to participate in such a wonderful event.

Rainy days in LA are always fun...

2009-02-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

I had an audition for a movie called ICrime today and decided to run and drop off a few headshots to some casting directors along the way. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain and it was quite a challenge to preserve my precious photos on the way in the door! The first one, I was in a rush to get in and out and ran through the back door, which I normally exit through. Apparently they just posted a sign that said do not exit through here or alarm will sound. Well, I didn't bother to look at it and the alarm rang SO LOUD! I whispered "don't tell anyone!" to the six guys preparing to audition, and quickly slipped out into the rain.

Later I stopped by to pick up a cd of headshots by Sean Paul Franget. They turned out great! Check them out!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35129608@N06/

My last day filming Insiders Guide to Film School the webseries

2009-02-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

I have been working on this funny webseries with a great cast and talented directors for the past year. I filmed my final day last Saturday which is the first episode of the 2nd season. My character, Alex, gets a job working on a huge film in Canada and sadly, I leave my film school friends behind. We filmed Somewhere around 11 scenes from 7 am to 11 pm! Luckily we had delicious pumpkin coffee to keep us going!

In the 2nd season, expect more film school-related storylines, and gear up for more crazy drama as all your favorite characters return--as well as some new faces!

Be sure to catch up on any of the episodes you may have missed from Semester One--the complete first season is online at

http://www.insidersguidetofilmschool.com

Episode 1 of Season 2 airs NEXT MONDAY!

First audition of 2009

2009-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

Things are getting busy this year and finally picking up! My first audition was for the show icarly. It was for an under five part where all I had to do was club dance. It was so amusing getting to audition with a girl that was 15 with braces that was shocked when I told her I drove there. I was like, "sweetheart, I have been driving for almost 9 years." Her jaw dropped. It's fun pretending to be a teenager again. :)

So I have a blog!

2009-01-17T14:32:00.001-08:00

This is my first blog post ever! I have a lot of stories to share about my experience in LA. It has been a wild ride so far and I love to talk about it. Soon enough, I will have this link on my website which is under construction right now. Check back for more!