Time: August 2007
I was just cast in a SAG feature film today. It's a great role really, and it's strange, how it all came about. You see, I'm moving to Los Angeles in a mere 9 weeks, so since finishing Esper and wrapping
"Bronx Paradise" in June, I've been focusing my energies on making some cold hard cash. I'm going to need a lot of it to:
A. Move all my stuff from one end of the country to the other
B. Pay for my comfy pad (Ist month's rent/deposit/etc.) in a great neighborhood, preferably Silverlake or Los Feliz
C. Invest in some new marketing materials (i.e. headshots, postcards, business cards, etc.)
D. Finance the wheels that will get me, safely, from one destination to another in said city
E. Pay for an acting class and/or private coach soon after getting settled
F. Eat three square meals a day
That said, when an audition comes along, I gladly take it. And this summer, a couple of nice auditions have definitely come along. It's all been very
Zen in the Art of Archery-like. When you're not focused on something, consciously... it happens. You know, like when you're trying to remember the last name of the guy you went to homecoming with, and try as you might, you just can't seem to think of it, even after using the "Alphabet Method" where you slowly go through every letter of the alphabet hoping it will jog your memory.
But only when you're chillin' out, completely absorbed in the new "Pushing Daisies," episode guest starring Paul Reubens in the role of a sewer dwelling smell-o-maniac, does it comes to you, like a bee to honey, causing you to exclaim, victoriously, "Blackshear!!!"... which of course causes the person with whom you are watching the said show to look at you with momentary surprise, only to return their attention back to the more entertaining story unfolding on the TV.
But I digress.
The first, most memorable audition, comes when I'm called in to read for Bob Lambert, a casting director for "All My Children." I get a call from him on Tuesday, which is followed up by an email with a four page scene attached that I will then use for my audition the following day. Pretty fast turnaround. But hey, I figured, this IS a soap opera audition and soap actors are expected to be able to memorize dozens of pages per episode. So in comparison, this is a piece of cake, so of course I'll be off-book by manana por la manana. (Tommorow morning, sans the squiggly things over the "N"s)
So, I walk to the ABC building on 66th Street near the Westside Highway, and I'm feeling pretty good. I feel confident in my preparation, rested, and relaxed. I'm not obsessing about the outcome, I'm just thinking "Hey, it's pretty cool I got called in from a self-submission. Let me go in there and do my thing, and just have fun with it."
I don't spend much time thinking about what it would be like if I got the role, but rather, I choose to focus on the present moment. So instead of feeling anxious and fearful, I just feel calm and energized. I listen to the what Bob has to say about my character, and adjust my choices based on the new information I've been given. Bob's a great partner, so it's easy to work off what he's giving me, while staying grounded in my character.
The audition was a ball, in and of itself. I'd come and done what I'd set out to do, which was to have fun, while being open, truthful and present. Fortunately, as it turns out, that positive audition experience led to my 7 episode stint as Nurse Margie on "All My Children." Over my seven summer days on the AMC set, I was fortunate enough to work with Cameron Mathison, Alicia Minishew (an Esper grad, I discovered) and Susan Lucci. Actually it was my first foray into American TV, and it's been real. And, I'd like to thank Bob for giving me the opportunity and the cast for helping make my experience a positive and memorable one. Thank you.
Next stop: prime time.
